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Oscar Fever II

Notes on horror, with regard to the Oscars:

*Kathy Bates's "Misery" victory is not totally unparalleled. In addition to Jodi Foster and Anthony Hopkins ("Lambs"), we have, for example, Natalie Portman ("Black Swan") and Ruth Gordon ("Rosemary's Baby").

*One newspaper argues that "Silence of the Lambs" isn't even really horror; it's a psychological thriller. But what would define horror? Do there need to be supernatural elements? In that case, it's not clear why "Misery" would count as horror. (I guess it's maybe--slightly--supernatural at the very end, when James Caan is at lunch, and the face of the waitress briefly melds with--dead--Kathy Bates's face?)

*Other scary films with Oscar-level pedigree: "The Sixth Sense," "Jaws," "Get Out," "The Exorcist." Toni Collette received her first--and, so far, only--Oscar nod for "The Sixth Sense." It would be nice to see her back in the fold. "Hereditary" was fun. And she was delightful in "Knives Out."

Well, what do you offer as your definition of horror? Do there need to be scares at a certain fixed rate? Does something need to happen that defies the laws of reality?

P.S. Vulture has an entertaining piece, today, about stars who have been double-nominated in a given Oscars year. Blanchett, Moore, Jessica Lange, Holly Hunter, Sigourney Weaver. And so on. The piece also lists actors who have been nominated for playing a certain character, then for playing that character once again in the movie's sequel: Pacino, Blanchett, Newman. And so on.....
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