Behind the Background

Stanley Kubrick's 1980 film The Shining is widely regarded as one of the best horror movies of all time. Much of the credit goes to the physical space of the Overlook Hotel, a creepy art-deco labyrinth of impossible architecture built by production designer Roy Walker. Along with costumes designed by Milena Canonero and an iconic plot based on the novel by Stephen King, it's no wonder the movie has become on of the most referenced horror films of all time.

When director Luca Guadagnino set out to recreate the 1977 classic Suspiria for 2018 audiences, he surrounded himself with a team dedicated to distancing themselves visually from the original. From costume designer Guilia Piersanti's work with flowing robes and bondage ropes to production designer Inbal Weinberg's cavernous spaces and even the bold decision to feature actual dancing in a movie about a dance academy witch coven, movement is as heavily featured in Guadagnino's Suspiria as color was in Argento's.

When Luciano Tovoli signed on as cinematographer for Dario Argento's 1977 film Suspiria, he brought with him visions of creating a horror movie like no other aesthetically. Along with production designer Giuseppe Bassan and costume designer Pierangelo Cicoletti, he created a dream-like atmosphere visually inspired by Snow White, of all movies.

Bong Joon-Ho may be most well-known for his 2019 hit Parasite, but his most ambitious cinematic world to date came in his 2013 action movie Snowpiercer. With help from costume designer Catherine George and production designer Ondrej Nekvasil, the director created an immersive world filled with social commentary within a single train.

Darren Aronofsky's 2017 movie mother! starring Jennifer Lawrence isn't easy to watch or enjoy. With the help of production designer Philip Messina, though, the film's main house, both an extension of Lawrence's character and a representation of Earth, transforms from fixer-upper to renovated home to warzone to shrine in a couple short hours, fully capturing the story in a visual way.

When Grace Yun signed on to Ari Aster's first feature film, Hereditary, as production designer, it was her first time working on a horror movie. Along with miniaturist and practical effects artist Steve Newburn, Yun and Aster built a house and filled it with tiny models to make the uncomfortable setting come to life.

John Krasinski's A Quiet Place was a critical and commercial success when it was released in 2018, but it failed to garner much love during awards season. From Millicent Simmonds' and Emily Blunt's performances to the production and sound design to Krasinski's directing, there was a kot to love about this family drama disguised as a creature feature.

When Robert Eggers' The Witch was released by A24 in 2016, it didn't receive much fanfare. Looking back, though, the film launched both Eggers and its star Anya Taylor-Joy into a new stratosphere of fame.

James Wan's 2013 film The Conjuring inspired its own cinematic universe of horror movies. Despite good critical and audience reception, though, the original movie saw no love during award season where it could have shined in the Academy's technical categories.

Ari Aster's sophomore film Midsommar was one of the best horror films of 2019 and the decade, but when it came time for the 2020 Oscars, the movie was nowhere to be seen. We talk about which awards it should have won.