What could be better than watching iconic American horror films and analyzing them with scholarly theory? For me, at least, that sounds like a dream — and in my media studies class all about the genre of horror, I have the privilege of doing exactly this.
However, after six weeks in the class, I have picked up on a nagging discrepancy: Even though my classmates and I make up part of a loyal cult audience for horror films, horror is still generally regarded as low-class entertainment.
Hollywood studios and major award bodies have consistently underrated and undermined the horror genre. It is time for them to give horror movies the love they deserve. Through visceral and often explicit content, horror films provide profound social commentary and exploration of complex themes.
Confronting these elements can be uncomfortable and complicated, but through films such as Jordan Peele’s “Us” (2019), themes such as human repression can be magnificently demonstrated.
Peele’s ingenious portrayal of confronting repressed fears and desires in “Us” is commendable. Through suspenseful jumpscares, he elicits both physical and figurative fear, highlighting the mishandling of internal emotions — something only the genre of horror could create.
For me, horror films are an art form that creates allegory and unique symbolism to reflect society’s current critical issues and I am not alone in this belief. However, this was not the case for many critics. “Us” infamously failed to receive due recognition for skillfully addressing sensitive societal issues through cinematic techniques.
Hollywood studios and award bodies are commonly perceived as highly credible sources for what should be deemed as good and bad quality cinema, but their treatment of horror films calls this credibility into question.
Narrow-minded perspectives on horror films have been perpetuated by a multitude of actions from Hollywood studios and award bodies.
Hollywood studios tend to release horror films in January and February, which are known as “dump months.” Domestic audiences are the smallest during these months, so studios strategically put out a slew of (in their eyes) films of low cinematic quality. The occurrence of horror genre releases during these dump months is no accident.
The dump strategy disadvantages horror films’ recognition by the Academy Awards. Movies that publicly debut after Jan. 1 are unable to qualify for Oscars until the subsequent year, meaning that they are prone to being overlooked by critics, viewers and award voters since they are old news by the time the following award season wraps up. Notably, films of the Academy Awards’ favorite genres — drama, romance and war — are released in prime summer or holiday months.
Clearly, Hollywood studios believe that many horror movies are below par for cinematic quality. But time and time again, they’re being proven wrong.
Two of arguably the greatest horror movies of all time, “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991) and “Get Out” (2017), were released in February and blew the studios’ expectations out of the water.
“The Silence of the Lambs” became the third film in Academy history to win the “Big Five” Academy Awards for screenwriting, acting, directing and producing. “Get Out” took home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and was nominated for three other awards in directing and acting. These are two of the just six horror films that have been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
Horror movies are provocative art forms — Hollywood studios and major award bodies should recognize them as art even if they are difficult to view. Horror films provide a platform to confront physical gore and societal issues, allowing viewers to explore evil and face fears within the controlled movie screen.
Although watching gore can be unpleasant, these films spark dialogue, raise awareness and encourage critical engagement with difficult topics. This promotes healthy processing rather than suppression of societal problems.
Drama, war and romance films may be easier to swallow, but this does not constitute them as higher art forms in comparison to horror films.
I’m not saying that decorated films are overhyped. Great works of art have been carved from these familiar genres. But the darkness horror provides challenges us with something other genres do not: the unfamiliar.
Next time you are faced with a horror movie trailer or choose to watch a horror film, make the effort to look past its literal meaning. No genre compels us to confront our fears as profoundly as horror does. Studios and major award bodies are too scared to recognize their glory — but you shouldn’t be.
Tess McHugh PO ’25 is from Denver, Colorado. She loves the Kiawah Island beach, Aperol Spritzes and Peloton.