The 2025 Oscars In Memoriam Left Out A Horror Icon And Several Other Major Names

No Oscars ceremony is ever perfect. There are always segments, speeches, jokes, and award winners that go down about as pleasantly as a fart in an elevator, and that will probably always be the case as ceremonies of this ilk are subjective by nature. While the 2025 Academy Awards ceremony featured plenty of great moments, like Kieran Culkin's all-time great speech after winning the Best Supporting Actor award for "A Real Pain." and Paul Tazewell becoming the first Black man to take home the Best Costume designer prize for "Wicked," it also boasted some questionable ones. The In Memoriam video package was especially polarizing — and not just for its use of Mozart's doom-laden "Requiem: Lacrimosa" as the accompanying musical number.

As is always the case with the annual tribute to the stars we've lost, the 2025 In Memoriam video package left out some notable figures. One of the most egregious omissions was horror legend Tony Todd, who died last November at the age of 69. His performance in 1992's "Candyman" is terrifying and iconic, while his work in "Final Destination" and countless other genre movies is nightmarishly brilliant. With "The Substance" and "Nosferatu" being well-represented at the ceremony, this year was big for horror at the Oscars, which makes Todd being ignored even more upsetting.

Todd wasn't the only big name to be left out of the tribute, though, nor were their omissions the most insulting part of the package. With that in mind, let's discuss why this year's In Memoriam is a bad look for the Academy.

This year's In Memoriam opened with Morgan Freeman giving an emotional farewell to the late Gene Hackman, who passed away days before the 97th Academy Awards ceremony. While Hackman deserves to be remembered by his peers and then some, the subsequent video package failed to acknowledge film and television actress Michelle Trachtenberg, who died one day before Hackman.

Some people might argue that Trachtenberg and Todd were left out because they were primarily known for TV shows and cult films, respectively, even though that's no excuse for ignoring their contributions to pop culture. However, the same can't be said about Bernard Hill, an acting veteran of 50+ years whose notable works include "Lord of the Rings" and "Titanic." He starred in some of the biggest movies of all time, yet he didn't make the cut. "Black Christmas" and "Romeo and Juliet star Olivia Hussey was also overlooked, in addition to Linda Lavin, Alain Delon, and legendary character actor, Martin Mull.

What's worse, though, is that these actors were left out because there seemingly wasn't enough room for them in the video. However, the In Memoriam included a QR code that takes viewers to a website where Todd and other missing legends are present and accounted for, which is better than no acknowledgment at all, but further highlights their omissions from the on-screen tribute.