The Academy has a well-known bias against horror and 'slasher' films, usually ignoring them in acting categories. This changed in 1992 when Anthony Hopkins won Best Actor for playing Hannibal Lecter in 'The Silence of the Lambs.' Hopkins was on screen for less than 25 minutes of the film's total runtime, yet his portrayal of the cannibalistic serial killer was so magnetic and terrifying that he beat out the competition. Interestingly, 'The Silence of the Lambs' remains the only horror movie to ever win the Best Picture Oscar. Hopkins’ win proved that even in a genre typically dismissed by the Academy as 'low-brow,' a masterclass performance can overcome the stigma. It paved the way for future genre-bending wins, although horror still remains one of the least recognized genres at the Oscars.