The Oscars embraced horror this year. Why won't the Emmys?

Interview With The Vampire and Dark Winds both boldly challenge their viewers, inviting them into a world where morality is elusive and the horrors faced by the characters are relentless. There are no clear-cut answers in either, and there’s a willingness to explore flawed and downright awful people within these narratives in interesting ways. In both of these shows, their protagonists are forced to reckon with their pasts, which are dredged up in elongated memories and carefully crafted dream sequences. This exploration of flawed characters is also present in Evil, where viewers are not provided with easy answers—or any answers at all. 

In Vampire and Winds, lead actors Jacob Anderson and Zahn McClarnon bring to life characters burdened by memories of childhood trauma, as well as, respectively, racism carried from 1910s New Orleans to post-WWII Paris and the death of a child. These two shows refuse to stray away from the horrific pasts of these leading men, instead forcing their audiences to reckon with the struggles of Louis and Joe. Unlike other shows that use shocking plot twists to elicit cheap gasps, like the tedious finale of The White Lotus season three, these stories are anchored by characters who have long met their ends and whose unresolved fates resonate in the present. 

These series feature powerful explorations of how history shapes identity and relationships. The haunting memories that seep into every moment remind viewers that our pasts are not easily escaped but are woven into the very fabric of who we are. Ultimately, Anderson and McClarnon’s characters challenge us to reckon with the lasting effects of trauma as they unfold these raw, unflinching narratives. Louis and Joe are frustrating, as they seem reluctant to uncover the most painful parts of their lives. But as they’re forced to chip away at their carefully constructed facades, each one sheds light on truth, shame, and grief. 

That said, two series that are entrenched in horror did get nominated for significant awards this year, though there is a case to be made that each toes the line between embracing that genre and being afraid of it. The Last Of Us has always diverged from the roots of its horror-based video game, trading encounters with terrifying zombies for monologues that feel as if they exist in a bland drama. And the mockumentary What We Do In The Shadows, while certainly bloody, found success not in scares but in laughs. 

This year alone, Severance and The White Lotus garnered more than 20 nominations each, while The Pitt (an admittedly strong show) and The Last Of Us garnered more than 10. There is clearly enough room for more variety, but because voters are adamant on running the Emmys like a popularity contest, we’re left with the same series taking up space that horror television shows could use, if only to put them on more viewers’ radars. By snubbing Interview With The Vampire, Dark Winds, and Evil—which lean into the horror genre’s fundamentals while spreading out into other tonal waters—for the big prizes, the Emmys may even be doing viewers a disservice, as the industry could use more exciting genre shows like these. And that’s scary.