True Blood (2008)

True Blood parents guide

For a TV-MA, this one goes further: strong sex and nudity. Beyond that, strong violence and frequent strong language.

Scare

Mildly scary

A few tense or eerie moments.

Jump scares

Several

More than a couple of sudden jolts.

Gore

Graphic gore

Blood and wounds shown clearly.

Violence

Strong violence

Violence is frequent or intense.

Sex and nudity

Strong

Strong means explicit or repeated sex, extended nudity, or sexual assault shown on screen, attempted or completed, even partly off screen. Any one of these is enough.

Language

Strong

Frequent strong profanity or slurs.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

Is True Blood scary?

Only a little. True Blood has a few tense moments, nothing that follows you to bed.

How gory is True Blood?

Graphic gore and strong violence. If graphic gore is a dealbreaker, skip it.

What is True Blood rated, and is it OK for kids?

Rated TV-MA, and it earns it: strong sex and nudity, strong violence, and frequent strong language. Not one for kids.

What is True Blood about?

Thanks to a Japanese scientist's invention of synthetic blood, vampires have progressed overnight from legendary monsters to fellow citizens. And while humans have been safely removed from the menu, many remain apprehensive about these creatures "coming out of the coffin." Religious leaders, government officials, and vampire fundamentalists around the world have chosen their sides. But in the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps, the jury is still out.

Cast and crew

More like True Blood

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• Supernatural (2005)Properly scary · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyTwo brothers hunt down dark, demonic forces across America with gritty, suspenseful, and witty encounters.
• Grimm (2011)Gritty · full attention · strong violence · measuredA Portland detective’s grim lineage pulls him into a darkly comic and pulpy world of supernatural crime.
• American Horror Story (2011)Properly scary · graphic gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyEach season delivers a new chilling tale, from haunted houses to witch covens, all with a gritty, campy suspense.
• Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018)Properly scary · light gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyA half-witch teenager balances mortal high school and dark magic, navigating a world of chilling, whimsical, and darkly-comic suspense.
• Black Mirror (2011)Dark satire · bleak · full attention · strong violenceEach standalone story explores the chilling, darkly comedic consequences of technology on human society.
• FROM (2022)Properly scary · graphic gore · strong violence · emotionally heavyTrapped residents in a nightmarish town fight for normalcy and survival against terrifying nocturnal forest creatures.
• Dexter (2006)Dark satire · gritty · full attention · brutal violenceA forensic expert with a dark secret delivers his own brand of justice in a gritty, suspenseful Miami.

True Blood is on our Zombies, Vampires, Raunchy, Sci-fi on Max and Mystery on Max lists.

More like this feeling

Prompts we typed into CouchRot, and the lists that share its tags.

• “a thriller with a twist, no spoilers”
• “a movie that will make me cry”
• “a fun halloween movie, not too scary”

Lists with the same feel: Late night and Dark.