Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards Explained

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] 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,[2] and since its inception has been coordinated by Colton, who serves as their presenter annually at the fantasy/horror convention WonderFest.

History

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.[3] 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).[5]

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.[6] Co-founder Colton presents the awards annually at the fantasy/horror convention WonderFest.[7] [8]

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."[9]

Significance

Entertainment Weekly likened The Rondo Award to a "horror Oscar".[10] The Award is a "coveted" prize in the horror community.[11] One PBS station wrote,

Horror magazines and websites, including Dread Central, regularly report on the nominations and awards lists.[12]

The awards have been mentioned in such outlets as The Hollywood Reporter,[13] The Austin Chronicle,[14] Famous Monsters of Filmland,[15] Movieweb,[16] MeTV,[17] the UK's Horror Channel,[18] and the Tampa Bay Times, as well as scholarly journals including Psychology and Education,[19] and textbooks including Recovering 1940s Horror Cinema: Traces of a Lost Decade.[20]

Monster Kid Hall of Fame annual awards

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.

2003

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[21]

2004

Monster Kid of the Year: The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra writer, director, and star Larry Blamire[22]

2005

Monster Kid of the Year: Monster Kid Home Movies producer Joe Busam[23]

2006

Monster Kid of the Year: Toy collector Ray Castile[24]

2007

Monster Kid of the Year: Sony Pictures executive Michael Schlesinger[25]

2008

Monster Kid of the Year: Producer and Forrest J Ackerman friend, adviser, and caregiver Joe Moe[26]

2009

Monster Kid of the Year: Monsterpalooza convention organizer Eliot Brodsky[27]

2010

Monster Kids of the Year: Historian and writer Gary Gerani; screenwriter, author, and The Twilight Zone archivist Marc Scott Zicree[28]

2011

Monster Kid of the Year: Vincentennial fan festival organizer Tom Stockman[29]

2012

Monster Kid of the Year: Simon Rowson, for discovering lost footage cut from original release of Hammer Studios' Dracula (1958)[30]

2013

Monster Kid of the Year: Paul Larson, for discovering lost Vincent Price PBS footage[31]

2014

Monster Kid of the Year: Frank J. Dello Stritto, author of memoir I Saw What I Saw When I Saw It[32]

2015

Monster Kid of the Year: Victoria Price, daughter of actor Vincent Price, "for her tireless work preserving her late father's legacy in film."[33]

2016

Monster Kids of the Year: Married couple Don and Vicki Smeraldi, new publishers of Scary Monsters Magazine[34]

2017

Monster Kid of the Year: Cohen Media Group executive Tim Lanza[35]

2018

Monster Kid of the Year: Writer, film critic, TV host and actor John Irving Bloom a.k.a. Joe Bob Briggs[36]

2019

Monster Kid of the Year: Filmmaker Jordan Peele[37]

2020

Monster Kid of the Year: UCLA film archivist Scott MacQueen[38]

2021

Monster Kid of the Year: Monster Channel horror host Evan Davis a.k.a. Halloween Jack[39]

2022

Monster Kid of the Year: Documentarian Antonia Carlotta[40]

2023

Monster Kid of the Year: Online influencer Bobby Zier[41]

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Indianapolis Film Historian Awarded for Saving Lost Episode of 'The Outer Limits'. Jeremiah. Beaver. June 23, 2019. July 21, 2021. WTTV-TV (CBS) Bloomington, Indiana. "Held in Louisville, Kentucky earlier this month, the 'Rondos' continue to honor the best in classic horror research, creativity, and film preservation."
  2. Web site: Live from Monsterpalooza with Kirk Thatcher & David Colton. April 18, 2017. July 15, 2021. iHeart Media.
  3. https://monsterkidradio.libsyn.com/monster-kid-radio-366-david-colton-and-the-rondo-hatton-classic-horror-awards Monster Kid Radio
  4. News: Hillsborough High honors courage of horror-star alumnus The Creeper. Tampa Bay Times. Paul. Guzzo. October 26, 2017. July 15, 2021.
  5. News: Hillsborough High honors courage of horror-star alumnus The Creeper. Tampa Bay Times. Paul. Guzzo. October 26, 2017. July 15, 2021.
  6. Monster Kid Radio Episode #366 at 22:33.
  7. Web site: 2023 Rondo Awards. June 1, 2024. WonderFest. 2023. "Join the Monster of Ceremonies David Colton handing out of the coveted acromegaliacs!"
  8. Web site: News: Frank Is Inducted into the Rondo Award Monster Kid Hall of Fame!. Sketchy Things: The Art and Films of Frank Dietz. June 1, 2024. "I was presented the plaque by Rondo Award curator David Colton." Archive link.
  9. Monster Kid Radio Episode #366 at 25:34.
  10. Collis. Clark. Killer POV horror podcast team reassembles as Shock Waves. May 2, 2016. January 18, 2019. Entertainment Weekly.
  11. Web site: 'Pan's Labyrinth' Wins The Rondo!!! Who Else Has The Coveted Rondo?. Ain't it Cool News. March 12, 2007. Knowles, Harry [as "headgeek"].
  12. Web site: Here Are the 19th Annual Rondo Award Winners!. May 4, 2021. Josh. Millican. Dread Central. July 15, 2021.
  13. News: Dark Star Takes Larry Cohen Doc 'King Cohen' for North America (Exclusive). Alex. Ritman. May 21, 2018. July 15, 2021. The Hollywood Reporter. "King Cohen hails from Rondo Award-winning writer/director [Steve] Mitchell...."
  14. News: Rondo and Bob Nominated for ... a Rondo! Austin film doc up for award, and you can vote!. Richard. Whittaker. March 25, 2021. July 15, 2021. The Austin Chronicle.
  15. News: Famous Monsters is Honored with 3 Rondo Awards!. April 15, 2016. July 15, 2021. Famous Monsters of Filmland.
  16. Web site: Anna and the Apocalypse Merch Collection Unveiled by Cavity Colors. Mike. Sprague. December 17, 2018. July 21, 2021. Movieweb.
  17. Web site: Svengoolie wins Favorite Horror Host in the 2020 Rondo Awards. May 5, 2021. July 15, 2021. MeTV Staff. MeTV
  18. Web site: Acclaimed Karloff Biography Wins Award. James. Whittington. May 22, 2012. July 15, 2021. Horror Channel
  19. News: Edgar Allan Poe and his influence on modern horror movies. Cell. Dillon, Cell, Patricia L. Norman and Butsakorn Bunditdumrongkool. Psychology and Education Journal. 57. 9. 1247–1251. 1553-6939. 2020. July 21, 2021. "The movie [''The Raven'' (2012)] was nominated for 5 awards [including the] Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards...." (Downloadable PDF)
  20. Book: Recovering 1940s Horror Cinema: Traces of a Lost Decade. DeGiglio-Bellemare. Mario. Charlie. Ellbé. Kristopher. Woofter. December 11, 2014. Lexington Books. 314. 9781498503808. .
  21. Web site: Second Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. RondoAward.com. February 13, 2004.
  22. Web site: Here Are the Winners of the Third Annual Rondo Awards. RondoAward.com. February 19, 2005.
  23. Web site: Here Are the Winners of the Fourth Annual Rondo Awards. RondoAward.com. February 19, 2006.
  24. Web site: Winners of the 5th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards (for 2006). RondoAward.com. March 24, 2007.
  25. Web site: Here's the complete Rondo Winner list for 2007: Nosferatu, Bava and Halloween Take Top Honors in Rondo Awards. March 12, 2008. Classic Horror Film Board.
  26. Web site: Here were the winners of the Seventh Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. RondoAward.com. 2009.
  27. Web site: Here Are the Winners, All the Nominees and Videos from the Eighth Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards for the Best work of 2009!. RondoAward.com. David. Colton. 2010.
  28. Web site: Here Were The Winners In The Ninth Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards!. RondoAward.com. David. Colton. March 2011.
  29. Web site: Vincent Price tribute, 'Island of Lost Souls' take top Rondo Award honors. RondoAward.com. David. Colton. April 2012.
  30. Web site: 'Cabin in the Woods,' 'Walking Dead' and restored Universal Monster Classics take top Rondo Award honors. RondoAward.com. David. Colton. April 2013.
  31. Web site: Here Are the Winners of Rondo XII. RondoAward.com. David. Colton. March 17, 2014.
  32. Web site: The 13th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Awards. RondoAward.com. David. Colton. March 2, 2015.
  33. Web site: Winners announced in the (Gasp!) 14th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. RondoAward.com. David. Colton. February 17, 2016.
  34. Web site: Here Are Winners in the (Gasp!) 15th Annual Rondo Awards. RondoAward.com. David. Colton. February 26, 2017.
  35. Web site: Rondo XVI. RondoAward.com. David. Colton. 2018.
  36. Web site: Winners of the (Gasp!) 17th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. RondoAward.com. David. Colton. February 19, 2019.
  37. Web site: Here Are the Winners of the (Gasp!) 18th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. RondoAward.com. David. Colton. April 6, 2020.
  38. Web site: Rondo 19 Results Are Here. RondoAward.com. David. Colton. March 7, 2021.
  39. Web site: Here are the Winners of the (Gasp!) 20th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror awards. RondoAward.com. February 22, 2022. Archive link
  40. Web site: Here are the Winners of the (Gasp!) 21st Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. RondoAward.com. May 29, 2023. Archive link
  41. Web site: Here are the Winners of the (Gasp!) 22nd Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. RondoAward.com. April 30, 2024. Archive link

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