The UK & Ireland Horror Critics Group have announced the nominations for this year’s annual Golden Claw awards. Founded in 2022 as the first Horror Critics association in the UK or Ireland, the Horror Critics Group strives to celebrate excellence in horror film – including through their annual Golden Claw awards.
2024 was an excellent year for horror, which is reflected in the quality of the lineup. The Substance leads this year’s awards with ten nominations, followed closer by Longlegs with eight, and I Saw the TV Glow with seven, but even the films with just one or two nominations are extremely strong.
(Conflict of interest disclaimer: as a founder of these awards, I’m delighted that Horror Critics Group members have rewarded such good work!)
Members of the organisation, which includes horror critics from across the UK and Ireland, will now vote for their winners. The results of the votes will be unveiled during an awards ceremony on 1st March 2025 in partnership with NightTide Magazine and The Hollywood News.
The UK & Ireland Horror Critics Group’s current standing committee is Tim Coleman, Kat Hughes, Mo Moshaty, Andrew Pope and Zoë Rose Smith. Announcing the nominations, Andrew said “This is an exciting time for horror movies, and that shows in the list of nominees. I can’t wait to see which of them takes home a coveted Golden Claw. The Horror Critics Group is committed to celebrating the UK and Irish horror scene, so I’m particularly excited to see who wins out in the UK or Irish Horror Film category. It’s so important that we nurture our local talent!”
Tim agreed “It’s such an honour to be involved in the Golden Claw Awards. Right now we’re living through an incredible time for horror cinema, so it’s wonderful being able to celebrate the incredible films being made in a genre which means so much to us all.”
Zoe said “’I’m incredibly excited about the Golden Claw Awards because there is just so much phenomenal horror out there right now.”
Mo said “Horror is great at highlighting social issues, and this line-up features a diverse mix, from LGBTQ+ stories to tackling ageism and facial difference. That impact matters now more than ever.”
Kat said “The horror genre has been overlooked for far too long by other awards bodies and I’m delighted to be part of an organisation seeking to correct this. This year, our members have once again selected a diverse range of titles that prove genre cinema is an all-encompassing conduit for exploring a vast scope of issues.”
Last year the big winners were: Talk To Me (four awards: Best film with a Cinema Release, Best Directors for Danny and Michael Philippou, Best Lead Performance for Sophie Wilde, and Breakout Star for Sophie Wilde) and Godzilla Minus One (three awards: Best Film Not In English, Best Visual or Special FX, and Best Score or Soundtrack for Naoki Sato).
FULL LIST OF NOMINEES FOR THE 2025 GOLDEN CLAW AWARDS
Best Horror Film
- I Saw The TV Glow
- Longlegs
- Oddity
- Strange Darling
- The Substance
Best Lead Performance
- David Dastmalchian (Late Night With The Devil)
- Demi Moore (The Substance)
- Hugh Grant (Heretic)
- Juliette Gariépy (Red Rooms)
- Justice Smith (I Saw The TV Glow)
- Lupita Nyong’o (A Quiet Place: Day One)
- Maika Monroe (Longlegs)
- Naomi Scott (Smile 2)
- Nell Tiger Free (The First Omen)
- Sydney Sweeney (Immaculate)
Best Supporting Performance
- Alicia Witt (Longlegs)
- Blair Underwood (Longlegs)
- Dan Stevens (Cuckoo & Abigail)
- David Jonsson (Alien: Romulus)
- Dennis Quaid (The Substance)
- Ingrid Torelli (Late Night With The Devil)
- Jack Haven (I Saw The TV Glow)
- Kyle Gallner (Strange Darling)
- Margaret Qualley (The Substance)
- Nicolas Cage (Longlegs)
- Sophie Thatcher (Heretic)
Best Director
- Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)
- Damian Mc Carthy (Oddity)
- Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw The TV Glow)
- JT Mollner (Strange Darling)
- Osgood Perkins (Longlegs)
Best Screenwriter
- Coralie Fargeat (The Substance)
- Jane Schoenbrun (I Saw The TV Glow)
- JT Mollner (Strange Darling)
- Osgood Perkins (Longlegs)
- Scott Beck & Bryan Woods (Heretic)
Best VFX/SFX
- Alien: Romulus
- In a Violent Nature
- Infested
- Smile 2
- The Substance
Best Horror Film Not in English
- Chime
- Exhuma
- Infested
- MadS
- Red Rooms
- The Coffee Table
Best Kill
- Acid Blood Kill (Alien Romulus)
- Baby Meets Table (The Coffee Table)
- Chainsaw in the Shower (Terrifier 3)
- Rock Meets Baby (Immaculate)
- Yoga Kill (In a Violent Nature)
Best British or Irish Horror Film – Sponsored by the Independent Horror Society
- Broken Bird
- Daddy’s Head
- Oddity
- Stopmotion
- The Moor
Trailblazer of The Year
- Chris Nash (Writer-Director, In A Violent Nature)
- Coralie Fargeat (Writer-Director, The Substance)
- Jane Schoenbrun (Writer-Director, I Saw The TV Glow)
Representation Award – Sponsored by the Soho Horror Film Festival
- A Different Man
- Cuckoo
- I Saw The TV Glow
- Love Lies Bleeding
- The Substance
Best Feature Debut
- Arkasha Stevenson (Director, The First Omen)
- Chris Nash (Director, In a Violent Nature)
- Sebastian Vanicek (Director, Infested)
- Zelda Williams (Writer, Lisa Frankenstein)
- Zoe Kravitz (Director, Blink Twice)
Best Horror TV Show
- From
- Inside No. 9
- Interview with the Vampire
- The Creep Tapes
- True Detective: Night Country
Technical Excellence
- Chime (Sound Design)
- Longlegs (Score)
- MadS (Cinematography)
- Strange Darling (Cinematography)
- The Substance (Production Design, Makeup & Costuming)
The 2025 Golden Claw winners will be announced at a central London location on March 1st.
Whitlock&Pope 