For those who missed it, the 79th Academy Awards took place last night, and for horror fans, PAN’S LABYRINTH did not disappoint, scoring 3 Oscars out of 6 nominations: Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Makeup. Strangely enough, PAN didn’t win Best Foreign Film or Best Original Screenplay (come on, LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE?), nor were any of the above awards given to del Toro. The man was snubbed, dammit! Nevertheless, PAN is a winner, and not bad for a film that cost $17 million (it has taken in $52 million worldwide).
For comparison’s sake, another memorable horror film that won big at the Oscars in 1991, Jonathan Demme’s SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, took home 5 out of a possible 7 Oscars: Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. SILENCE cost $19 million to make, and raked in over $272 million worldwide.