10 Horror Films That Actually Won Oscars

Won: Best Visual Effects, Best Sound Effects Editing

Also Nominated For: Best Actress, Best Art Direction, Best Sound, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score

One of the most influential movies of the 1980s (and cruelly overlooked for a Best Picture nod in its day), Aliens has been parodied and/or ripped off in everything from Jason X to Doom, and every subsequent bug hunt movie feels obliged to pay homage.

That’s a remarkable feat in itself, but for a sequel to someone else’s movie, it’s practically unheard of. Kudos to writer/director James Cameron who made a follow-up that builds on the original but also works well enough as a stand-alone movie. Nobody could’ve predicted he’d one day make Titanic.

All of Cameron’s trademarks are present and correct: a female warrior with a love of hardware, a corporate bad guy and a succession of large-scale action sequences where stuff blows up real good. For sheer entertainment, it’s probably his best film.