- Demi Moore wins Best Actress in a musical/ comedy at the 2025 Golden Globes
- This award is Moore's first major recognition in in her 45-year career
- Her win is a reminder that horror movies are more than deserving of the big awards, and makes her a shoe-in for the Best Actress Oscar
Awards season is in full swing and like clockwork, the 2025 Golden Globes has kicked off the celebrations with its recognition of the best movies of 2024. But out of all the nominations for acting, Demi Moore’s victory for her performance in Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance (one of the best horror movies on streaming) was by far one of the most memorable moments of the night - marking Moore’s first-ever major award ceremony win and a monumental recognition for horror movies.
Taking home the award for best actress in a musical/comedy (though I feel inaccurately describes The Substance), Moore followed her Golden Globe win with a powerful speech that shed light on her experiences with not being taken seriously as an actress. Moore opened her speech confessing that “this is the first time [I’ve] won anything as an actor” in her incredible 45-year career, which was a surprising discovery given that Moore was named the highest paid actress of the ‘90s.
But Moore’s moving speech didn’t stop there. She added: "Thirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a popcorn actress and at that time, I made that mean that [awards] weren't something that I was allowed to have, that I could do movies that were successful, that made a lot of money, but that I couldn't be acknowledged.”
Signing off her speech, Moore concluded: “In those moments when we don’t think we are smart enough or pretty enough, or skinny enough or successful enough or basically just not enough, I had a woman say to me just know you will never be enough, but you can know the measure of your work if you just put down the measuring stick.”
Alluding to the experiences of her character in The Substance, it was a powerful full-circle moment for Moore.
Demi Moore re-writes the story for horror
There’s no hiding from the fact that horror is disregarded as a legitimate genre and shunned by the biggest awards ceremonies, and yes, I’m still bitter about Toni Collette and Lupita Nyong’o’s Oscar snubs for Hereditary (2018) and Us (2019). But alas, every cloud has a silver lining, and that silver lining is The Substance.
While I enjoy horror’s campy and, at times, unserious nature, I find that these can be damaging characteristics that can tarnish the genre’s artistic credibility. However that doesn’t mean you can’t get a damn good story out of a horror movie. When it comes to The Substance, Fargeat’s screenplay is a perfect balance of unseriousness and camp but still succeeds in offering a story with a critique of the harsh realities faced by aging women in the entertainment industry.
As a fan of horror and compelling women’s stories alike, Demi Moore’s win at the 2025 Golden Globes is a reassuring reminder that horror has substantial credibility and could serve as the catalyst for her campaign for the Best Actress Oscar. The Golden Globes are an indicator of who could win big at the Oscars, so it’s safe to say that I can’t wait to see how this race pans out.
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