Topline:
Only a handful of horror movies have ever been nominated for an Oscar — in any category — and an even smaller number have actually won. And that's raised questions about why that is.
The backstory: In 1992, Silence of the Lambs swept five Oscars that night, including best picture. It's the only horror movie to win that award.
The question: Is the Oscars scared of horror?
At the 1992 Oscars, host Billy Crystal arrived on stage dressed as Hannibal Lecter.
Trading the straitjacket for a tuxedo, Crystal donned Lecter's iconic mask and walked into the audience to where Anthony Hopkins sat.
It was a sign of the cultural impact that Silence of the Lambs had that year, and it went on to sweep five Oscars that night, including best picture.
It's the only horror movie to win that award (more on that later). In fact, only a handful of horror movies have ever been nominated for an Oscar — in any category — and an even smaller number have actually won. And that's raised questions about why that is.
Is the Oscars scared of horror?
Horror tends to be an outlier during awards season.
"Horror in particular has had this reputation as sort of second rate: second rate skill levels, cheap scares, lots of gratuitous blood," says Tananarive Due, an author who teaches Black horror and afrofuturism at UCLA.
"It's only in more recent years, especially on the literary front and somewhat in cinema, we're seeing a change in attitude toward horror that people are realizing, oh, maybe there's more to this than jump scares."
Film critic and writer Richard Newby agrees that there is more below the surface.
"Horror has consistently reflected where we are as a society. It's perhaps the most common way that we can kind of talk about what we're culturally afraid of," he says, adding that many horror movies have addressed pressing issues of their time.
Movies like 1974's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre — in which a group of friends stumble upon a family of cannibals and are chased by a guy wielding a chainsaw — which came out just before the end of the Vietnam War.
"It's very much a reflection on Vietnam and this idea of trespassing where you don't belong," says Newby.
Night Of The Living Dead in 1968 popularized the modern portrayal of zombies, and its Black protagonist, played by the late Duane Jones, broke barriers at a time when racial tensions in the U.S. were fraught post Jim Crow.
"[It's] thematically so important about the invasion of the other, if you're a racist," says Due. "Or having a Black lead, the empowerment that Black people have been fighting for in the 1960s."
Fast forward to Talk To Me, released in 2023, from the Australian twin filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou. It is a tale of ghostly possession that soon turns into a study of trauma and grief.
Talk To Me is not up for any Oscars this year, despite positive critical acclaim and grossing more than $92 million at the box office worldwide.
There have been some horror movies to pick up Oscars, like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, The Exorcist and Get Out. But there have also been attempts to put those kinds of movies into categories outside the horror genre.
"I think there is a horror tax to be paid in almost all forums where art is being discussed," says Adam Lowenstein, a film and media studies professor at the University of Pittsburgh.
"In order for horror to be recognized artistically, there's often an argument that has to be trotted out that goes something along the lines of, 'Well, it's not just a horror film, it's something else.'"
"It's a way of erasing horror as a genre marker and saying this is actually something else. It's something more elevated, it's something worth your attention as a potential award nominee."
Silence of the Lambs has been labeled as a psychological thriller, for example, and Lowenstein recalls the vigorous public discussion and marketing campaign to emphasize this label.
There's also been discourse from critics over the years that push back on the idea that Silence of The Lambs was the only horror film to win a best picture Oscar.
Op-eds about The Shape of Water and Parasite – which won best picture in 2018 and 2020, respectively – argue that these movies fit in the horror genre. Lowenstein agrees that both these films are horror films within their own right, even if they don't appear that way explicitly.
Then there's the acting in horror.
Toni Collette's performance in 2018's Hereditary and Lupita Nyong'o in 2019's Us were both lauded by fans and some critics, but went unrewarded by the major awards.
But Lowenstein argues that other actors can see their value.
"Hereditary is a great example of the kind of horror film that gets the attention of actors as great and recognized as Toni Collette," he says. "There's a recognition at that level, among actors looking for challenges, that horror matters."
Due agrees, and says she was unhappy that Nyong'o, who played two characters in Us, didn't get nominated.
"Really, she should have had two nominations — she played both roles and put her foot in both roles," Due says.
In an interview with BuzzFeed, Nyong'o said she wasn't aware of the bias against horror films from The Academy.
"At the end of the day, I think the value of award shows is to show innovation in cinema," Nyong'o said. "So having a discrimination against a genre feels so silly really."
For Chad Villella — a producer and one of the co-founders of Radio Silence that made films like Ready or Not and the recent Scream entries — the awards aren't the goal.
"It's about the process and what we're exploring," Villella says. "It's always going to be about, like, what is that lesson that we learned that we can find deep in ourselves and hopefully reflect out to a wider audience."
As someone who used to be terrified of horror movies when he was younger, Villella says horror movies place audiences in the position of the protagonist more than other genres. For him, it's that human connection between the audience and a horror movie that matters more than an award.
And the connection is real, with horror movies proving to be box office gold over the years.
The Exorcist (1973) made over $441 million worldwide; The Blair Witch Project (1999) grossed about $248 million; A Quiet Place (2018) made $340 million; and Five Nights At Freddy's (2023) made more than $291 million – just to name a few.
Others have launched franchises, as fans keep coming back for more. There are now 10 Saw movies; 13 in the Halloween series; Scream has six films and a TV spin-off; and Child's Play has eight movies with an ongoing TV series.
What's interesting, says Lowenstein, is that long ago movies in general were considered an art form not worth taking seriously.
"A big idea behind the Academy Awards ... was as a form of legitimacy for an art form that was usually not considered art or legitimate at the time," he says, adding that people can still see remnants in that legitimation process in the films deemed Oscar worthy.
"These serious dramas that tend to be based on real people and real historical situations really tend to the idea that the films that deserve the most recognition are the most serious films," he says. "And genre does not do well in that framework. Genre of any kind, really."
As for the question of whether horror as a genre should even care about the Oscars, Phil Nobile Jr. — editor in chief of FANGORIA magazine — argues no.
"Horror should be rattling you. Horror should be upsetting you. Horror should be pissing off the Oscars," Nobile says. "I think for horror to be truly effective, it can't really be part of the institution. It has to be a little bit outside of the institution."
So as the movie world gathers for the 96th Academy Awards on March 10, no, there aren't any horror films on the nominee list. But that isn't affecting the genre, with a number of horror films coming out in 2024 or currently in production.
It's a sign that, awards or not, you won't have to look far for your next scare.
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit npr.org.
Topline:
NBC4's news helicopter crashed in a Los Angeles neighborhood tonight and burst into flames, killing at least three people while reporters were covering the nearby crash of an SUV and a city bus, officials said.
What we know: Colleen Williams, an NBC4 Los Angeles anchor, confirmed during a live broadcast that the station’s chopper went down just before 7 p.m. “We are going to take a couple of minutes to think about that, process it,” she said, her voice shaking with emotion. Moments later their coverage abruptly cut off.
This is a developing story
A news helicopter crashed in a Los Angeles neighborhood on Tuesday and burst into flames, killing at least three people near the scene of where an SUV had slammed into a city bus, officials said.
The helicopter crashed around 7 p.m. near a one-story commercial building in the neighborhood of Chatsworth in the San Fernando Valley, as news crews were covering the bus crash that left at least two people dead and six others injured, according the Los Angeles Fire Department.
An NBC4 Los Angeles anchor at the station confirmed during a live broadcast that its chopper went down just before 7 p.m.
At least one person killed in the helicopter crash was outside in the parking lot next to the commercial building, Capt. Branden Silverman, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department, said during a news conference. It was unclear if the other two who were killed were on the ground or inside the aircraft.
Prior to confirming their team in NewsChopper4 had crashed, NBC reporters acknowledged the newsroom had lost contact with their helicopter. It was among several in the area covering a fatal bus crash near the location where the helicopter went down. The team took a break from broadcasting to regroup shortly after 8 p.m. after confirming the news live on air.
L.A. Mayor Karen Bass said, in a statement on social media: "I’m absolutely devastated by the loss of life in Chatsworth tonight. My heart is with the families and loved ones of those we lost in the tragic bus collision and helicopter crash."
One person was taken to the hospital, but their condition was not immediately clear.
“We’re trying to determine how many patients were inside the helicopter,” said Silverman, who described the helicopter as “pretty well destroyed” and adding that officials would be sorting through the rubble to see how many victims were on board.
At least four cars and two storage containers on the ground burned after the helicopter caught fire, which was quickly put out, according to officials. More than 50 firefighters responded to the helicopter crash, according to the fire department.null
About two hours before the crash, an SUV slammed into the middle of a city bus, killing at least two people and injuring six others. Photos and videos online showed half of the SUV lodged into the side of an MTA bus.
The helicopter crashed about a mile and a half from the bus crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration said it will be investigating the cause of the helicopter crash.
This is a developing story.
The Los Angeles region’s lead homelessness agency is effectively forfeiting the federal administrative roles it has held for decades, including applying for millions of dollars in funding for the region and leading the annual homeless count, the agency announced Tuesday.
Other applicants: L.A. County's Department of Homeless Services and Housing is applying to take over all four roles — the homeless count, the federal funding application, and two HUD-mandated systems that track unhoused residents and match them to housing. The city of L.A. is applying for at least two of those roles, setting up a competition between the region's two largest homelessness funders.
What’s next?: Applicants have until Sept. 25 to file, and any pick by the region's Continuum of Care Board will be reviewed by HUD and the federal judge overseeing the case. LAHSA says it will keep performing the roles until they officially transition to a new entity.
The Los Angeles region’s lead homelessness agency is effectively forfeiting the federal administrative roles it has held for decades, including applying for millions of dollars in funding for the region and leading the annual homeless count, the agency announced Tuesday.
The decision comes as the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority faces mounting criticism from both the Trump administration and local leaders who accuse the agency of mismanaging homeless services.
It reverses a monthslong legal battle LAHSA had been waging with the federal government to continue in these duties.
The city of Los Angeles, L.A. County and other entities and organizations are now applying to take them over.
At a county meeting Tuesday, Supervisor Lindsey Horvath called it “a fundamental change that reflects the significant performance, contracting and financial concerns that have plagued LAHSA for too long.”
“ Officials avoiding accountability will no longer have LAHSA to hide behind, and the county and city must be accountable to each other and to our entire Los Angeles region,” Horvath continued.
In June, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development suspended LAHSA from conducting its federal duties, including applying for or receiving grants, putting $241 million in anticipated funding and LAHSA’s future in limbo.
LAHSA sued.
U.S. District Judge David O. Carter paused LAHSA’s suspension on Aug. 13, but also instructed a regional planning body known as the L.A. Continuum of Care Board to solicit applications from other entities to replace LAHSA in those key roles.
The Continuum of Care Board opened its application process online last week, inviting qualified organizations to take on one or more of LAHSA’s current administrative roles.
LAHSA’s governing commission voted unanimously Tuesday to not apply, effectively forfeiting the federal roles that comprise most of its remaining responsibilities.
The city of L.A. and L.A. County are both applying, according to LAHSA.
“With both the City and County preparing their own applications, competing against our founding partners would only fracture regional collaboration during an already complex time,” the LAHSA Commission and the agency's leadership said in a statement.
“This decision reflects the shared judgment of LAHSA’s Commission and executive leadership,” the statement continued.
LAHSA will forfeit the following federal homelessness roles:
1. Coordinating and submitting annual federal homeless assistance funding applications to HUD on behalf of the entire L.A. region — about $240 million in the coming year.
2. Planning, executing and reporting the region’s annual point-in-time homeless count.
3. Operating and administering a HUD-mandated database that tracks who's being served and whether they're moving into housing.
4. Managing and operating a HUD-mandated system to match unhoused people to available housing and services based on need.
After Carter paused LAHSA’s suspension, the federal housing agency appealed the decision to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Last week, the appeals court issued a temporary stay on Carter's order.
LAHSA said that ruling created more uncertainty about whether the agency was eligible to apply for the federal roles it has held for the past three decades.
“Stepping aside now supports alignment with the direction the City and County are heading with their applications, and focuses public resources where they belong: on the people who depend on the rehousing system every day,” the LAHSA statement said.
LAHSA is a joint powers authority between the city and county, created three decades ago to manage the region’s response to homelessness.
City and county officials are collectively responsible for LAHSA, which has administered federal, state, county and city homelessness funding across the region.
Citing LAHSA’s management problems, L.A. County pulled more than $300 million annual homelessness funding from the agency starting this year, choosing instead to administer the funds through a new county homelessness department.
The city of L.A. is considering a similar move away from LAHSA. Mayor Karen Bass and her election rival Councilmember Nithya Raman both say the city needs its own independent homeless system.
In the current budget year, 73% of LAHSA’s nearly $500 million budget comes from the city of L.A., 20% from the federal government and 4% from L.A. County.
LAHSA said it will continue to fulfill its ongoing federal responsibilities “until those duties transition to a new entity or entities.”
The agency has agreements with the city of L.A. to manage programs and contracts through June 30, 2027.
The county’s Department of Homeless Services and Housing is applying to take over all four of LAHSA’s federal responsibilities, according to county officials. The city of L.A. is currently applying for at least two of those roles, putting the city and county in competition with each other.
“Moving forward, another entity will be leading the [Continuum of Care], which I believe should be the county, given our ability to most effectively administer contracts for our region,” Horvath said Tuesday.
Other organizations have also expressed interest. Better Angels, a homelessness nonprofit led by former L.A. mayoral candidate Adam Miller, contacted the court seeking to apply.
Applicants looking to take over LAHSA’s federal roles have until Sept. 25 to submit applications, but had to communicate their intent to apply by Sept. 15.
The applicants selected by L.A.’s regional Continuum of Care Board will have to be reviewed by HUD and the federal court.
Topline:
The Los Angeles Unified School District’s falling enrollment and fiscal challenges are fueling conversations planned for later this year about potential school closures and consolidation.
Why now: District leaders presented a snapshot of LAUSD’s finances Tuesday, showing steeper enrollment declines and lower state revenue and reserves than previously projected. The board adopted a $3.5 billion savings plan alongside the most recent budget in June that, among other cuts, envisions saving $30 million a year through school consolidation and repurposing in the 2028-29 school year.
Why it matters: LAUSD staff project that the district will run out of money during the 2027-2028 school year if it does not implement the cuts in the fiscal stabilization plan. The L.A. County Office of Education assigned a fiscal expert to the district in July and warned LAUSD was at risk of losing the power to govern itself without further changes to its spending. The district eliminated more than 600 jobs in May, largely in its central offices, as part of a prior savings plan.
Falling enrollment:
Almost 4% fewer students are attending LAUSD schools this academic year compared to last year, according to preliminary data— nearly a percentage point lower than expected. The district’s chief financial officer said that each 1% drop in enrollment is a loss of about $20 million a year for the next three years because California funds schools based on how many students show up to class each day.
The Los Angeles Unified School District’s falling enrollment and budget challenges are fueling conversations planned for later this year about potential school closures and consolidation.
“Our goal is not simply to have fewer schools; our goal is to have stronger schools, schools that are better resourced, schools that offer more programs for our students,” Superintendent Andrés Chait said during a school board meeting Tuesday. The superintendent shared a similar message in a video sent to families Monday.
LAUSD is spending more money than it brings in and has relied on reserves to fill the gap in recent years. In Tuesday’s meeting, district leaders presented an updated snapshot of LAUSD’s finances that shows steeper enrollment declines and lower state revenue and reserves than projected early this summer.
“That deficit spending is only possible while we have reserves and the very significant challenge that we’re facing as a district is that those reserves are being depleted very quickly,” said Saman Bravo-Karimi, the district's chief financial officer. “They’re eventually going to go negative and we can’t have negative balances as a school district.”
Almost 4% fewer students are attending LAUSD schools this academic year compared to last year, according to preliminary data — nearly a percentage point lower than expected.
Bravo-Karimi said that each 1% drop in enrollment is a loss of about $20 million a year for the next three years because California funds schools based on how many students show up to class each day.
Fewer students have attended LAUSD schools over the last two decades, in part because of falling birth rates and the region’s high cost of living, but those declines were steeper than anticipated in recent years.
Board member Kelly Gonez said the schools in East San Fernando Valley communities targeted by federal agents have double the enrollment declines of other campuses.
“That increase in enrollment decline last school year was not a coincidence,” Gonez said. “Something changed … that is the presence of a federal administration that is attacking our immigrant communities.”
The district pulled a scheduled vote Monday night on a $960,000 contract with a school closure consultant.
The district planned to work with Alvarez and Marsal to develop a framework for possible school closures, mergers or reconfigurations.
The firm’s priorities, as described on their website, include “maximizing investment value in education” and reshaping how institutions operate.
Alvarez and Marsal are also associated with several controversial decisions, including closing more than a dozen campuses during an overhaul of St. Louis schools in 2003 and faltering when contracted to restructure New York City schools' bus routes in 2007.
Several members of the public and a leader in the district’s teachers union spoke out against the contract and any similar future consultants.
“It’s hard for us to seriously work with this district to fight for more state funding when you squander limited funds you have on contracts with vultures and privatizers like the Alvarez company,” said Julie Van Winkle, United Teachers Los Angeles vice president.
Chait said the decision to remove the contract from consideration was in response to messages from school, community and district stakeholders over the weekend.
“One of the core leadership principles that I’ve always really tried to live by is to listen to folks, especially when they disagree,” Chait said.
Chait said the district needs external support to convene community meetings and compile and analyze data.
“This is arguably the most complex, the most difficult endeavor we will ever take on,” Chait said of school consolidations. “It will reset the footprint of our district for years to come.”
Chait said the district will begin holding community conversations related to school closures in the next few weeks and will share more details during a Sept. 22 meeting.
The district’s current $20.6 billion budget projects a $2 billion deficit.
LAUSD approved raises for teachers, principals and support staff earlier this year at the cost of an additional $1 billion this school year. LAUSD, like other districts in the state, also faces increased costs for employee health care, settlements for decades-old sexual assault claims and services for students with disabilities,
L.A. County education officials approved the district’s most recent budget Tuesday on the condition that LAUSD provide additional information about how it is implementing cuts this school year.
However, L.A. County Superintendent Debra Duardo also called out the district's “unsustainable” use of reserves.
“The district’s fiscal status necessitates continued monitoring for both immediate and future corrective actions,” Duardo wrote in a letter to district leadership, referencing the July appointment of a fiscal expert to advise the district.
LAUSD’s board has approved a series of plans to reduce spending and increase revenue. For example, the district eliminated hundreds of jobs, primarily in its administrative offices, earlier this year.
The district’s most recent fiscal stabilization plan includes furlough days for all employees, the elimination of thousands of jobs and cuts to programs that help high-needs schools pay for counselors, tutors and other student supports.
Most of these cuts aren’t scheduled to go into effect until the 2027-28 and 2028-29 school years.
LAUSD board members can amplify concerns from parents, students and educators. Find your representative below.
District 1 includes Mid City, parts of South L.A. (map)
Board member: Sherlett Hendy Newbill
Email: BoardDistrict1@lausd.net
Call: (213) 241-6382 (central office); (323) 298-3411 (field office)
District 2 includes Downtown, East L.A. (map)
Board member: Rocío Rivas
Email: rocio.rivas@lausd.net
Call: (213) 241-6020
District 3 includes West San Fernando Valley, North Hollywood (map)
Board member: Scott Schmerelson
Email: scott.schmerelson@lausd.net
Call: (213) 241-8333
District 4 includes West Hollywood, some beach cities (map)
Board member: Nick Melvoin
Email: nick.melvoin@lausd.net
Call: (213) 241-6387
District 5 includes parts of Northeast and Southwest L.A. (map)
Board Member: Karla Griego
Email: district5@lausd.net
Call: (213) 241-1000
District 6 includes East San Fernando Valley (map)
Board Member: Kelly Gonez
Email: kelly.gonez@lausd.net
Call: (213) 241-6388
District 7 includes South L.A. and parts of the South Bay (map)
Board Member: Tanya Ortiz Franklin
Email: tanya.franklin@lausd.net
Call: (213) 241-6385
Topline:
The leader of a congressional panel warned Tuesday he would use “every tool” to get Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to testify after she skipped a hearing that put L.A.’s homeless services system in the hotseat.
The context: The House panel came as multiple audits, reviews and court rulings have found L.A. has failed to ensure proper tracking of large-scale spending on homeless services — particularly through the joint city-county L.A. Homeless Services Authority, known as LAHSA.
What the mayor says: Bass had declined to testify at Tuesday’s hearing, saying she was unavailable and that it would be a “politically-motivated” attack. Her public schedule showed she planned to attend a groundbreaking of a shopping and community center in the Pacific Palisades two hours after the hearing was set to start.
The warning: Rep. Tim Burchett, the Tennessee Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee's DOGE subcommittee, said she won't get off that easily. Bass "seems intent on evading accountability, but she knows we will not let her off the hook," Burchett said at the hearing. He added that he and the Oversight Committee’s chair would "use every tool at our disposal to secure her appearance if she does not cooperate.”
The leader of a congressional panel warned Tuesday he would use “every tool” to get Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass to testify after she skipped a hearing that put L.A.’s homeless services system in the hot seat.
It came as multiple audits, reviews and court rulings have found L.A. has failed to ensure proper tracking of large-scale spending on homeless services — particularly through the joint city-county L.A. Homeless Services Authority, known as LAHSA. Much of the money is federal dollars authorized by Congress.
Bass had declined to testify at Tuesday’s hearing, saying she was unavailable and that it would be a “politically motivated” attack. Her public schedule showed she planned to attend a groundbreaking of a shopping and community center in the Pacific Palisades two hours after the hearing was set to start.
Rep. Tim Burchett, the Tennessee Republican who chairs the House Oversight Committee's DOGE subcommittee, said she won't get off that easily.
Bass "seems intent on evading accountability, but she knows we will not let her off the hook," Burchett said at the hearing. He added that he and the Oversight Committee’s chair would "use every tool at our disposal to secure her appearance if she does not cooperate.”
House committees and subcommittees can issue subpoenas to compel witnesses to testify or provide documents.
Just before the hearing got underway, Bass called it "the latest attack on Los Angeles by the Trump Administration and his allies in Congress.”
"I don't run LAHSA," she said, adding that she was the first mayor to sit on its board and that street homelessness has dropped since she took office. The latest official count for the city showed a 8% year to year jump in street homelessness.
Bass stepped off LAHSA’s governing commission last week, after LAist reported she had missed most of its meetings since she appointed herself to it in 2023. The mayor cited “time and all” as her reason for stepping down. She continues to appoint — and has the power to remove — half the commission’s members, including its current chair.
Much of the hour-and-a-half hearing focused on Republican members’ criticism that Democrat-led cities distribute drug paraphernalia and don’t require unhoused people with addictions to get treatment as a condition of living in publicly funded housing.
Some proposals raised Tuesday would change how money reaches Los Angeles.
Burchett said he will introduce the Recovery First Housing Act, to require federally funded housing to offer substance abuse treatment. He has also introduced a bill restricting federal housing dollars to only support U.S. citizens.
Burchett noted LAHSA’s audit committee chair, Justin Szlasa — who was proactive in rooting out wasteful spending — was demoted by Stephanie Graves, a Bass appointee who has declined to give her reason for doing so. The move was first reported by LAist.
Burchett also made claims that don’t hold up. He said 50,000 people are homeless in the city with "another 75,000" in the surrounding county. The latest official count found a total of 73,000 unhoused people across L.A. County — a figure that includes the city.
Burchett also said, “ LAHSA recently doled out funds to an L.A.-area nonprofit whose CEO had just been indicted for fraud.” LAist recently investigated LAHSA’s awarding of funds to that nonprofit, Abundant Blessings, and found no indication that LAHSA awarded it any funds after the fraud indictment. However, the review did find that long before the indictment, LAHSA kept awarding millions in contracts to the group even after it was flagged internally as high-risk for failing to do its job.
Burchett, however, was correct in saying “a court-ordered independent assessment of LAHSA's finances found alarming financial control weaknesses that leave the door open to rampant fraud.”
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