15th Annual Rondo Award Winners

This photo of Hatton in the 1946 film House of Horrors was an inspiration for the distinctive bust given to winners.

The voters’ choices for the 15th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards were announced April 23. More than 3,200 fans and professionals participated in the voting.

The Rondo Awards Ceremony will be held at WonderFest Convention in Louisville on June 4.

BEST FILM OF 2016

  • THE WITCH

Runners-up: DEADPOOL Honorable mentions: ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY; ARRIVAL; DOCTOR STRANGE

BEST TV PRESENTATION

  • STRANGER THINGS 

Runner-up: ASH VS. EVIL DEAD;

Honorable mentions:THE WALKING DEAD;  PENNY DREADFUL; WESTWORLD

BEST CLASSIC DVD OF 2016

  • THE THING COLLECTOR’S EDITION (Shout!)

Runner-up: PHANTASM REMASTERED (Well Go USA)

Honorable mentions: CAT PEOPLE (Criterion); CARRIE (Shout); CARNIVAL OF SOULS (Criterion); IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE 3-D (Kino)

BEST COLLECTION

  • FRANKENSTEIN: Complete Legacy Collection (Universal)

Runner-up: VINCENT PRICE COLLECTION III (Scream Factory)

Honorable mentions: HAMMER HORROR 8-FILM COLLECTION (Universal); HELLRAISER: SCARLET BOX (Arrow); GUILLERMO DEL TORO TRILOGY (Criterion)

BEST RESTORATION

  • PHANTASM REMASTERED (WELL GO USA)

Runner-up: SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (Universal)

Honorable mentions: CARNIVAL OF SOULS (Criterion); CARRIE (Shout)

BEST COMMENTARY

  • WILLIAM PETER BLATTY (The Exorcist III)

Runner-up: STUART COHEN (The Thing, 1982)

Honorable mentions: TOM WEAVER (Undying Monster); DAVID DEL VALLE (Theater of Blood)

BEST DVD EXTRA

  • THE THING (Interviews with John Carpenter, Keith David, Wilfred Brimley, others)

Runner-up: EXORCIST III (‘Legion’ cut of the film);

Honorable mentions: CAT PEOPLE (French interview with director Jacques Tourneur); CARRIE (Interviews with Nancy Allen, others)

BEST INDEPENDENT FILM

  • HUSH, directed by Mike Flanagan

Runner-up: I AM THE PRETTY THING THAT LIVES IN THE HOUSE

Honorable mentions: THE MONSTER; MODEL HUNGER; THE DARK TAPES; WERESQUITO: NAZI HUNTER

BEST SHORT FILM

  • H.P. LOVECRAFT’S THE BEAST IN THE CAVE, directed by Cameron McCasland

Runner-up: EYE OF THE BEHOLDER

Honorable mentions: WRAITH; THE STYLIST; THE PUPPET MAN; UFO DIARY

BEST DOCUMENTARY

  • FOR THE LOVE OF SPOCK, directed by Adam Spock

Runner-up: KONG: LONG LIVE THE KING

Honorable mentions: FLESH AND BLOOD: THE HAMMER HERITAGE OF HORROR; JUST DESSERTS: THE MAKING OF CREEPSHOW

BOOK OF THE YEAR

  • SOMETHING IN THE BLOOD: The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, the Man Who Wrote Dracula, by David J. Skal

Runner-up: BELA LUGOSI IN PERSON by Bill Kaffenberger and Gary Don Rhodes

Honorable mentions: FANTASTIQUE: Interviews with Horror, Sci_fi and Fantasy Filmmakers, by Tony Earnshaw; BEWARE THE MOON: The Story of An American Werewolf in London; SCORED TO DEATH: Conversations with Some of Horror’s Greatest Composers, by J. Blake Fichera

BEST MAGAZINE

  • RUE MORGUE

Runners-up: HORRORHOUND; VIDEO WATCHDOG

BEST MAGAZINE (classic)

  • FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND

Runner-up: SCARY MONSTERS

Honorable mentions: LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS; CLASSIC MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES; FILMFAX; MONSTER

BEST ARTICLES (Two winners)

  1. ‘Dracula and the It Girl,’  by Andi Brooks, SCARY MONSTERS #100. (Lugosi and Clara Bow)
  2. ‘I Am the King of My Kind,’ by Constantine Nasr, LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS #36.

Runners-up: ‘The Great American Werewolf Reunion,’ by David Weiner, FAMOUS MONSTERS #284; ‘A HorrorHound’s Guide to Documentaries,’ by Nathan Hanneman, HORRORHOUND #60.

Honorable mentions: Madness, Myth and the Modern Prometheus,’ by Dejan Ognjanovic, RUE MORGUE #171; ‘The Witch of North Bennington,’ by April Snellings, RUE MORGUE #170; ‘Nosferatu the Vampyre: Variations and Version Bllod,’ by Tim Lucas, VIDEO WATCHDOG #182; ‘Uncle Forry: A Century of Inspiration,’ by Cliff Robertson, SCARY MONSTERS #102.

BEST INTERVIEW (Award goes to interviewer)

  • Jason Hignite interviews Cassandra Peterson, HORRORHOUND #61

Runner-up: Mark Mawston’s expanded interview with Ray Harryhausen, SCARY MONSTERS #100

Honorable mentions :John Bowen interviews Don Coscarelli and David Hartman, RUE MORGUE #166; Preston Fassel interviews H.G. Lewis, RUE MORGUE #173 Trevor Parker interviews Barbara Crampton, DELIRIUM #11;

BEST COLUMN

  • The Doctor Is In-Sane, by Dr. Gangrene (SCARY MONSTERS)

Runners-up: Larry Blamire’s Star Turn (VIDEO WATCHDOG); It Came from Bowen’s Basement, by John T. Bowen, RUE MORGUE

Honorable mentions: Rondo Remembers by Ron Adams (MONSTER BASH); They Came from the Crypt, by Jon Kitley, HORRORHOUND

BEST COVER

  • FAMOUS MONSTERS #284 by Rick Baker

Runners-up: DIABOLIQUE #24 by Mark Spears

Honorable mentions: SCARY MONSTERS #102 by Scott Jackson; HORRORHOUND # 57 by Jason Edmiston

BEST WEBSITE

  • BLOODY DISGUSTING

Runners-up: Dread Central; Blumhouse

Honorable mentions: Collinsport Historical Society; Dr, Gangrene’s Mad Blog; Vampire Over London; Better Days, Benner Nights

BEST MULTI-MEDIA SITE

  • TRAILERS FROM HELL

Runners-up: Shock Waves; The Fantastic Films of Vincent Price; Monster Kid Radio

Honorable mentions: Damn Dirty Geeks; Count Gore De Vol’s Creature Features; Between Light and Shadow: A Twilight Zone Podcast; Horror Happens

BEST CONVENTION

  • MONSTER BASH

Runners-up: Monsterpalooza; HorrorHound Weekend

Honorable mentions: WonderFest; Chiller; G-FEST; Texas Frightmare

BEST FAN EVENT

  • TRIBUTE TO BERNIE WRIGHTSON (Creature Features, Burbank)

Runner-up: Elvira inducted to Horror Host Hall of Fame (HorrorHound Weekend)

Honorable mentions: Guillermo Del Toro exhibit in L.A.; American Werewolves in Santa Rosa

FAVORITE HORROR HOST

  • SVENGOOLIE

Runner-up: Dr. Gangrene

Honorable mentions: ?Penny Dreadful; Count Gore De Vol; Lord Blood-Rah; Karlos Borloff

BEST HORROR COMIC BOOK

  • AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE (Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Francesco Francavilla)

Runners-up: John Carpenter’s Tales For a Halloween Night Vol. 2; Haunted Horrors

Honorable mentions: Creeps; Tales from the Acker-Mansion; Providence

BEST CD

  • STRANGER THINGS SOUNDTRACK VOLS. 1 AND 2

Runners-up: John Carpenter’s Lost Themes II; H.P. Lovecraft; Midnight Syndicate: Zombies!

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

WRITER OF THE YEAR

  • April Snellings

A true horror journalist, April Snellings has delved deeply intio the reality surrounding monsters and supernatural lore. from the secret history of opuija boards to a look at Shirley Jackson’s impact on horror, April is one of Rue Morgue’s most prolific staff writers. Recipient of a Society of Professional Journalists award, April also has ventured into radio drama with a well-received episode of Tales Beyond the Pale.

Runners-up: David Weiner, Nathan Hanneman, Larry Underwood, Tim Lucas, Tom Weaver, Tim Paxton

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

  • Mark Maddox

When it comes to monsters we’ve known and loved, the work of Mark Maddox is everywhere. Whether reawakening the familiar (Dracula, Rodan), or the obscure (Doctor Who aliens, Carmilla), Mark is a fan favorite and an editor’s delight. No wonder his work is nominated for several covers each year.

Runners-up: Daniel Horne, Scott Jackson, Gary Pullin, Frank Dietz, Jason Edmiston, L.J. Dopp, Peter Von Sholly, Mike Hill, Ama Lea, George Chastain

LINDA MILLER AWARD FOR FAN ARTIST OF THE YEAR (In memory of the late Linda Miller)

  • Malcolm Gittins

The art of Malcolm Gittins is raw and day-glo, taking observers back to the very essence of monster magazines, toys and fandom. Malcolm doesn’t go for hyper-realism but for the essence of what attracted kids, and Monster Kids, to the movies in the first place. In short, he paints what we used to see.

Runners-up: John Sargent, Jerrod Brown, Eric Swartz, Belle Dee.

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

  • Forrest J Ackerman square

Monster fans in L.A. had a dream — naming a square near Forrest J Ackerman’s favorite haunt, the House of Pies, after FJA himself. With the help of Los Feliz Councilman David Ryu, fans Joe Moe, Sean Fernald, Paul Davids and others made it happen. (And yes, the period after J has been removed!)

SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

  • Pierre Fournier, Return to ‘Frankenstein Lake’

Frankenstein scholar Pierre Fournier  spearheaded the idea to hold a remarkable reunion in the Malibou Mountains last spring. That’s when Sara Karloff met Don Watkins, son of Marilyn Harris who played  ‘Little Maria,’ at the exact same spot where the Monster threw Watkins’ mother into the lake in the 1931 Frankenstein. ‘All is forgiven,’ Watkins told Sara, but the moment was surprisingly emotional, even 75 years later.

MONSTER KIDS OF THE YEAR

  • Don and Vicki Smeraldi

During a time when print magazines face ever more obstacles, Don and Vicki Smeraldi took on the challenge of keeping SCARY MONSTERS MAGAZINE alive. After publisher Dennis Druktenis’ retirement, the Smeraldis took over with #101, ensuring the ‘Only Real Monster Magazine’ will live on!

THE MONSTER KID HALL OF FAME

  • BOB FURMANEK

Bob Furmanek has spent a lifetime preserving, seeking and celebrating the lost classics, with a special eye to the third dimension. Bob founded the 3-D Film Archive in 1990, and helped restore films such as IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE and GOG to 3-D glory.

  • JOHN STANLEY

While he rarely dressed as a ghost, John Stanley was a true horror host, helming ‘Creature Features’ in San Francisco for six years after Bob Wilkins moved on. Erudite and playful, Stanley interviewed Vincent Price, Christopher Lee  and others. Now a writer, his movie guides recall the days before VHS, when monster movies ruled TV.

  • RICHARD HARLAND SMITH

Critic and writer Richard Harland Smith has the rare gift of being able to explain the nuances of horror movies to those who know little about the genre. Richard’s Movie Morlocks blog at TCM found new audiences for some of the channel’s cult films. A writer for VIDEO WATCHDOG, a founder of the Mobius Home Video Forum and a frequent DVD commentator, RHS always bring a fresh take on the odd, or the familiar.

  • VINCE ROTOLO

Podacsts often are hit-and-miss, odd schedules, flexible formats. Not so at B-Movie Cast, where the late Vince Rotolo, his wife and crew discussed B-movies every Sunday. The show influenced many, including Derek Koch of Monster Kid Radio who was a frequent  guest and called him a mentor.  Vince explained his passion this way: ‘Just because you grow old doesn’t mean you have to grow up.’

  • MARK MILLER

The late Mark Miller was a film historian who focused on British cinema and classic horror. His filmographies of  Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee,are the definitive references. A teacher for 30 years, he was a frequent contributor to monster magazines and books, and always a major presence at Cinevent in Ohio and the Fanex conventions in Maryland.

5 thoughts on “15th Annual Rondo Award Winners

  1. Deadpool as running up? There must’ve been some interesting discussions there about whether the category is meant to be Best overall movie or genre specific.

    10 Cloverfield Lane, Train to Busan, Split, I Am The Pretty Thing That Lives In The House, The Monster, The Shallows, etc. Plenty of material for the genre this last year.

    How does Svengoolie not just win that every year?

  2. BEST DOCUMENTARY:
    FOR THE LOVE OF SPOCK, directed by Adam Spock
    Adam N-i-m-o-y

    [FifthStalk]

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