"The Substance" Is Nominated For Five Oscars This Year — Here's Why It's So Important

Note: This post is an Op-Ed and shares the author's personal views.

The 2025 awards season is officially in full swing, which means there have been plenty of surprises and snubs while celebrating the very best in film from the last year.

Adrien Brody holding his Golden Globe award
Rich Polk / Penske Media / Getty Images

One movie that is beloved and getting so much well-deserved recognition is The Substance. The horror movie follows Elisabeth Sparkle, a fading celebrity who is suddenly offered the chance to try a black market drug that will create a much younger version of herself.

Demi Moore seated, wearing a stylish pantsuit with a ruffled blouse, in front of a framed portrait of herself in a scene from The Substance
Mubi / Everett Collection

Directed and written by Coralie Fargeat and starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid, the film has received critical acclaim and so much online buzz since it premiered at Cannes in early 2024 and then hit theaters in September.

Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley, and Dennis Quaid,  stand on a red carpet, wearing elegant formal attire. The women are in flowing dresses, and the man is in a classic suit
Valery Hache / AFP / Getty Images

This awards season, it has become a not-so-quiet underdog, with the movie, Coralie, Demi, and Margaret all receiving nominations at several major awards shows.

Coralie, Demi, and Margaret pose at a film festival event
Valerie Macon / AFP / Getty Images

At the 2025 Golden Globes, Demi won her first major acting award for her work in The Substance after nearly 45 years in the business.

Demi in elegant gown holding a trophy at an award ceremony, speaking into a microphone

Now, the film has been nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress for Demi.

Demi stares intently into a mirror in a tiled room, exuding a serious and intense expression

And what makes the Academy Awards nominations for The Substance so important is it feels like a real turning point for how the Academy voters see genre films, particularly horror.

A person lies on a bathroom floor with a large stitched scar down their back. A cloaked figure with an intricate design stands nearby
Mubi / Everett Collection

In the 21st century, only three horror movies have been nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars: The Substance, Get Out (2017), and Black Swan (2010).

Daniel Kaluuya in a casual hoodie and T-shirt, looks pensively into the distance, standing outdoors at night in a scene from Get Out
Daniel Kaluuya in a casual hoodie and T-shirt, looks pensively into the distance, standing outdoors at night in a scene from Get Out
Natalie Portman in ballet costume with dramatic eye makeup and a feathered headpiece, posing on stage in a scene from Black Swan
Natalie Portman in ballet costume with dramatic eye makeup and a feathered headpiece, posing on stage in a scene from Black Swan

Universal / Everett Collection, Fox Searchlight / Everett Collection

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Other horror movies nominated in this category also include The Silence of the Lambs, The Exorcist, The Sixth Sense, and more.

With The Substance, the fact that it's also a body horror film made by women and starring women — where it also calls out unattainable standards — just adds to the excitement that it was able to receive a Best Picture nomination.

Margaret Qualley with wet hair standing in a tiled bathroom, looking at the camera in a scene from The Substance
Mubi / Everett Collection

Twitter: @FreddyInSpace / Via x.com

Mubi / Via x.com

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Personally, I think the horror genre has never been as good as it is right now. In recent years, we've seen a boom with movies like Midsommar, Us, Nope, Hereditary, Ready or Not, Smile, Pearl, Longlegs, and more. All of these have been beloved by audiences but have failed to cross that final hurdle to Academy Award nominees in major categories.

A surprised woman looks directly at the camera in a dramatic scene from a TV or movie
A24 / Everett Collection

So many good performances have been left out of the awards season conversation, like Toni Collette in Hereditary, Florence Pugh in Midsommar, and Lupita Nyong'o in Us. All three gave outstanding performances but failed to be recognized by the Academy just because they took place in genre films.

A group of women in embroidered dresses appear distressed and emotional, with Florence Pugh being comforted by others in Midsommar
A group of women in embroidered dresses appear distressed and emotional, with Florence Pugh being comforted by others in Midsommar
Lupita Nyong'o in Us sits indoors, hands on cheeks, with an intense expression
Lupita Nyong'o in Us sits indoors, hands on cheeks, with an intense expression

A24 / Everett Collection, Claudette Barius / Universal / Everett Collection

Demi's nomination — and possible win — will hopefully bust down the door for these types of performances to be nominated with more frequency, which is something fans have been begging for, especially when it comes to the Best Actress category.

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And overall, a possible win for Demi would simply be incredible for an actor who has starred in so many beloved movies, but has felt like she'd already reached the peak of her career, for a role where she plays a fading celebrity who thinks she's not good enough anymore.

Demi in an elegant, form-fitting gown on a floral backdrop, smiling at an event
Matt Winkelmeyer / WireImage / Getty Images

On top of just breaking down barriers for the horror genre, it's also a huge win for female filmmakers and independent films. These mark the first nominations for Mubi, a production company and streaming service that prioritizes arthouse, documentary, and independent films.

Person holding a card with text: "Remember You Are One," inside an open box

The Substance is also Coralie's second film, following the release of Revenge in 2017.

Mubi / Everett Collection

Meanwhile, Coralie's nomination for Best Director is also important. Not only is it her first nomination in the category, not only is it still hard for female directors to even get nominated regardless of genre, but she's the first female director to be nominated for a horror film.

Coralie in a sleek, sleeveless dress holds an award in a box at a film festival, smiling for cameras on a red carpet

Previously, directors like William Friedkin, Jordan Peele, M. Night Shyamalan, and more have been nominated for their work in the horror genre.

Stephane Cardinale / Corbis / Getty Images

Personally, it feels fitting that Coralie and The Substance are the ones to break down this barrier between prestige awards shows and horror even more. She just understands genre movies so beautifully that I am so excited to root for her and the movie.

Demi with long dark hair is talking on a phone, looking down thoughtfully

Alongside The Substance, the horror genre also saw some love in other Oscars categories this year. Nosferatu received four nominations, including Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design, while Alien: Romulus earned a nomination for Best Visual Effects.

Lily-Rose Depp in vintage-style dress holding a bouquet of flowers, standing in a dimly lit room with Victorian-era decor in a scene from Nosferatu
Lily-Rose Depp in vintage-style dress holding a bouquet of flowers, standing in a dimly lit room with Victorian-era decor in a scene from Nosferatu
Close-up of a menacing alien creature with sharp teeth and dripping saliva, evoking a sense of suspense and horror, from a sci-fi film
Close-up of a menacing alien creature with sharp teeth and dripping saliva, evoking a sense of suspense and horror, from a sci-fi film

Aidan Monaghan / Focus Features / Everett Collection, Disney / Everett Collection

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Basically, The Substance and other horror films finally arriving on film's biggest stage is just a testament to the breadth of film. While genre movies have often been looked down on as not prestigious enough for the Academy Awards, in walked a bonkers body horror film with a beloved Hollywood actor to prove every single person wrong.

Woman in elegant attire wipes lipstick, showing two expressions of contemplation
Mubi

In conclusion:

Focus Features / Mubi / Disney / Via Twitter: @sillierdeadite

What are your thoughts on The Substance? Are you hoping Demi Moore pulls out a win? Join the conversation in the comments below!

The 97th Academy Awards will be hosted by Conan O'Brien and air on March 2 on ABC and Hulu.

You can check out the full list of this year's nominees HERE.