TORONTO, ONTARIO – SEPTEMBER 05: (L-R) Cooper Tomlinson, Michael Johnston, Inde Navarrette, Megan Lawless and Curry Barker of “Obsession” pose in the Getty Images Portrait Studio Presented by IMDb and IMDbPro during the Toronto International Film Festival at InterContinental Toronto Centre on September 05, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario. (Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for IMDb)
Getty Images for IMDb
The 2026 Oscars demonstrated that horror films can emerge as serious above-the-line contenders. Looking ahead to 2027, Obsession will test whether that breakthrough marked the start of a sustained trend or merely a single-season anomaly.
According to Variety, the film announced on September 2 that it will campaign in 16 categories this awards season, with the publication describing the effort as “a seismic full-court press studios reserve for a title they believe can go the distance.”
What remains undecided is how Obsession will position itself at the Golden Globes, where separate categories exist for dramas and comedies or musicals.
On the surface, drama appears to be the natural fit, given that Obsession is a horror film exploring dark themes. However, both historical precedent and the current competitive landscape suggest that submitting the film as a comedy could offer a more strategic path toward Oscar recognition.
There is established precedent for horror films campaigning as comedies. The Substance followed this approach in 2025, as did Get Out in 2018, and both films went on to receive Best Picture nominations at the Oscars—though Universal faced some criticism for Get Out‘s genre classification.
Competing in the comedy categories can help genre performances gain visibility and build critical awards season momentum.
Demi Moore wins Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy during the 82nd Annual Golden Globes held at The Beverly Hilton on January 05, 2025 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Rich Polk/GG2025/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Penske Media via Getty Images
At the 2025 Golden Globes, The Substance captured headlines when Demi Moore won Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical. A similar victory for Inde Navarrette, whose physically demanding and showy performance in Obsession echoes Moore’s, would represent a significant milestone for both her individual Oscar campaign and the film’s broader awards prospects.
Like Obsession, The Substance incorporates elements of dark humor and satire alongside its horror foundation—which ultimately qualified it for competition in the comedy categories at the Golden Globes.
Throughout the 2020s, the Best Picture—Comedy or Musical category has proven equally effective as Best Picture—Drama in nominating films that go on to win the Best Picture Oscar.
Competition will pose a considerable challenge regardless of which genre Obsession selects. Based on the current landscape, however, the drama field is shaping up to be substantially more competitive than comedy, which would increase the risk of Obsession being overlooked.
The drama category is already emerging as highly contested. The Odyssey, Michael, Dune: Part Three, Fjord, La Bola Negra, Ink, and Josephine are among the released and upcoming films expected to vie for nomination slots. Focus Features is also likely to include Sense and Sensibility and Werwulf in its For Your Consideration slate.
The comedy category, by contrast, is considerably less crowded, with potential contenders including The Invite, The Debut, Wild Horse Nine, Digger, The Further Misadventures of Cliff Booth, and Club Kid.
Obsession is not the only major 2026 release facing this classification dilemma. Project Hail Mary could similarly fit into either category, highlighting a broader challenge confronting the Golden Globes: today’s most prominent genre films increasingly resist easy categorization within the traditional drama-comedy divide.
Focus Features’ plans for Obsession indicate that it will be one of the distributor’s foremost priorities for the 2026–2027 awards season. If the ultimate objective is Oscar recognition for Obsession, then the Golden Globes will serve as a critical platform to generate buzz and demonstrate the film’s prestige credentials. Submitting Obsession as a comedy may prove to be a key strategic decision in achieving that goal.
According to the 84th Annual Golden Globes timetable, Focus Features has until October 30 to finalize its submission decision for Obsession. Voters will cast their nomination ballots from November 24 through December 4, with official nominees announced on December 7.
