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, 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, 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. 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).
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).
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. Co-founder Colton presents the awards annually at the fantasy/horror convention WonderFest.
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."
Significance
Entertainment Weekly likened The Rondo Award to a "horror Oscar". The Award is a "coveted" prize in the horror community. One PBS station wrote,
Horror magazines and websites, including Dread Central, regularly report on the nominations and awards lists.
The awards have been mentioned in such outlets as The Hollywood Reporter, The Austin Chronicle, Famous Monsters of Filmland, Movieweb, MeTV, the UK's Horror Channel, and the Tampa Bay Times, as well as scholarly journals including Psychology and Education, textbooks including Recovering 1940s Horror Cinema: Traces of a Lost Decade.
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
Forrest J Ackerman and James Warren for Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine
Movie props and makeup preservationists Bob and Kathy Burns
TV horror hosts Zacherley (John Zacherle) and Vampira (Maila Nurmi)
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
2004
Special effects artist Ray Harryhausen
Author Ray Bradbury
Special effects makeup artist Rick Baker
Historian William K. Everson (posthumously) Brother filmmakers Richard Gordon and (posthumously) Alex Gordon
Monster Kid of the Year: The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra writer, director, and star Larry Blamire
2005
Artists Basil Gogos and James Bama
Filmmaker Roger Corman
Musician Bobby "Boris" Pickett
Midnight Marquee publishers and independent film producers Gary and Sue Svehla
Little Shoppe of Horrors magazine publisher Richard Klemensen
Monster Kid of the Year: Monster Kid Home Movies producer Joe Busam
2006
Married special effects artists Paul and Jackie Blaisdell (posthumously) Writer and filmmaker Donald F. Glut Artist Jack Davis Filmmaker Joe Dante Actor German Robles Painter Frank Frazetta
Monster Kid of the Year: Toy collector Ray Castile
2007
Museum curators Cortlandt Hull and Dennis Vincent
Artist Bernie Wrightson
Artist Ed "Big Daddy" Roth
Writer-editor Archie Goodwin (posthumously) TV horror host Ghoulardi Actor Ben Chapman