Sunday Scaries: It’s Great to See FYC Ads for Horror Films

The Sunday Scaries are upon us once again! Yes, as the weekend concludes, most of us feel an oncoming sense of anticipatory dread about the week ahead. Anxiety about work manifests itself into a feeling that’s known as the Sunday Scaries. However, we at Awards Radar are here to combat that, by taking back the name. Now, we want you think about a horror-centric piece on the site when you hear the term. So, let us continue on with another installment of the Awards Radar Sunday Scaries! Today, we’re talking about horror campaigning for awards in 2024…

For Your Consideration (or FYC) advertisements are a hallmark of awards season each year. A staple of the industry, whether in print, on billboards, or television, the ads seek to gin up awards attention. Be it the Oscars or another voting body, the films being put forward range from the obvious Academy Award contenders to the more esoteric. This year, some of the movies being campaigned are straight-up horror titles, which is very cool and a nice change of pace. These flicks rarely get love in that way, so this is a real positive to see.

Longlegs was first out of the gate with the ad you can see at the head of this article. They’re gunning for Critics Choice Awards attention, though they’d love for the Academy to notice as well. It’s probably a long shot, but Nicolas Cage in Best Supporting Actor is the kind of gonzo campaign you can’t help but enjoy seeing play out.

This is more a case of NEON continuing an A+ marketing campaign for Longlegs than a realistic Oscar situation, but still, anything can happen. I know I’m fully considering it (considering how it’s one of my favorites of the year) for my CCA ballot. It won’t be because of the FYC ads, but it hardly hurts things any.

Nosferatu represents the horror title still to come (though I’ve seen it, review to come) with the most prestige attached to it. Part of it is Robert Eggers being a bit of a high profile filmmaker, while part of it is the classier source material. Above the line may be a hard sell for voters, but below the line? That’s another story.

I’ll have more to say when the review embargo lifts, but Nosferatu should make their FYC campaign all about the technical categories. If so, and the early looks suggest that possibility, Focus could potentially reap the benefits. This may be the most likely horror film to get an Oscar nomination this year, given the tech potential.

The Substance happens to be the fright flick with the FYC campaign that has a chance to translate above the line. Demi Moore in Best Actress is a full-court press, while the movie has an outside chance in Best Original Screenplay. Below the line? It’s a film with definite potential, especially if the precursors are kind to it.

I wrote a previous Sunday Scaries piece here about how The Substance will challenge voters, and that remains true, but MUBI is planning to do their best. The focus of the FYC campaign will be heavily on Moore and her candidacy, but as long as the ads don’t neglect things like Best Makeup & Hairstyling or even Best Visual Effects, you can’t count this one out.

We shall see if any of these, or another horror movie, end up with Oscar nominations, but you love to see them campaigning. Horror getting FYC ads at the end of the year warms my heart, and if you’re a genre fan like I am, you should feel the same way…

Stay tuned for another Sunday Scaries installment next week!