Posted on Oct 21, 2020

19 Horror Movie Performances That 100% Deserved Oscar Nominations

"And the AHHH-scar goes to..." (Get it? Like...an "Oscar"...but scary.)

Allie Hayes

BuzzFeed Staff

We recently asked members of our BuzzFeed Community, "Who is one actor in a horror movie who definitely deserved more credit for their performance?" and, WHEW BUDDY, people did not disappoint. Here are just a few of the actors who basically carried their whole films on their backs:

1. Lupita Nyong’o as Adelaide Thomas in Us (2019)

"Her performance was phenomenal and the fact that she was overlooked during awards season was criminal."—phillo — Universal Pictures

"Her performance was phenomenal and the fact that she was overlooked during awards season was criminal."
—phillo

Universal Pictures

"Her performance was phenomenal and the fact that she was overlooked during awards season was criminal."
—phillo

2. Michael Keaton as Betelgeuse in Beetlejuice (1988)

"His embodiment of that character is bonkers, but absolute perfection! It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that this guy also played Batman." —caitlinm18 — Warner Bros.

"His embodiment of that character is bonkers, but absolute perfection! It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that this guy also played Batman."
—caitlinm18

Warner Bros.

"His embodiment of that character is bonkers, but absolute perfection! It's hard to wrap my head around the fact that this guy also played Batman."
—caitlinm18

3. Sigourney Weaver as Ripley in the Alien franchise

"What's even more satisfying is the fact that this role was originally written for a man, but she was able to take the character and turn her into an absolute badass." —caitlinm18 — 20th Century Fox

"What's even more satisfying is the fact that this role was originally written for a man, but she was able to take the character and turn her into an absolute badass."
—caitlinm18

20th Century Fox

"What's even more satisfying is the fact that this role was originally written for a man, but she was able to take the character and turn her into an absolute badass."
—caitlinm18

4. Tony Todd as Candyman in Candyman (1992)

"This man should be at the top of this list. The guy was covered in live bees. He had live bees IN HIS MOUTH. He is a LEGEND."—chelseac4e5442f83 — TriStar Pictures

"This man should be at the top of this list. The guy was covered in live bees. He had live bees IN HIS MOUTH. He is a LEGEND."
—chelseac4e5442f83

TriStar Pictures

"This man should be at the top of this list. The guy was covered in live bees. He had live bees IN HIS MOUTH. He is a LEGEND."
—chelseac4e5442f83

5. Bryce Dallas Howard as Ivy Elizabeth Walker in The Village (2004)

"The movie as a whole wasn't great, but I think we can all agree that she made it feel better than it was. Brilliant performance!"—brentus86 — Buena Vista Pictures

"The movie as a whole wasn't great, but I think we can all agree that she made it feel better than it was. Brilliant performance!"
—brentus86

Buena Vista Pictures

"The movie as a whole wasn't great, but I think we can all agree that she made it feel better than it was. Brilliant performance!"
—brentus86

6. Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise

"He WAS those movies. He brought life to a now-iconic character and, every time he was on screen, everybody else might as well have been invisible."—kfurlic88 — New Line Cinema

"He WAS those movies. He brought life to a now-iconic character and, every time he was on screen, everybody else might as well have been invisible."
—kfurlic88

New Line Cinema

"He WAS those movies. He brought life to a now-iconic character and, every time he was on screen, everybody else might as well have been invisible."
—kfurlic88

7. Florence Pugh as Dani Ardor in Midsommar (2019)

"Listen — she carried that film on her back. Love it or hate it, she was absolutely phenomenal and gave such a gut-wrenching performance."—elizabethb498078bea — A24

"Listen — she carried that film on her back. Love it or hate it, she was absolutely phenomenal and gave such a gut-wrenching performance."
—elizabethb498078bea

A24

"Listen — she carried that film on her back. Love it or hate it, she was absolutely phenomenal and gave such a gut-wrenching performance."
—elizabethb498078bea

8. Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode in the Halloween franchise

"To watch Laurie go from a mortified teenager to an unafraid, fed-up, brave adult across the span of all of the films was incredible."—meeks34 — Compass International Pictures

"To watch Laurie go from a mortified teenager to an unafraid, fed-up, brave adult across the span of all of the films was incredible."
—meeks34

Compass International Pictures

"To watch Laurie go from a mortified teenager to an unafraid, fed-up, brave adult across the span of all of the films was incredible."
—meeks34

9. Cillian Murphy as Jim in 28 Days Later (2008)

"He made the character believable and relatable, which allowed viewers to imagine themselves in this swift-footed zombie apocalypse."—rdplaty — Fox Searchlight Pictures

"He made the character believable and relatable, which allowed viewers to imagine themselves in this swift-footed zombie apocalypse."
—rdplaty

Fox Searchlight Pictures

"He made the character believable and relatable, which allowed viewers to imagine themselves in this swift-footed zombie apocalypse."
—rdplaty

10. Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes in Misery (1990)

"I know this is cheating (since she DID win the Oscar that year), but this performance has become so underrated nowadays! She was completely chaotic and unhinged. The themes of isolation, adoration, and fanaticism run deep throughout the film, and Bates' Annie embodies them all horrifyingly and masterfully well. The sledgehammer scene still haunts me."—howzitguy96815 — Columbia Pictures

"I know this is cheating (since she DID win the Oscar that year), but this performance has become so underrated nowadays! She was completely chaotic and unhinged. The themes of isolation, adoration, and fanaticism run deep throughout the film, and Bates' Annie embodies them all horrifyingly and masterfully well. The sledgehammer scene still haunts me."
—howzitguy96815

Columbia Pictures

"I know this is cheating (since she DID win the Oscar that year), but this performance has become so underrated nowadays! She was completely chaotic and unhinged. The themes of isolation, adoration, and fanaticism run deep throughout the film, and Bates' Annie embodies them all horrifyingly and masterfully well. The sledgehammer scene still haunts me."
—howzitguy96815

11. Naomi Watts as Rachel Keller in The Ring (2002)

"This will forever be my favorite scary movie solely because of her performance. Her scream when she turned that chair around...she should have gotten an Oscar for that scream alone."—akatb720 — DreamWorks Pictures

"This will forever be my favorite scary movie solely because of her performance. Her scream when she turned that chair around...she should have gotten an Oscar for that scream alone."
—akatb720

DreamWorks Pictures

"This will forever be my favorite scary movie solely because of her performance. Her scream when she turned that chair around...she should have gotten an Oscar for that scream alone."
—akatb720

12. Samara Weaving as Grace Le Domas in Ready or Not (2019)

"I just feel like she was a perfect lead/final girl. She not only CARRIED that whole film, she SERVED that whole film!"—eirinipoly — Fox Searchlight Pictures

"I just feel like she was a perfect lead/final girl. She not only CARRIED that whole film, she SERVED that whole film!"
—eirinipoly

Fox Searchlight Pictures

"I just feel like she was a perfect lead/final girl. She not only CARRIED that whole film, she SERVED that whole film!"
—eirinipoly

13. R. Lee Ermey as Sheriff Hoyt in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003)

"R.I.P. He was a national treasure and the main reason I loved the remake so much. Leatherface may be the slasher, but Sheriff Hoyt was the REAL villain. Ermey was so unhinged and entertaining that I couldn't help but love to hate him!" —caitlinm18 — New Line Cinema

"R.I.P. He was a national treasure and the main reason I loved the remake so much. Leatherface may be the slasher, but Sheriff Hoyt was the REAL villain. Ermey was so unhinged and entertaining that I couldn't help but love to hate him!"
—caitlinm18

New Line Cinema

"R.I.P. He was a national treasure and the main reason I loved the remake so much. Leatherface may be the slasher, but Sheriff Hoyt was the REAL villain. Ermey was so unhinged and entertaining that I couldn't help but love to hate him!"
—caitlinm18

14. Tilda Swinton as Madame Blanc/Mother Helena Markos/Dr. Josef Klemperer in Suspiria (2018)

"She plays two of the main characters and one additional character at the end and she is TRANSFORMED. Her role as the doctor is tragic and heartbreaking, and her role as the cold-yet-maternal witch Blanc is equally as amazing!" —em1231 — Amazon Studios

"She plays two of the main characters and one additional character at the end and she is TRANSFORMED. Her role as the doctor is tragic and heartbreaking, and her role as the cold-yet-maternal witch Blanc is equally as amazing!"
—em1231

Amazon Studios

"She plays two of the main characters and one additional character at the end and she is TRANSFORMED. Her role as the doctor is tragic and heartbreaking, and her role as the cold-yet-maternal witch Blanc is equally as amazing!"
—em1231

15. Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West in Re-Animator (1985)

"He played a character that was essentially a rip-off of Dr. Frankenstein, but added a level of humor while never losing the desperate madness and arrogance that's signature to a role like that. He also has some of the best lines in the whole movie. Combs in general is greatly underrated simply because he is a 'B-movie actor,' but he was perfectly cast for this one!"—serrichardb — Empire International Pictures

"He played a character that was essentially a rip-off of Dr. Frankenstein, but added a level of humor while never losing the desperate madness and arrogance that's signature to a role like that. He also has some of the best lines in the whole movie. Combs in general is greatly underrated simply because he is a 'B-movie actor,' but he was perfectly cast for this one!"
—serrichardb

Empire International Pictures

"He played a character that was essentially a rip-off of Dr. Frankenstein, but added a level of humor while never losing the desperate madness and arrogance that's signature to a role like that. He also has some of the best lines in the whole movie. Combs in general is greatly underrated simply because he is a 'B-movie actor,' but he was perfectly cast for this one!"
—serrichardb

16. Heather Langenkamp as herself/Nancy in Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)

"She played both herself and reprised her famous A Nightmare on Elm Street role of 'Nancy' all in the same film. So meta, so great."—dorshaem — New Line Cinema

"She played both herself and reprised her famous A Nightmare on Elm Street role of 'Nancy' all in the same film. So meta, so great."
—dorshaem

New Line Cinema

"She played both herself and reprised her famous A Nightmare on Elm Street role of 'Nancy' all in the same film. So meta, so great."
—dorshaem

17. Anya Taylor-Joy as Thomasin in The Witch (2015)

"She genuinely carried that movie and it’s doubly impressive considering that it was her first feature film role!"—phillo — youtube.com

"She genuinely carried that movie and it’s doubly impressive considering that it was her first feature film role!"
—phillo

youtube.com

"She genuinely carried that movie and it’s doubly impressive considering that it was her first feature film role!"
—phillo

18. Linda Blair as Reagan MacNeil in The Exorcist (1973)

"I know that she technically DID get an Oscar nomination — but I feel like she deserved more roles after this incredible performance. It’s such a shame that her career kind of fell apart after this movie. Usually a performance like this is a career maker, not a career breaker."—lucky87_87 — Warner Bros.

"I know that she technically DID get an Oscar nomination — but I feel like she deserved more roles after this incredible performance. It’s such a shame that her career kind of fell apart after this movie. Usually a performance like this is a career maker, not a career breaker."
—lucky87_87

Warner Bros.

"I know that she technically DID get an Oscar nomination — but I feel like she deserved more roles after this incredible performance. It’s such a shame that her career kind of fell apart after this movie. Usually a performance like this is a career maker, not a career breaker."
—lucky87_87

19. And finally — Toni Colette as Annie Graham in Hereditary (2018)

"She at the VERY least deserved an Oscar nomination for the dinner scene alone. That whole scene gave me chills and I still find myself seeking it out to rewatch."—joep45cede9de — A24

"She at the VERY least deserved an Oscar nomination for the dinner scene alone. That whole scene gave me chills and I still find myself seeking it out to rewatch."
—joep45cede9de

A24

"She at the VERY least deserved an Oscar nomination for the dinner scene alone. That whole scene gave me chills and I still find myself seeking it out to rewatch."
—joep45cede9de

Now it's your turn! Share the horror movie performance you believe deserves more credit and why in the comments below for a chance to be shared in an upcoming BuzzFeed Community post and/or video!

Some entries have been edited for length and/or clarity)

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