Fangoria’s Chainsaw Awards are held every year to celebrate the best in cinematic horror. Covering the last half of the previous year as well as the first half of the current one, the awards often highlight the sheer versatility that can be found in scary movies, whether they be quietly powerful parables about life or just excuses to slash teenagers in half.
This year’s awards, which will be broadcast on Shudder in October, have a strong roster of nominees. With movies as distinct as Dust Bunny, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Backrooms, Frankenstein, Hokum, and Obsession leading in nominations, Fangoria’s Chainsaw Awards are the perfect reminder of just how good horror fans have had it lately.
Fangoria’s Best Wide Release Nominees Speak To The Genre’s Broad Appeal Being Stronger Than Ever
The horror genre feels more recognized than ever, earning rave reviews, box office wins, and prestigious awards in the last few years. The diverse nominees at the Chainsaw Awards highlight just how versatile the genre has become in the modern cinematic space. While there has always been a variety of approaches to scaring audiences, the recent horror slate is broad and inventive.
Backrooms is moody and atmospheric, while Obsession is quietly grounded. Experiments like The Bride!, grim fairy tales like Dust Bunny, haunting ghost stories like Hokum, and funny horror films like Forbidden Fruits fit in neatly alongside vicious remakes like Faces of Death and emotionally harrowing tales like Leviticus. All of them are genuine contenders in tight races.
Established franchises and beloved directors got recognition, with 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple and Send Help snagging nominations among fresh voices like Kane Parsons. Made on a blockbuster scale or hailing from the indie scene alike, horror has become one of cinema’s most undeniable breeding grounds for inventive ideas and financial success.
This speaks to how horror has become recognized not just as an easy way to make money — the genre is historically very profitable — but also to challenge audiences and impress critics. Many of the films nominated for awards this year are painfully unique but collectively gripping, highlighting just how good the genre has been lately.
Chainsaw Award Nominees Won Big At The Oscars — Could The Genre Go For A Repeat?
Last year’s Chainsaw Awards, covering the second half of 2024 and the first half of 2025, were dominated by movies that had already been or would go on to become major award contenders. The Substance and Sinners each earned ten nominations at the 2025 ceremony, coinciding with both of their turns as Oscar nominees.
Other big Chainsaw Award contenders, like Weapons, The Ugly Stepsister, Oddity, Longlegs, and Nosferatu all earned award recognition from critics and voting bodies that typically don’t give scary movies the time of day. This set the stage for Weapons, Frankenstein, and Sinners to all clean up at the Academy Awards, despite fierce competition from more traditional Oscar fare. Given
This year already has some similarity with that, given that the Oscar-winning film Weapons is among the nominations for Best Picture. Other movies in the nomination pool, like the blockbuster successes of Backrooms and Obsession or the critically acclaimed Hokum, could go similar routes as dark horse picks for award recognition and could even eventually earn Oscar nominations.
The Chainsaw Award nominees this year have some really terrific films, with the success of Obsession and Backrooms making them early dark horse contenders for Oscar consideration. This is also only from the first half of the year, so there are plenty of other omvies that could also come out and wow critics and audiences alike.
If nothing else, the Chainsaw Awards featuring some killer nominations speaks to a healthy and vibrant genre that has never felt so recognized. It highlights just how broadly popular the horror genre has become, how unique the visions of modern filmmakers have become, and why the horror genre is doing better than ever.
Source: Fangoria