Horror flicks with high hopes and a Battle for domination: What to look for as the Golden Globes kicks off award season

The Golden Globes are taking place in Los Angeles on Sunday (local time, Monday morning in NZ), setting the table for the 2026 award season as some of the best TV shows and films from roughly the past year earn their kudos.

But what are the major storylines at play as Hollywood’s top creatives start their annual fancy outfit parade over the next few months? Let’s dig into it:

Back in the late 1960s and 70s, horror had a moment in the sun when it came to award recognition – like Ruth Gordon winning a best supporting actress Golden Globe and Oscar for 1968’s Rosemary’s Baby, or films like The Exorcist and Jaws receiving major acclaim. While there have been some recognition of films in the genre in the time since – The Silence of the Lambs, The Sixth Sense, Black Swan, Get Out and, most recently, last year’s The Substance – horror has had a tough time breaking through at major award shows.

That is looking to change with this year’s solid awards contender Sinners.

Despite coming out in the summer months, a time often long forgotten come award season, Ryan Coogler’s period hybrid horror hit has enjoyed overwhelmingly positive and consistent word of mouth buzz. The movie, which follows Black twin brothers (both played by Michael B. Jordan) who open a juke joint in rural Mississippi during the Great Depression, has scored seven Globe nods, including one for best motion picture - drama, one for star Jordan and two for Coogler.

It also earned a nomination in the relatively new (and still polarising) box office achievement category, no surprise given its gross and that much has already been said about the horror genre’s continued and demonstrated bankability. The question is whether a win for Sinners in that category will play out like it did for previous honorees Barbie and Wicked, both of which lost out in the arguably more significant best motion picture – musical or comedy category.

Another performer with strong momentum from the horror genre this year is Amy Madigan, who plays the terrifying yet fascinating Aunt Gladys in Weapons and is nominated in the best supporting actress category. The movie, directed by Barbarian filmmaker Zach Cregger, has earned pointed praise for Madigan’s featured performance as the central villain, dominating social media algorithms last year with makeup tutorials and ubiquitous Halloween costume tributes.

Madigan, a veteran actress previously known for late 80s movies Field of Dreams and Uncle Buck, has already won several film critics circle awards for the role, and is also nominated for an Actor Award (previously known as a SAG Award).

A few horror honorees at the Globes, at the very least, could end up being scary fun to see.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest opus One Battle After Another has earned an impressive critic score of 95 percent on both Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, which has been reflected in its (so far) juggernaut momentum in terms of nominations for Globes, Actor Awards and other gong races.

The film comes from 11-time Academy Award-nominee (and 3-time Golden Globe nominee) Paul Thomas Anderson, director of awards darlings such as There Will Be Blood, as well as acclaimed 90s titles Boogie Nights and Magnolia.

A longtime fixture on the award circuit, Anderson is largely expected to dominate on Sunday night and beyond with One Battle, which features Leonardo DiCaprio as a washed up revolutionary who finds himself facing off against nefarious entities led by a frightening colonel (Sean Penn).

In addition to acclaimed turns from previous Globe winners DiCaprio and Penn, One Battle features head-turning performances from actors relatively new on the awards scene, including Globe nominees Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti, along with an uproarious Benicio del Toro in the role of a well-connected karate teacher.

One interesting question that the Globes results might answer: Will there be any surprising results that hint at which – if any film – could possibly upset One Battle’s momentum?

With heavy-hitters including The Pitt, Severance, The White Lotus, Hacks and The Studio all up for awards this year, the TV categories may err on the more predictable side. If the TV portion of the Globes is anything like the Emmys this past September, the aforementioned shows, along with this year’s searing and oft-discussed limited series Adolescence, will dominate in their respective categories.

There may, however, be at least one breakthrough moment.

Rhea Seehorn earned a Globe nomination in the best female actor in a television drama category for Pluribus, the mysterious Apple TV sci-fi show from Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul creator Vince Gilligan. The series marks Seehorn’s first major starring role and her first-ever Golden Globe nod.

In a category filled with award show darlings including Kathy Bates (Matlock), Britt Lower (Severance), Helen Mirren (ModLand), Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us) and Keri Russell (The Diplomat), Seehorn has tough competition. But she also may have the edge, having just won a Critics Choice award.

At least this award show isn’t likely have an acceptance speech countdown clock, so new and returning winners alike can savor their moment.

This year’s Globes telecast will feature a new best podcast category, recognising top producers in the podcast space. Shows including Armchair Expert, Call Her Daddy, Good Hang, The Mel Robbins Podcast, Smartless, and NPR’s Up First all earned inaugural nominations.

While these podcasts boast video components and many led by Hollywood talent – like Dax Shepard (Armchair Expert), Amy Poehler (Good Hang) and actors Will Arnett, Jason Bateman and Sean Hayes (Smartless) – the addition of this category may seem a bit out of left field for an awards show that recognises achievements in film and television, especially for average viewers.

In a news release announcing the award, the Globes said the aim was to give a platform to “the full spectrum of entertainment, while reflecting today’s audiences and consumption behavior around the world".

Let’s see if viewers hear that reasoning.

For those who need a refresher of the big picture of all categories, here’s a list of all the nominees:

Blue Moon

Bugonia

Marty Supreme

No Other Choice

Nouvelle Vague

One Battle After Another

Frankenstein

Hamnet

It Was Just an Accident

The Secret Agent

Sentimental Value

Sinners

Ryan Coogler, Sinners

Paul Thomas Anderson, One Battle After Another

Guillermo del Toro, Frankenstein

Jafar Panahi, It Was Just An Accident

Joachim Trier, Sentimental Value

Chloe Zhao, Hamnet

Timothee Chalomet, Marty Supreme

George Clooney, Jay Kelly

Leonardo DiCaprio, One Battle After Another

Ethan Hawke, Blue Moon

Lee Byung-hun, No Other Choice

Jesse Plemons, Bugonia

Dwayne Johnson, The Smashing Machine

Jeremy Allen White, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere

Joel Edgerton, Train Dreams

Michael B. Jordan, Sinners

Oscar Isaac, Frankenstein

Wagner Moura, The Secret Agent

Amanda Seyfried, The Testament of Ann Lee

Chase Infiniti, One Battle After Another

Cynthia Erivo, Wicked: For Good

Emma Stone, Bugonia

Kate Hudson, Song Sung Blue

Rose Byrne, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You

Eva Victor, Sorry Baby

Jennifer Lawrence, Die My Love

Jessie Buckley, Hamnet

Julia Roberts, After The Hunt

Renate Reinsve, Sentimental Value

Tessa Thompson, Hedda

Benicio del Toro, One Battle After Another

Jacob Elordi, Frankenstein

Paul Mescal, Hamnet

Sean Penn, One Battle After Another

Adam Sandler, Jay Kelly

Stellan Skarsgard, Sentimental Value

Emily Blunt, The Smashing Machine

Elle Fanning, Sentimental Value

Ariana Grande, Wicked: For Good

Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Sentimental Value

Amy Madigan, Weapons

Teyana Taylor, One Battle After Another

Chloe Zhao, Maggie O’Farrell — Hamnet

Jafar Panahi — It was Just An Accident

Joachim Trier, Eskil Vogt — Sentimental Value

Paul Thomas Anderson — One Battle After Another

Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie — Marty Supreme

Ryan Coogler — Sinners

Arco

Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle

Elio

KPop Demon Hunters

Little Amelie or the Character of the Rain

Zootopia 2

It Was Just An Accident

No Other Choice

Sentimental Value

Sirat

The Secret Agent

The Voice of Hind Rajab

Alexandre Desplat, Frankenstein

Hans Zimmer, F1

Jonny Greenwood, One Battle After Another

Kangding Ray, Sirat

Ludwig Göransson, Sinners

Max Richter, Hamnet

'Dream as One', Miley Cyrus, Andrew Wyatt, Mark Ronson, Simon Franglen, Avatar: Fire and Ash

'Golden', Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seo, Park Hong Jun, Kim Eun-jae (EJAE), Mark Sonnenblick, KPop Demon Hunters

'I Lied to You', Raphael Saadiq, Ludwig Göransson, Sinners

'No Place Like Home', Stephen Schwartz, Wicked: For Good

'The Girl in the Bubble', Stephen Schwartz, Wicked: For Good

'Train Dreams', Nick Cave, Bryce Dessner, Train Dreams

Avatar: Fire and Ash

F1

KPop Demon Hunters

Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning

Sinners

Weapons

Wicked: For Good

Zootopia 2

The Diplomat

Pluribus

Severance

Slow Horses

The Pitt

The White Lotus

Abbott Elementary

The Bear

Hacks

Nobody Wants This

Only Murders in the Building

The Studio

Adolescence

All Her Fault

The Beast in Me

Black Mirror

Dying for Sex

The Girlfriend

Kathy Bates, Matlock

Britt Lower, Severance

Helen Mirren, MobLand

Bella Ramsey, The Last of Us

Keri Russell, The Diplomat

Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus

Sterling K. Brown, Paradise

Diego Luna, Andor

Gary Oldman, Slow Horses

Mark Ruffalo, Task

Adam Scott, Severance

Noah Wylie, The Pitt

Kristen Bell, Nobody Wants This

Ayo Edebiri, The Bear

Selena Gomez, Only Murders in the Building

Natasha Lyonne, Poker Face

Jenna Ortega, Wednesday

Jean Smart, Hacks

Amanda Seyfried, Long Bright River

Claire Danes, The Beast in Me

Michelle Williams, Dying for Sex

Rashida Jones, Black Mirror

Robin Wright, The Girlfriend

Sarah Snook, All Her Fault

Adam Brody, Nobody Wants This

Glen Powell, Chad Powers

Jeremy Allen White, The Bear

Martin Short, Only Murders in the Building

Seth Rogen, The Studio

Steve Martin, Only Murders in the Building

Aimee Lou Wood, The White Lotus

Carrie Coon, The White Lotus

Catherine O’Hara, The Studio

Erin Doherty, Adolescence

Hanna Einbinder, Hacks

Parker Posey, The White Lotus

Charlie Hunnam, Monster: The Ed Gein Story

Jacob Elordi, The Narrow Road to the Deep North

Jude Law, Black Rabbit

Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me

Paul Giamatti, Black Mirror

Stephen Graham, Adolescence

Owen Cooper, Adolescence

Billy Crudup, The Morning Show

Walton Goggins, The White Lotus

Jason Isaacs, The White Lotus

Tramell Tillman, Severance

Ashley Walters, Adolescence

Armchair Expert with Dax Shepherd

Call Her Daddy

Good Hang with Amy Poehler

The Mel Robbins Podcast

Smartless

Up First

Bill Maher: Is Anyone Else Seeing This?

Brett Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life

Kevin Hart: Acting My Age

Kumail Nanjiani: Night Thoughts

Ricky Gervais: Mortality

Sarah Silverman: Postmortem