Not Only Demi Moore: 5 Brilliant Horror Stars Nominated for Best Actress
70s classic, Stephen King adaptation and Natalie Portman's best performance.
Horror films don't often get the Academy's attention – a rare but pleasant exception this year is Coralie Fargeat's The Substance, which received five Oscar nominations, including Best Actress for Demi Moore.
Ahead of the annual Oscar ceremony, we look back at horror films and actresses that also caught the Academy's eye.
1. The Silence of the Lambs, 1991
Clarice Starling, played by Jodie Foster, an FBI agent with iron restraint and immense diligence, goes to meet Hannibal to solve the case and save innocent victims.
The Silence of the Lambs was released in 1991. At that time, images of detectives and secret agents were mainly associated with men. And then Clarice appeared – a detective in a strict jacket and with a penetrating gaze, the only one who can talk to a madman.
Jodie Foster won the coveted Oscar in 1992 for her brilliant performance as Clarice Starling.
2. Misery, 1990
Misery is one of the most successful and famous King adaptations, which not only received the love of the viewers, but also the recognition of the members of the Academy – the award for the Best Actress can be considered as a more than worthy answer.
Kathy Bates, who played a madwoman holding a sick writer captive, proved more convincing to the voters than Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman and Meryl Streep in Postcards from the Edge.
3. Black Swan, 2010
The main gem in Natalie Portman 's filmography is Darren Aronofsky's movie. To transfer the ambitious script to the screen, the director needed a talented actress who could portray a maniacally obsessed ballerina.
Portman was the perfect choice: the actress subtly alternates between a tormented artist and a psychologically unstable woman, and her final catharsis leaves the viewer in awe.
The Academy rewarded Portman's impressive performance with the Best Actress Oscar. This year, Natalie was up against Nicole Kidman, Jennifer Lawrence and Michelle Williams.
4. Carrie, 1976
Actress Sissy Spacek was 26 when she was cast as Carrie in the film adaptation of Stephen King 's horror classic. At the same time, the main character of King's novel was still in high school. So Spacek was about ten years older than Carrie.
But nobody noticed the age difference. Over time, Brian De Palma's film achieved cult status, and the actress herself received her first Oscar nomination.
5. Aliens, 1986
Strong women in movies, video games, comic books – the influence of Sigourney Weaver's character is everywhere. Ahead of her time, Ellen Ripley was able to confront an alien creature single-handedly and run around the ship with a flamethrower.
Sigourney Weaver was nominated for Best Actress in 1987 for Aliens, but the statuette went to Marlee Matlin for Children of a Lesser God.