Oscar Predictions: Best Production Design — Horror Deserves More Awards Recognition. Why Not ‘Nosferatu?’

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.

Best Production Design Commentary (Updated Dec. 12, 2024): Horror movies have long existed on the fringes of Hollywood’s awards season, often dismissed as popcorn entertainment or niche thrills for adrenaline junkies. But scratch beneath the surface of jump scares and gore, and you’ll find a genre teeming with innovation, particularly in technical artistry.

This year, the horror genre deserves a sincere moment in the spotlight. Robert Eggers’ reimagining of F.W. Murnau’s silent classic “Nosferatu” has emerged as a cinematic showcase for craftsmanship. Alongside it, a crop of inventive horror films existing within subgenres including Coralie Fargeat’s body gore comedy “The Substance” and Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ hilariously chilling “Heretic,” underscores the artistry the genre brings to the table.

Horror thrives on atmosphere, and in Eggers’ “Nosferatu,” every element of the film feels steeped in the eerie dread of its vampiric tale. Production designer Craig Lathrop, a frequent Eggers collaborator (“The Witch,” “The Lighthouse”), once again creates worlds that feel as alive — and as terrifying — as the characters themselves. From Count Orlok’s crumbling, Gothic mansions to ominous caves and tombs, Lathrop’s immersive, painstakingly detailed designs are integral to the film’s spellbinding tension.

“Nosferatu” earned a key nod for production design at the Critics Choice Awards (along with three other artisan mentions). But will the Academy bite? Horror films have often struggled to cross over into major categories, despite occasional breakthroughs like Guillermo del Toro’s “Nightmare Alley” (2021) and “Get Out” (2017). Could this year finally see a broader embrace, with nods for adapted screenplay, performances by Bill Skarsgård and Lily-Rose Depp, or even best picture and director for Eggers? It’s a long shot, but in a year that’s already subverted expectations (and 93% on Rotten Tomatoes), why not?

Well, we must acknowledge the crowded field in this race.

The production design race, however, is fierce this year, with heavy hitters across genres jockeying for attention. At the top of the list is “Wicked,” Jon M. Chu’s dazzling two-part musical blockbuster, where the legendary Nathan Crowley’s set designs have become a central talking point. Crowley, a six-time Oscar nominee (“The Prestige,” “The Dark Knight,” “Interstellar”), has yet to claim a win, and “Wicked” may finally be his ticket to the podium. Working alongside set decorator Lee Sandales (“1917,” “War Horse”), Crowley’s gravity-defying sets are as magical as they are technically ambitious.

Judy Becker, celebrated for her meticulous work on A24’s “The Brutalist,” winning the LAFCA’s production design prize, giving the historical drama more momentum. Meanwhile, the “Dune: Part Two” team — Zsuzsanna Sipos, Shane Vieau, and Patrice Vermette — are vying to repeat their Oscar-winning success from the first installment.

Then there’s Adam Stockhausen and Anna Pinnock’s evocative recreation of WWII-era London for “Blitz.” Despite the film’s lukewarm awards performance thus far — shut out of CCA and Globes — the team’s precision in capturing wartime textures keeps them in the conversation.

Art Directors Guild is coming up.

The 97th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 2. All movie listings, titles, distributors, and credited artisans are not final and are subject to change.