Can Demi Moore and 'The Substance' finally get the Oscars to respect horror?

When Demi Moore won best actress at the Critics Choice Awards for "The Substance," she thanked voters for recognizing a horror film, saying that movies in the genre are normally "overlooked and not seen for the profundity that they can hold."

She's absolutely right. During a conversation with entertainment journalists at an event in January, I predicted Moore would win the best actress Oscar, to which one fellow reporter incredulously replied, "Have you seen 'The Substance'?" It was a fair reaction given that gnarly body-horror movies aren't generally the Academy's cup of tea.

But Moore has a good chance of winning the Oscar, and the film received a surprisingly strong haul of five nominations, including best picture. That could be a game changer for horror, which the Academy has failed to respect for far too long.

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In fact, in the nearly 100-year history of the Academy Awards, just seven horror films have ever been nominated for best picture: "The Exorcist," "Jaws," "The Silence of the Lambs," "The Sixth Sense," "Black Swan," "Get Out" and now "The Substance." "The Silence of the Lambs" remains the only one to win.

Horror has had better luck in the acting categories, most notably with wins for Kathy Bates in "Misery" and Natalie Portman in "Black Swan." But as a horror lover, not a year goes by that I don't throw up my hands in frustration as a phenomenal genre performance is ignored, from Toni Collette in "Hereditary" to Lupita Nyong’o in "Us," Florence Pugh in "Midsommar," Mia Goth in "Pearl" and Elisabeth Moss in "The Invisible Man." And that's just in the last seven years.

Sadly, there has long existed a stigma around horror as being less prestigious than other genres. Look no further than the rise of the term "elevated horror" to describe thoughtful, layered films like "Get Out." The condescending phrase implies that horror is inherently in need of elevation and is usually unworthy of taking seriously, despite the long history of the genre being used to explore meaty, socially relevant ideas going back to George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead." Based on the Academy's history of horror snubs, it's safe to say this attitude exists in the organization.

I know firsthand from attempting to drag friends to horror films that it is also one of the most divisive film genres, in part because many people don't like being scared and can't handle blood. While I can't fault my friends for their personal preferences, I can fault Academy voters, who have been tasked with rewarding great work throughout the entire industry but pass over some of the year's best films and performances simply because of the genre.

It's hardly a coincidence that several of the horror movies that have been nominated for best picture are fairly light on blood or big scares, to the point that some wrongly insist they aren't horror at all. "The Silence of the Lambs" could be considered more of a crime film, while "Jaws" could be an adventure movie. Even Jordan Peele described his film "Get Out" as a "social thriller." If the alienating "horror" label can be stripped away, and if the film can be recommended with the caveat that it's "not really horror," Academy voters are more inclined to see it as award-worthy.

That's why it's so significant that "The Substance" is in the best picture race: because under no circumstances can the movie not be considered horror. "The Sixth Sense" or "Get Out" can be easily recommended to anyone, but the third act of "The Substance" is so repulsive and gory, I feel the need to offer a detailed warning before telling any horror skeptics I know to watch. The film has been compared to "The Fly," David Cronenberg's body-horror masterpiece. Unlike "The Substance," though, "The Fly" was snubbed in every Oscar category except best makeup.

Much has changed since then, and in recent years, the Academy has grown more receptive to idiosyncratic genre films. It once would have been unthinkable for "The Shape of Water," a movie about a woman who has sex with a fish creature, or "Everything Everywhere All at Once," a wacky sci-fi comedy with a butt plug fight scene, to win best picture. But both did, and five nominations for "The Substance" suggests the Academy's newfound openness to offbeat genres may be extending to horror.

To be sure, "The Substance" is likely breaking through in spite of its blood and guts, not because of it. Most of the discussion around the movie has centered on Moore, whose campaign has a compelling narrative about being overlooked for years as unworthy of awards and merely a "popcorn actress," as she said at the Golden Globes. The Academy loves an underdog, and voters' desire to finally give Moore her flowers may be strong enough to convince those who would normally never watch "The Substance" to give it a chance.

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But earning recognition as a horror film remains an uphill battle, as evidenced by the fact that Lily-Rose Depp received zero awards buzz for one of the most physically demanding performances of the year as a woman stalked by a vampire in "Nosferatu." Or what about Naomi Scott in "Smile 2"? She was breathtaking as a pop star descending into madness while being tormented by a demon, but bring that film up in the context of the Oscars and awards pundits will laugh in your face.

It will also always be difficult for a horror movie to win best picture given the Academy votes using a preferential balloting system, where members rank the nominees from best to worst. This tends to reward broadly appealing films, which appear high up on the most ballots, but punish divisive ones that many voters will place at the bottom. And as we know, horror is nothing if not divisive.

But as a longtime defender of the Oscars as an institution, it would make it much easier for me to argue for the show's legitimacy if voters established that great work can receive awards regardless of what genre it's found in. If Moore wins her Oscar because the Academy wants to celebrate an overlooked actress, it would be poetic if this helps push the organization toward celebrating an overlooked genre.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: The Oscars embracing 'The Substance' could be a horror game changer