All 8 horror movies nominated for best picture at the Oscars

"The Exorcist" (1973):William Friedkin's movie about innocence lost and the power of faith has unnerved several generations, and it's Linda Blair's harrowing portrayal of a possessed girl and the deeper meanings about good and evil that'll stick with you more than the infamous images of a spinning head.

The first horror movie nominated for best picture received 10 nods – including best actress, supporting actor, supporting actress (for Blair, pictured) and director.

"Jaws' (1975):Hollywood’s first summer blockbuster is aces across the board, from sheer terror to the unforgettable John Williams score.

But what really elevates the four-time Oscar-nominated film from creature feature to complex shark-ridden drama is the trio of main characters: top cop Brody (Roy Scheider, pictured), nerdy oceanographer Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Ahab-esque hunter Quint (Robert Shaw). 

"The Silence of the Lambs" (1991):Anthony Hopkins made us root for the bad guy (and a cannibal at that) in Jonathan Demme's unlikely best picture winner, the only horror movie to date to take the Academy’s top prize.

Jodie Foster's Starling (pictured) remains an all-time great protagonist and Hopkins, as her intellectual sparring partner Lecter, looms with a creeping menace.

The film won five (out of seven) Oscars, including best actor (Hopkins), actress (Foster) and director (Demme).

"The Sixth Sense" (1999):Yeah, OK, everybody probably knows the big twist by now from M. Night Shyamalan's phenomenal debut, which was nominated for six Oscars (including best picture, director, supporting actor and supporting actress).

Still, Shyamalan ratchets up quite the atmospheric drama with Haley Joel Osment's kid (pictured) who can see dead people and Bruce Willis' caring child psychologist.

"Black Swan" (2010):In Darren Aronofsky's body horror ballet drama, Natalie Portman's main character cracks under the psychological and physical pressures of being a prima ballerina in "Swan Lake" and goes dancing on the dark side. 

The film was nominated for five Oscars, including best picture and director, and Portman won best actress.

"Get Out" (2017):Daniel Kaluuya's teary, wide-eyed shocked face, as his character enters the Sunken Place courtesy of his white girlfriend's evil parents, is one of the most indelible horror-film sights this millennium.

Filmmaker Jordan Peele earns instant-classic status with his rousing and socially relevant tackling of modern racism.

The movie was nominated for four Oscars –including best picture, actor and director – and won best original screenplay.

"The Substance" (2024):This bonkers and bloody body-horror spectacle snagging five Oscar nominations (including best picture and best director for Coralie Fargeat) is a win in itself.

Demi Moore earned her first best actress nomination for her crazypants role as an aging celebrity who takes a treatment that unlocks her younger self (Margaret Qualley, pictured) and finds it goes very badly.

"Sinners" (2025):Ryan Coogler pulls off something devilishly spectacular with this genre-bending, 1930s-set flick, which scored a monumental 16 Oscar nods including best picture, director and original screenplay.