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I'll say again, the sole purpose of the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards is to shine a much deserved light on the many talents who have for too long toiled without recognition for their great work, year after year after year.

To me -- and this sounds corny but it's true -- the nomination ballot itself is the true measure of the Rondos. It's impossible to read the long list of nominees -- especially for book, for magazine, for articles -- and not be impressed with the scholarship and dignity each nominee brings to the genre.

Then there's the vote, and not every result can ever be to anyone's liking.

So let me say again:

Am I trying to expand the Rondos into some all-encompassing horror award, from Chaney to Chuckie? No, not at all. The emphasis, the heart of the Rondos, remains 'classic' and always will be while I'm involved.

Do some modern things win? Sure, sometimes. SHAUN OF THE DEAD as Best Film, to me, is modern but also has enough of a 'classic' ambience that it seemed fine with me. Having a Best Film category almost guarantees a 'new' film will win. And that's OK, too.

But the heart of the awards remains classic. Best DVD is for Best CLASSIC DVD. I don't care how many extras STAR WARS DVDs come with: The contest this year will likely be among Lewton and Lugosi and Kong and...

And so it goes.

As for RUE MORGUE, while it's heart is deeply in the gore red zone -- and increasingly so -- there still seems enough 'classic' content to justify inclusion.

CHILLER, the convention, won last year after two years of Bash victories. That's how the voting went, and it was very close. I love the Bash, but the voters went a different way. If they vote for Chiller but still vote for something like Tom Weaver's interview with Donnie Dunagan, it seems to me the awards are still on track.

Here's the thing: If I truly limited the Rondos to the classic of the classic -- three or four magazines, two conventions, etc. -- well, why don't we just pass the statue around and after a year or two everyone will win it because it will only be us talking to ourselves.

The Rondos have been quite ecumenical: Monsters from the Vault has won for Best Article; Video Watchdog is a power, yes, but nothing is ever a guarantee; Filmfax has more fans each year. Etc.

I'm the one who counts the votes, and I'm keenly aware of trends, where votes come from and the like. From my three years of experience, the Jason and Freddie fans don't see much they're interested in in the Rondos, and they don't vote. The 'Fangoria' and 'Rue Morgue' crowd who do know classics seem to be able to pick through the nominees as smartly as us old fuddy duddies.

Sure, there are other ways to do it. 20 'wise men and women' from CHFB could bestow the awards. They would just 'appear.'

But the voting is fun. I think it's a good thing 1,600 people voted last year. Can we keep up that pace? 2,000, then 5,000, then the world? No, that's not my aim. I simply want the Rondos to be fun.

(And frankly, if the Rondo statuettes weren't so darn cool-looking, I doubt we'd be having this discussion. They are wonderful things. I want one, too!)

Are the Rondos perfect? Hardly. But I think with only three years under our belt, it's way too soon to be finding deep-seated trends. If editors find it awkward to discuss or participte in, I understand that. (Jim and I have had long debates over the issue of getting too non-classic, and his points are good ones and are not being ignored).

But the Rondos will roll on. As Jim (and every other editor I've ever heard from), say repeatedly, it is the contributors who are the ones deserving of recognition, and every time a Gary Rhodes or Greg Mank or David Skal or Bob Burns or Tom Weaver or Kim Newman or Bill Cooke or Frank DelloStritto or Sorko or Terry Beatty or Anthony Ambrogio or Mark Clark or Gordon Shriver or any of the more than 200 talents who have been cited over the years, it shows the true power and value of the Rondos.

The Rondos are for the fans, especially for fans of magazines like MFTV and VW and MIDNIGHT MARQUEE and SCARY MONSTERS and SCARLET STREET and FILMFAX and FANGORIA and STARLOG and the rest.

And we hope this year the balloting will be more fun than ever.

Anyhow, thanx for listening, and thanx especially to the magazine editors who care very deeply about the genre. If Rondo blinks or stumbles, they let me know and it is greatly appreciated!

And if you want to see the list of nominees from last year, see the link below and judge for yourself how classic or non-classic it is.

Thanx.

david
rondoaward.com

Now wait a minute: Weaver won for interviews with Kay Linaker in VW in 2002; Rhodes won for the 1930s horror ban in MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT in 2003; and Weaver (drat the man!) won for Dunagan in VW in 2004.

Thanx. I liked that, too!