The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award, often called the Rondo Award, is an annual award founded in 2002 that honors journalism, scholarship and film preservation in the horror genre,[1][2] particularly of classic horror film and their modern-day counterparts.
Named in honor of actor Rondo Hatton, it originated at the Classic Horror Film Board and subsequently moved to a dedicated website. Nominees are chosen by a committee that takes suggestions on the website, with the awards selected via an open vote by generally thousands of participants. The Rondo Award was created by journalist David Colton and artist/illustrator Kerry Gammill,[3] and since its inception has been coordinated by Colton, who serves as their presenter annually at the fantasy/horror convention WonderFest.
The Rondo Awards began in 2002, after members of the online Classic Horror Film Board, moderated by journalist David Colton, became aware of a growing body of under-recognized journalism covering the horror genre.[2] The awards took their name from the character actor Rondo Hatton, a cult-classic figure in low-budget horror films. Noted comic book artist and illustrator Kerry Gammill designed the sculpt for the award, a bust of Hatton's character from the movie House of Horrors (1946).[4]
Comic book artist and illustrator Kerry Gammill designed the sculpt for the award, a bust of Hatton's character from the movie House of Horrors (1946).[4]
The initial year attracted 168 voters. The following year brought 600, and the third year 2,000. As of 2018, the number of voters is generally between 3,000 and 3,700.[5][self-published source?] Co-founder Colton presents the awards annually at the fantasy/horror convention WonderFest.[6][non-primary source needed]
As Colton describes, "We don't have Best Actor, we don't have Best Actress, we don't even have Best Director. It's more about the magazines and the books and the independent films and the documentaries.... It's a little highbrow in that way."[7]
Entertainment Weekly likened The Rondo Award to a "horror Oscar".[8] The Award is a "coveted" prize in the horror community.[9] One PBS station wrote,
Every year, as the Oscar, Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award spotlights shine on the brightest in their respective fields, the Rondo Awards honor achievements in the darker corners of entertainment, the world of classic horror movies. People working for monster magazines, spooky DVD releases and scary movie soundtracks are the types who win the internationally-known Rondo Award.[10]
Horror magazines and websites, including Dread Central, regularly report on the nominations and awards lists.[11]
The awards have been mentioned in such outlets as The Hollywood Reporter,[12] The Austin Chronicle,[13] Famous Monsters of Filmland,[14] Movieweb,[15] MeTV,[16] the UK's Horror Channel,[17] and the Tampa Bay Times,[4] as well as scholarly journals including Psychology and Education,[18] textbooks including Recovering 1940s Horror Cinema: Traces of a Lost Decade.[19]
In their second year, the Rondo Classic Horror Film Awards created the Monster Kid Hall of Fame, with four to nine, but generally six, living or dead inductees. Also created was another honorary award, Monster Kid of the Year, given to individuals with some important achievement in the field that year.
Monster Kid of the Year: Arnold Kunert, who successfully campaigned for special effects artist Ray Harryhausen to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame[20]
Monster Kid of the Year: The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra writer, director, and star Larry Blamire[21]
Monster Kid of the Year: Monster Kid Home Movies producer Joe Busam[22]
Monster Kid of the Year: Toy collector Ray Castile[23]
Monster Kid of the Year: Sony Pictures executive Michael Schlesinger[24]
Monster Kid of the Year: Producer and Forrest J Ackerman friend, adviser, and caregiver Joe Moe[25]
Monster Kid of the Year: Monsterpalooza convention organizer Eliot Brodsky[26]
Monster Kids of the Year: Historian and writer Gary Gerani; screenwriter, author, and The Twilight Zone archivist Marc Scott Zicree[27]
Monster Kid of the Year: Vincentennial fan festival organizer Tom Stockman[28]
Monster Kid of the Year: Simon Rowson, for discovering lost footage cut from original release of Hammer Studios' Dracula (1958)[29]
Monster Kid of the Year: Paul Larson, for discovering lost Vincent Price PBS footage[30]
Monster Kid of the Year: Frank J. Dello Stritto, author of memoir I Saw What I Saw When I Saw It [31]
Monster Kid of the Year: Victoria Price, daughter of actor Vincent Price, "for her tireless work preserving her late father's legacy in film."[32]
Monster Kids of the Year: Married couple Don and Vicki Smeraldi, new publishers of Scary Monsters Magazine[33]
Monster Kid of the Year: Cohen Media Group executive Tim Lanza[34]
Monster Kid of the Year: Writer, film critic, TV host and actor John Irving Bloom a.k.a. Joe Bob Briggs[35]
Monster Kid of the Year: Filmmaker Jordan Peele[36]
Monster Kid of the Year: UCLA film archivist Scott MacQueen[37]
Monster Kid of the Year: Monster Channel horror host Evan Davis a.k.a. Halloween Jack[38]
Monster Kid of the Year: Documentarian Antonia Carlotta[39]