Let’s Watch a #Horror Movie Oscar Edition: Get Out

Because it’s Oscar month (this Sunday!) and because a horror movie has been nominated…let’s watch Get Out.

Movie poster for the 2017 horror film Get Out

This fabulous 2017 horror movie directed and written by Jordan Peele, not only made us cringe and shudder, but made us think about how we look at, how we think about, and how we treat people of color.

Chris, a black man, journeys to meet his girlfriend’s parents, his white girlfriend’s parents. The visit should be fine, but from the very beginning the trip tumbles into a mess of weird and creepy. Get Out addresses the true horror of racism, not only a dislike or mistrust of someone of color, but when that person becomes a commodity, a tool.

Get Out has been nominated for Best Original Screenplay, Best Director (Jordan Peele), Best Actor (Daniel Kaluuya), and BEST PICTURE! This is a rare moment for a genre film…a horror film. Whether or not it wins, cause let’s be honest odds are not in its favor, let’s celebrate by watching and enjoying this great movie on Friday, March 23rd at 9 EST. Join me on Twitter #GetOut and #WatchaMoviewithKathy.

I watch the Oscars. I love celebrating movies and those who create them. But it’s rare when I see the ones nominated for best picture. Why? Well, I watch genre films…primarily horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. Though we love them, those aren’t nominated and don’t win many awards. Who knows why? And who cares? I’ll still love them. When my favorite films are nominated it’s mainly for make-up, costumes, effects, and music. Though few and far between, the movies I love do break into the awards. Hopefully Get Out will be one!

Let’s look back at some of my favorite horror films that have paved the way on the path to the Oscars.

1973: The Exorcist

Won: Best Sound (Robert Knudson and Chris Newman), Best Adapted Screenplay (William Peter Blatty)

Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Actress (Ellen Burstyn), Best Director (William Friedkin), Best Supporting Actor (Jason Miller), Best Supporting Actress (Linda Blair), Best Cinematography (Owen Roizman), Best Art Direction (Bill Malley and Jerry Wunderlich), Best Editing (John C. Broderick, Bud S. Smith, Evan A. Lottman, and Norman Gay)

1976: The Omen

Won: Best Original Score (Jerry Goldsmith)

Nominated for: Best Original Song (“Ave Satani” by Jerry Goldsmith

1979: Alien

Won: Best Visual Effects (H.R. Giger, Carlo Rambaldi, Brian Johnson, Nick Allder, and Denys Ayling)

Nominated for: Best Art Direction (Michael Seymour, Leslie Dilley, Roger Christian, and Ian Whittaker)

1981: An American Werewolf in London

Won: Best Makeup (Rick Baker)

1986: Aliens

Won: Best Sound Effects Editing (Don Sharpe), Best Visual Effects (Robert Skotak, Stan Winston, John Richardson, and Suzanne M. Benson)

Nominated for: Best Actress (Sigourney Weaver), Best Original Score (James Horner), Best Sound (Graham V. Hartstone, Nicolas Le Messurier, Michael A. Carter, and Roy Charman), Best Editing (Ray Lovejoy), Best Art Direction (Peter Lamont and Crispian Sallis)

1986: The Fly

Won: Best Makeup (Chris Walas and Stephen Dupuis)

1988: Beetlejuice (horror/comedy)

Won: Best Makeup (Ve Neill, Steve LaPorte, and Robert Short)

1990: Misery

Won: Best Actress (Kathy Bates)

1991: The Silence of the Lambs (horror/suspense)

Won: Best Picture, Best Actor (Anthony Hopkins), Best Actress (Jodie Foster), Best Director (Jonathan Demme), Best Adapted Screenplay (Ted Tally)

Nominated for: Best Editing (Craig McKay), Best Sound (Tom Fleischman and Christopher Newman)

1992: Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Won: Best Costume Design (Eiko Ishioka), Best Sound Effects Editing (Tom C. McCarthy and David E. Stone), Best Makeup (Greg Cannom, Michele Burke, and Matthew W. Mungle)

Nominated for: Best Art Direction (Thomas E. Sanders and Garrett Lewis)

1992: Death Becomes Her (horror/comedy)

Won: Best Visual Effects (Ken Ralston, Doug Chiang, Douglas Smythe, and Tom Woodruff Jr.)

1993: Jurassic Park (horror/suspense)

Won: Best Sound Effects Editing (Gary Rydstrom and Richard Hymns), Best Visual Effects (Dennis Muren, Stan Winston, Phil Tippett, and Michael Lantieri), Best Sound (Gary Summers, Gary Rydstrom, Shawn Murphy, and Ron Judkins)

1999: Sleepy Hollow

Won: Best Art Direction (Rick Heinrichs and Peter Young

Nominated for: Best Cinematography (Emmanuel Lubezki), Best Costume Design (Colleen Atwood)

2007: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Won: Best Art Direction (Dante Ferretti and Francesca Lo Schiavo)

Nominated for: Best Actor (Johnny Depp), Best Costume Design (Colleen Atwood)

2010: Black Swan (horror/psychological thriller)

Won: Best Actress (Natalie Portman)

Nominated for: Best Picture, Best Director (Darren Aronofsky), Best Cinematography (Jeff Cronenweth), Best Sound Mixing (David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Bo Persson), Best Sound Editing (Ren Klyce)

Fingers crossed that Get Out will join the list of winners, for now, let’s celebrate the nominations! See you on the 23rd for the live-tweet.

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