Sinners, Frankenstein, and Weapons Make Horror History as the Genre Takes Home Eight Oscars

The ceremony marked the biggest awards tally ever for horror cinema

By Alex Kaan 15 March 2026

Warner Bros.

Collectively winning eight Academy Awards, Sinners, Frankenstein, and Weapons delivered the best-ever tally for the horror genre at the Oscars.

The ceremony featured rare victories for horror in the acting categories, with Sinners star Michael B. Jordan and Weapons’ Amy Madigan winning for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actress, respectively. Their victories represent only the seventh and eighth horror movie performances ever to be recognised by the Academy, and not since 1992, when Jodie Foster and Anthony Hopkins won for The Silence of the Lambs, have two such performances been awarded in the same year. The 1992 ceremony also held the previous record for the genre’s highest tally ever, with five awards—all thanks to The Silence of the Lambs.

While Best Picture contender Sinners missed out on the top prize, it still went home with four awards—earning writer-director Ryan Coogler his first Oscar. Composer Ludwig Goransson, meanwhile, won his third for his time-hopping, Blues-infused score. Autumn Durald Arkapaw made history as the first woman to ever win Best Cinematography, while Michael B. Jordan won Best Actor following his first nomination.

As expected, Frankenstein dominated the artisan categories, picking up Costume Design (Kate Hawley), Makeup and Hairstyling (Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey), and Production Design (Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau).

Moreover, Ryan Coogler’s Best Original Screenplay win for his Sinners script is only the second victory ever for a horror film in the category—the first went to Jordan Peele for Get Out. Coogler and Peele are also the only Black writers to have ever won the award.

All the Horror Winners

Sinners

Best Actor (Michael B. Jordan)

Best Original Screenplay (Ryan Coogler)

Best Cinematography (Autumn Durald Arkapaw)

Best Original Score (Ludwig Göransson)

Frankenstein

Best Costume Design (Kate Hawley)

Best Makeup and Hairstyling (Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey)

Best Production Design (Tamara Deverell and Shane Vieau).

Weapons

Best Supporting Actress (Amy Madigan)

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Amy Madigan Wins the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress with Her Performance in 'Weapons'