- "Terrifier 2" director Damien Leone said horror movies deserve more awards recognition.
- His comments come after a tongue-in-cheek Oscars campaign for "Terrifer 2."
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences rarely awards horror movies at the Oscars, aside from a few memorable wins like "The Silence of the Lambs" winning best picture in 1992, or Jordan Peele's "Get Out" winning best original screenplay in 2018.
But after "Terrifier 2" whipped audiences into a frenzy with its unhinged violence and disturbing gore, director Damien Leone ran a tongue-in-cheek campaign online to get the film recognized by the Academy.
It was a fun way of engaging with fans, although unfortunately it wasn't submitted for best picture (which is a travesty).
But speaking to Insider, Leone said the Academy has never truly given the horror genre its due, citing "Jaws" being snubbed for best picture and best actor in 1976 as a huge disappointment.
"I think one of the biggest upsets in history is, even though it's debatable — is 'Jaws' a straight horror movie?" Leone said. "But that's my favorite horror movie, and you know, Robert Shaw not even getting nominated for an Oscar for Quint, which is one of the most iconic characters of all time."
Leone suggested that horror effects get "overlooked" during awards season because gore can be "off-putting" or "too visceral" for general audiences, despite the work that goes into them.
"Horror effects do get overlooked all the time, especially gore because it's just sort of off-putting or too visceral and the audience looks away," said Leone. "But there's so much artistry going on that gives you that reaction. People overlook the sculpting and the mold-making, and the painting to make something that realistic have that effect."
He added: "It takes some wonderful artistry. Some really talented people. So it would be nice if that got recognized a little more. And I'm not saying that 'Terrifier 2' deserves an Oscar. I mean, there was a lot of winking with that campaign, for sure."
The director went on to say that he hopes things change in the future so that the people working on horror effects get recognized for their gory work.
"But some of the greatest effects artists of all time working today excel at gore, and some of it is just so extraordinary that they really do deserve awards for it. So hopefully one day," said Leone.