10 Horror Films That Beat Genre Prejudice To Win Oscars

2. Misery (1990) - Best Actress

Few horror lists would be complete without a bit of Stephen King, but some people might be surprised if they had to guess which King adaptation is the only one with an Oscar to its name. The Shawshank Redemption? It's often regarded as one of the all time greats, is the sort of drama the Academy tends to like and, indeed, was nominated for seven Oscars including Best Picture, but no, it didn't win any of them.

The Shining? A Razzie nomination for Worst Director for Stanley Kubrick, yes, but any Oscar attention? Nope. It might not be the most obvious choice, but Misery, King's best and most focused book, makes for quite possibly the best ever King film. The role of obsessive fan Annie Wilkes made Kathy Bates a star and won her the Best Actress Oscar in 1991.

Did It Deserve To Win?

Yes. A classic two-hander, Misery is a much simpler premise and a smaller cast than many King stories and relies on its two leads and their interplay for it to work. James Caan was good as bed-bound hack writer with greater ambitions Paul Sheldon, a role that required him to be mostly reactive and restrained in his movements, but it was Bates that stole the show.

In her hands Annie is alternately a font of twee Christian middle american aphorisms and sadistic ankle smashing, her personality switching on a knife edge and it is this crazy unpredictability that makes her such a great horror villain. Probably the greatest testament to the quality of Bates' performance is that it is very hard to read King's novel and not hear the voice of Bates' Annie in every "you dirty bird."