The Substance‘s Oscar success is already changing Hollywood’s approach to horror movies, a screenwriter in the genre says. Written and directed by Coralie Fargeat, The Substance is a body horror film following a celebrity who’s falling off and finds a black market drug to create a younger and more beautiful version of herself. However, there are some unforeseen side effects. Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley lead the cast alongside Dennis Quaid.
The film received five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Director for Fargeat, Best Actress for Demi Moore, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Screenwriter C. Robert Cargill shared a post on Bluesky explaining how these nominations are “a game changer” for the horror genre.
Cargill mentions how the Academy Awards have a long history of not recognizing the genre of horror. The Substance is only the seventh horror movie ever nominated for Best Picture. The other six are The Exorcist in 1973, Jaws in 1975, The Silence of the Lambs in 1991, The Sixth Sense in 1999, Black Swan in 2010, and Get Out in 2017.
Horror movies mostly get their nominations in the technical categories. In 2025, Nosferatu received nods for Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, and Alien: Romulus for Best Visual Effects.
The Best Picture nomination for The Substance is a step in the right direction for future horror films and a nod to the previous horror films overlooked by the Academy because of the genre they fall into.