Demi Moore & Margaret Qualley's 89% RT Horror Movie Can Finally Break A Disappointing 33-Year Best Picture Streak At The 2025 Oscars
The Substance could make Oscars horror history.
Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley star in the 2025 Best Picture nominee The Substance, which has the chance to break an unfortunate Oscars streak that has lasted for over three decades. Following Demi Moore's surprise 2025 Golden Globe win for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy, The Substance emerged as a Best Picture contender at the upcoming 97th Academy Awards, set to be held on March 2.
Moore, who also recently appeared in Taylor Sheridan's latest Paramount+ series Landman, earned a career-first Best Actress Oscar nomination for The Substance. Her co-star Qualley, known for her appearances in celebrated films such as Poor Things and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, was not acknowledged by the Academy but earned a Supporting Actress nomination at the 2025 Golden Globes. The Substance is nominated for 5 Oscars, including Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Picture.
The Substance Could Finally Become The First Horror Movie To Win Best Picture Since The Silence Of The LambsThe Silence Of The Lambs Is The Only Horror Film To Ever Win Best Picture
A horror movie hasn't won Best Picture at the Academy Awards since 1992 with The Silence of the Lambs. Since The Substance is now a Best Picture nominee for the 2025 Oscars, that streak could potentially end with a long-overdue victory for the horror genre. Before The Substance's nomination, only six horror movies had ever been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars in the near-100-year history of the ceremony. These include The Exorcist, Jaws, The Silence of the Lambs, The Sixth Sense, Black Swan, and Get Out.
Given the evolution of the horror genre in recent years through outlets such as A24 and Neon, horror films should become a more popular Oscars genre. Celebrated modern horrors like Hereditary (2018) and The Witch (2015) notably received zero Oscar nominations despite being among the best films of their respective years.
The fact that The Substance was even nominated for Best Picture makes it a monument in the horror genre.
Some may argue that Nosferatu, one of the most highly-anticipated movies of 2024, is one of the Best Picture snubs at the 2025 Oscars, receiving four nominations in technical categories. The fact that The Substance was even nominated for Best Picture makes it a monument in the horror genre.
The Substance's Odds For Winning Best Picture At The 2025 Oscars ExplainedThe Substance Is Not Projected Highly For Best Picture But Moore Is A Best Actress Frontrunner
Most Oscars 2025 Best Picture predictions lists don't place The Substance among the top contenders. The Substance's themes of Hollywood self-reflexivity and industry commentary should boost its chances to a degree, as seen with past Best Picture nominees like La La Land and Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood.
Related"Beauty Horror, As I Like To Call It": 2025 Horror Director Addresses Early Comparisons To Demi Moore's The Substance After 97% RT Debut
EXCLUSIVE: The director of an upcoming 2025 horror film addresses her movie's early comparisons to 2024's breakout film, The Substance.
Variety currently ranks The Substance as the ninth most likely movie to take home the award, while The Hollywood Reporter places it in the eighth position. Both lists have A Complete Unknown as the current Best Picture favorite. Moore, however, is the frontrunner on both Best Actress lists, which would make her the first winner for a horror film since Natalie Portman in Black Swan. The Substance may not have its Silence of the Lambs moment at the 2025 Oscars but its consideration should have a lasting impact on horror as a prestige genre.
Sources: Variety, The Hollywood Reporter
Your RatingThe Substance
Release Date
September 20, 2024
Runtime
140 Minutes
Director
Coralie Fargeat
Writers
Coralie Fargeat