10 Horror Films That Actually Won Oscars

Won: Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Sound

Also Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing

Between December 5 and 26 1973, five new movies appeared in American theaters and each one of them became a solid gold classic. They were: Serpico, Papillon, Sleeper, The Sting and The Exorcist.

More than 40 years since The Exorcist first thrilled audiences, you can say this much about William Friedkin’s movie: no subsequent religious-themed horror movie was as shocking, well mounted or suspenseful as his signature film.

Religious horror pictures are generally dire (see: Exorcist II: The Heretic), but not only does The Exorcist live up to the hype (“the most electrifying thing that will ever happen to you,” the ads read), it throws in some still-powerful images.

Watching Linda Blair perform unladylike acts with a crucifix is one thing, but how many films could show her throwing a doctor across the room without ending up as a laugh riot? When people say they don’t make ‘em like they used to, this is the film they have in mind.