The 2026 Oscar Nominations will be announced on Thursday, January 22nd at some ungodly early hour. (Especially if you’re living on the Pacific Coast) My recommendation if you plan on actually getting up and watching this highly momentous event? Cinnamon rolls and coffee. Indulge. Treat yourself. You’ll be up early anyway, and life is short.

It is widely expected that, on that morning, the Oscars will nominate Amy Madigan for Best Supporting Actress for Weapons. Madigan’s portrayal of the mysterious Aunt Gladys has already been an awards season favorite – she’s been nominated at the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild awards, on top of an extensive litany of critics and film circle awards.

Indeed, the race for the acting awards are wide open enough that she may have a chance at actually winning the whole damn thing on March 15th. Which would be pretty cool! Not just as a career milestone for Madigan but also as continued recognition of cinematic horror by the Academy – something they’ve not always been known for.

Amy Madigan’s Cinematic Career

Amy Madigan has been acting in movies for over forty years (IMDb). In fact, she’s already been nominated for Best Supporting Actress in 1985 for the film Twice in a Lifetime. In the ensuing years, she starred in such classic films as Uncle Buck and Field of Dreams, as well as in the Stephen King adaptation The Dark Half, directed by George Romero.

As the years passed, Amy worked in film and on Broadway, working consistently and consistently well. However, as the story goes with so many female actors, Madigan found it increasingly difficult to find “meaningful roles”. (LA Times) In recent years, she’s found new success by featuring in horror-adjacent movie The Hunt (2020) and the horror-centric Antlers (2021).

And then came Weapons.

The latest work by Barbarian (2022) director Zach Cregger was a surprise summer hit, touching on a wide-range of cultural issues like school shootings, trauma in the wake of mass tragedy, and police brutality. Underneath it all is Madigan’s Aunt Gladys, a mysterious figure in a garishly bright red wig, secretly pulling the strings. No spoilers here – Madigan’s role is central to the film’s big reveal. Go watch it, then come back and talk about it in the comments.

It’s an excellent movie featuring an excellent performance. And now it might be nominated for an Oscar. And it could very well win. There’s certainly precedence.

Women In Horror Cinema

Horror movies have been around for almost the entirety of film history. Ever since moviegoers dived out of the path on an oncoming train while watching The Arrival of a Train (1896), people have been scared of the silver screen.

And over the years, women have played an incredibly prominent role in horror films. To be clear, in a male-centric landscape, this more often than not means that women are the victims of some mad killer or bug-eyed monster. All too often, these films read as violent and grotesque male-violence power fantasies, with women playing the role of helpless victim. (Looking at you, Friday the 13th) This is both decidedly sexist and also serves to devalue horror films in both a public and critical context.

Having said all of that, horror movies often provide a wide canvas to portray powerful women – or to give female actors meaty roles dealing with weighty themes beyond the screaming victim of a mad slasher. There’s a reason the “final girl” trope became popular, and Halloween‘s Laurie Strode and Alien‘s Ellen Ripley stand strong as some of the genre’s favorite horror protagonists. Beyond the Final Girl,

In recent years, we’ve seen strong performances from a number of actors in “elevated” or art-horror movies. Think Toni Collette in Hereditary (2018), Lupita N’Yongo in Us (2019), or Natalie Portman in Black Swan (2010).

And now Amy Madigan in Weapons.

Horror at the Oscars

So! Since horror clearly provides an avenue for female actors to showcase their magnificent talents, that means that the Oscars are regularly willing to shine lights on their brilliance and bestow then with Hollywood’s highest honors. Right?

Well…

Given those pre-formed stereotypes and unfavorable views of horror (well, any genre film, really), it’s not too surprising to discover that horror films have not made much of a dent in the history of the Oscars. The Oscars tend to favor weighty dramatic pieces, stirring films that relay the triumphs and tragedies of the human condition. (read: “Oscar bait”). Michael Myers ain’t winning Best Actor anytime soon, in other words.

Nevertheless, there are occasional horror breakthroughs. Janet Leigh received a nomination for her (short) work in Psycho (1960). The Exorcist (1973) was nominated for ten Academy Awards, winning two. More recently, Get Out (2019) received Best Original Screenplay and was a strong contender for the Best Picture trophy.

And then there’s The Silence of the Lambs (1991), which is one of only three films to win the “Big Five” Oscars. It not only won Best Picture – to date, the only horror film to do so – but also took home Best Director, Actor, Actress, and Adapted Screenplay.

To be sure, the Oscars are not the end-all be-all determinator for cinematic quality or excellence. In many ways, they’re just a popularity contest, sound and fury signifying little. On the other hand, they’re a historical marker, and an indicator of some importance. Most people who’ve won an Oscar would not hesitate in describing it as one of the highlights of their career. It’s an absolute honor.

Winning Performances

While horror movies more often than not are recognized for technical awards – if they’re recognized at all – Award-winning horror performances are few and far between.

In the long history of the Oscars, six performances have won an Acting award. Fredric March was the first back in 1932, winning for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. After him, there was a long gap before Ruth Gordon’s win for Rosemary Baby (1968). Kathy Bates won for her work in Misery (1990), and we’ve already mentioned Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster’s wins in passing for Silence of the Lambs. Most recently, Natalie Portman won Best Actress for her work in Black Swan.

So there’s some precedence. And in a year where there are no clear front-runners in most of the acting categories, Amy Madigan has as much of a chance to win a career capstone for Weapons as anyone.

So stay tuned. Let’s see what happens. Maybe she’ll be the seventh Oscar-winning horror performance.