2026’s Historic Oscar Nomination Proves That Horror Should Not Be Underestimated

Sinners took a bite out of the box office in April 2025, but that wasn’t the end for the instant classic. After a whirlwind theatrical run, Ryan Coogler’s horror film has broken a historic record, earning 16 Oscar nominations. Sinners was undoubtedly the favorite film of the season and Coogler’s first original film that wasn’t adapted or part of a greater franchise. Michael B. Jordan earned his nomination for playing the Smokestack twins — brothers in the 1930s Mississippi Delta who are trying to make a name for themselves. Delroy Lindo received his first nomination for Supporting Actor as Slim, while Wunmi Mosaku also had a career first for a Best Supporting Actress nod.

Coogler’s unique vampire story caught everyone’s attention for its exploration of systemic oppression, but that wasn’t the only reason it was historic. Traditionally, horror doesn’t get the attention it deserves when it comes to the awards season. The horror film to win Best Picture was The Silence of the Lambs, which veers a little closer to a thriller than a genre film. Sinners is straight horror, a genre that has been shut out of the awards circuit for a long time. Sinners’ nominations are a celebration of the genre and should lead to more horror films being accepted. All Coogler had to do to give the genre more credit in the industry was to create one of the most visually captivating and emotionally resonant films of all time. 2025 was the year for horror, even if not all the nominations reflected that.

The Oscars Still Snubbed One of the Best Horror Pictures of the Year

Sinners’ nominations have been a win for the horror genre, but the Academy still needs to catch up in other areas. One of the best horror films of the year only received one nomination, as deserved as it was. Amy Madigan earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role as Gladys in Zach Cregger’s eerie follow-up to Barbarian. Weapons premiered in August 2025 with a chilling setup that is hard to forget. In the early hours of the morning, 17 schoolchildren ran out of their houses at the exact same time and went missing. All these children came from the same classroom, leading the town to blame the teacher, Justine (Julia Garner).

Madigan stole the show as the witchy villain with ulterior motives, but that was far from the only thing the film had to offer. The performances from all the leads were outstanding, as was the production value, which elevated an already harrowing story. Cregger proved with this one that he was not just a one-hit wonder, and there can be more than one winner in the horror-sphere at a time. Weapons and Sinners were entirely different films, expressions of their creators’ different perspectives. While Sinners reflected an important depiction of race and the healing power of love, Weapons was a harrowing metaphor for how alcoholic parents can affect their children. Weapons was regrettably snubbed this year, despite the power of its story. Horror deserves its moment and should not be a rarity when it comes to the awards season.

Release Date

April 18, 2025

Runtime

138 minutes

Director

Ryan Coogler

Writers

Ryan Coogler

Producers

Sev Ohanian, Zinzi Coogler, Ryan Coogler