Coralie Fargeat on Horror Movies at the Oscars: They ‘Should Compete at the Same Level as Everything Else’

Everybody knows horror movies are historically underappreciated at the Academy Awards. Movies like “Black Swan” or “The Exorcist” break in, sometimes, on the heels of a great star performance or culture-dominating momentum. On the Golden Globes red carpet, “The Substance” Best Director and Best Screenplay nominee Coralie Fargeat told IndieWire that horror movies deserve Oscar attention as much as any other genre.

“I don’t see horror films as any different from other movies,” she said. “They are so political. They are such a great way to tell so many things in a very rude way, and in a very indelicate way. To me, they should compete at the same level as everything else. I learned to accept who I was as a filmmaker, not loving writing dialogue, for instance, but expressing myself in a visual and very visceral way. And that’s when you accept who you are, and then the magic can happen. The best thing I wish for the Academy is that there is not this barrier, that every movie is considered as cinema, which I think it is.”

Coralie Fargeat’s body horror Hollywood satire “The Substance” has taken awards season by the jugular in a way that’s rare for films of its genre. Stars Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are also nominated for Best Actress (in a Musical or Comedy, as “The Substance” certainly has comedic elements) and Best Supporting Actress, respectively, at the Globes. “The Substance” is up for Best Musical or Comedy alongside “Wicked,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Anora,” “Challengers,” and “A Real Pain.” The violent feminist spin on actresses staring down the barrel of old age — and a lack of work as decided by shellfish-chewing male producers — won Best Screenplay back at Cannes in May. It’s now streaming on Mubi, but “The Substance” grossed its way out to nearly $50 million at the U.S. box office in theaters starting in fall 2024.

As for how viral “The Substance” has gone on social media, with Moore and Qualley’s characters now memes of their own, French director Fargeat added, “To me, to be honest, that’s the best reward, and what brings me the most joy. I genuinely feel it’s reached the heart of the people… where people take the movie and make it their own. ‘The Substance’ is now almost a way to say a lot of things, ‘Oh, he did “The Substance,”‘ or ‘Oh, she did “The Substance”‘…,” referring to memes that show people in astonishing transformations. “It’s the dream of every director that your work is seen and is loved… and I felt that’s what happened with the film. Every meme I see, every found art I see, just fills me with so much joy.”

“The Substance” could be looking at some Oscar nominations later this month, and in terms of horror films, Robert Eggers’ “Nosferatu” will also factor, especially after a smash Christmas box office for the old-school vampire tale.