The Silence of the Lambs and 4 Other Horror Movies That Won an Oscar

Let's take a look back at the horror films that were not overlooked by the Academy. From classics to Stephen King adaptations, from technical nominations to golden statues for the best actors, actresses and films – sometimes the Oscars can really surprise.

1. The Silence of the Lambs, 1991

More of a thriller than a horror, but in a series of similar genre works, The Silence of the Lambs looks like a true Oscar favorite. Five golden statuettes and two nominations are perhaps the most important proof that the Academy can give awards to a movie that is completely unconventional for the award.

As a result, awards for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay and finally the award for Best Picture. However, all this does not seem so convincing when you understand that the cult status that the movie has achieved is now much more important.

2. Rosemary's Baby, 1968

Roman Polanski's films are no strangers to the Oscars, but of the auteur's entire apartment trilogy, only Rosemary's Baby made it onto the list of nominees and even won a statuette.

The winner was actress Ruth Gordon, who played the elderly neighbor Minnie, who is soon revealed to be a cult member serving the devil.

3. Jaws, 1975

Steven Spielberg's classic horror film about a killer shark not only ushered in the era of summer blockbusters, it also kept popping up during awards season. Mostly in the technical nominations, but it also had a ghostly chance of winning the Best Picture statuette.

Then, along with Jaws, Barry Lyndon, Dog Day Afternoon and Nashville were nominated, and the top prize was snatched from Spielberg's grasp by One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, a film about a mental hospital starring Jack Nicholson.

4. The Exorcist, 1973

The Exorcist was nominated in ten Oscar categories: from Best Picture and Best Director to Best Cinematography, Best Editing and three acting awards.

However, the film won statuettes for Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound, beating out Sidney Lumet's Serpico and Peter Bogdanovich's Paper Moon in its first nomination. Similar results would not be repeated until a few decades later with Jordan Peele's Get Out.

5. Misery, 1990

Misery is one of the most successful and famous adaptations of Stephen King's books, which not only received the love of the audience, but also the recognition of the members of the Academy.

Misery cannot boast of a huge number of nominations, but the award for Best Actress can be considered a more than worthy answer. Kathy Bates, who played a madwoman holding a sick writer captive, was considered by voters to be more convincing than Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman and Meryl Streep in Postcards from the Edge.