Lone Wolf tattoo show

Nurse Moan-eek and I made an appearance at the Lone Wolf Body Art Full Moon Tattoo and Horror convention this past weekend. Had a great time, and met a ton of friendly fans, like the one in this photo, Twiggy. Thanks for sending the photo, Twiggy, and great meeting all the fine folks at the horror show. Was especially nice seeing Ken and Pam Kish and getting a chance to spend a bit more time than usual talking. Looking forward to Wonderfest now!!

Midnight Syndicate's The Rage

I finally got the chance to sit and listen to the soundtrack for a new independent horror film called The Rage. This soundtrack was scored by Midnight Syndicate, who have been making horror soundtracks for the past 11 years. The Rage is an independent film produced by Precinct 13 Entertainment starring Andrew Divoff, from the TV show Lost. It is a classic mad scientist tale complete with Franksteinien creature that runs amok, causing havok for his creator (as all good monsters should). It is distributed by Screen Media Films and Universal Home Entertainment.

This is the first actual movie soundtrack that Midnight Syndicate has scored, and it really has a different feel from previous Midnight Syndicate work. Their previous releases were a collection of individual songs all based around a central theme. This time, however, the music was written specifically to follow the action on the screen. That isn't to say it's any less enjoyable... matter of fact, it is every bit as atmospheric, dark and suspensful as previous Midnight Syndicate releases.


I haven't seen the Rage yet, but the soundtrack is really first rate. If the production values of the film are up to par with this soundtrack this will be one to see. Midnight Syndicate should have a successful soundtrack future ahead of them, as they're a natural to score horror movies.

Frank Dietz draws the Doc!

This year is the second consecutive win for my buddy Frank Dietz as Artist of the Year in the Rondo Awards! I'd like to congratulate Frank, and thought this the perfect time to share a drawing of myself that Frank did and presented to me as a surprise gift at Wonderfest 2007. He and Nurse Moan-eek gave it to me during the Monster on the Campus live show. As usual, Frank did a terrific job with this piece. Thanks again Frank - you're the best!!

Rockin with the Exotic Ones

You know, sometimes you stumble across a picture of yourself that takes you by surprise. I found this on the internet tonight by accident - it's from one of our Horror Hootenanny shows in Nashville, and I'm onstage with The Exotic Ones singing The Monster Mash. And yes, that is a guitar coming out of my crotch! Yowza!

Rondo Thanks

Wanted to say thank you again to everyone who voted for Dr. Gangrene and all the ghouls and gals here at Creature Feature - close to 200 of you voted for us for Best Horror Host, and that's a tremendous show of support - it is greatly appreciated. You guys are the best!!

I also wanted to mention one other very special award that was given to the late Ben Chapman - he was nominated into the Rondo Hall of Fame. Over the past few years Ben Chapman has become a staple of conventions, appearing all over the country, meeting adoring fans everywhere. Ben was a great guy and was an overwhelmingly popular choice for the Rondo Hall of Fame.

2008 Rondo Awards

The Rondo Awards are in and it was an exciting year - the turnout was bigger than any previous year - almost 3000 people voted!

The winner of Best Horror Host was Penny Dreadful, who hosts in the New England area. Our congratulations to Penny.

In the Best Fan Event, the other category we were nominated for, the winner was the Monroeville Mall Zombie walk. We finished in second in this category - with any luck we'll win this one one of these days. We've come in second almost every year (3rd by one vote last year!)

Cult Radio a Go-Go won best Audio Site - I was very happy about this one, as that is the station that played the Dr. Gangrene Audio program a few weeks back, so in some small way I was a part of that one.

Our good friend Tim Lucas won Best Writer for the second straight year, which is richly deserved. He also won Best Book for his Mario Bava book, which is a massive work of research lovingly written over years of Tim's life.

My pal Frank Dietz won artist of the year for the second straight year, and I'm thrilled for him. Frank is an amazing artist and one of the best guys you could ever hope to meet.

I am really looking forward to Wonderfest this year, and hanging out with both Frank and Tim - and speaking of Wonderfest, it came in second in the Best Convention category by a mere 11 votes! The gap is closing, and I think next year will be Wonderfest's year to take Best Convention.

The Hall of Fame was especially cool this year, with both Ed Big Daddy Roth and Ghoulardi getting in, as well as Bernie Wrightson. Too cool!!

So all in all another terror-ific Rondo season. Some surprises, upsets, and thrilling results. AND more participation than ever before. Here's to David Colton, Rondo organizer, and all the Rondo staff for a job well done!!



BEST FILM
ROB ZOMBIE'S HALLOWEEN (553 votes)



Runner-up: GRINDHOUSE (293 votes)
Honorable mentions: SWEENEY TODD, 300



BEST TV PRESENTATION

DOCTOR WHO: 'Blink' (293 votes)




Runner-up: LOST: 'Through the Looking Glass' (275)

Honorable mention: HEROES: 'Five Years Gone';
TIN MAN (Sci Fi Channel)



BEST CLASSIC DVD
NOSFERATU: THE ULTIMATE EDITION (340 votes)



Runners-up: THE MONSTER SQUAD (327)
Honorable mention: BBC's COUNT DRACULA



BEST CLASSIC HORROR COLLECTION



UNIVERSAL HORROR CLASSIC MOVIE ARCHIVE (285 votes)


Runner-up: GODZILLA COLLECTION (280)
Honorable mention: MARIO BAVA COLLECTION (Vol. 1 and 2);
THE FLY COLLECTION; ICONS OF HORROR: THE SAM KATZMAN COLLECTION


BEST RESTORATION

NOSFERATU: THE ULTIMATE EDITION (413 votes)



Runner-up: WITCHFINDER GENERAL

Honorable mention: POPEYE THE SAILOR (1933-1938);
HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME; BBC's COUNT DRACULA; SPIDER BABY


BEST DVD EXTRA

HALLOWEEN: THE HAPPY HAUNTING OF AMERICA bonus disc (424 votes)



Runner-up: BRAM STOKER'S DRACULA deleted scenes (271)
Honorable mention: VINCENT PRICE SCREEN LEGENDS, Art of Fear



BEST DVD COMMENTARY
Malcolm McDowell, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (525 votes)



Runner-up: Jack Hill, Sid Haig, SPIDER BABY (159)
Honorable mention: Tim Lucas, MARIO BAVA COLLECTION;
Tom Weaver with Richard, Alex Gordon, Yvonne Romain, MONSTERS AND MADMEN



BEST INDEPENDENT FILM

VAMPIRA THE MOVIE (422 votes)



Runner-up: CHAINSAW SALLY (197)
Honorable mention: H.P. LOVECRAFT: PICKMAN'S MODEL;
PENNY DREADFUL'S SHILLING SHOCKERS;
LOST ON ADVENTURE ISLAND



BEST BOOK

MARIO BAVA: ALL THE COLORS OF THE DARK,
by Tim Lucas (255 votes)




Runner-up: BELA LUGOSI: DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES, by Gary Don Rhodes and Richard Sheffield (226)

Honorable mention: UNIVERSAL HORRORS (revised), by Tom Weaver, Michael and John Brunas




BEST MAGAZINE
RUE MORGUE (336 votes)



Runner-up: FANGORIA (256)

Honorable mentions: VIDEO WATCHDOG,
MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT,
SCARY MONSTERS MAGAZINE



BEST ARTICLE

'Adult Fairy Tales & Frustrated Love Stories: The Cinematic Legacy of Terence Fisher,' by Neal Barrow, LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS #19 (204 votes)




Runner-up: 'Honoring Horror at the Oscars,' by Tall Paul Davis, HORROR HOUND #6 (182 votes)

Honorable mentions: 'Kids vs. Monsters,' (Monster Squad retrospective),
by Chris Alexander and Jovanka Vuckovic, RUE MORGUE #69;

'Personal Appearances of Karloff and Lugosi,' by Greg Mank,


MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #23;
'I Was a Teenage Werewolf: Still Fab and Furry After All These Years,'
by Don Vaughan, FILMFAX #116;


'The Tingler,' by Christopher Schaefer, MONDO CULT #2



BEST COVER
SCARY MONSTERS #64 by Terry Beatty (305 votes)




Runner-up: AMAZING FIGURE MODELER #39 (211)

Honorable mentions: MONSTERS FROM THE VAULT #23 by Joe Schovitz;



BEST WEBSITE
TRAILERS FROM HELL (137 votes)



Runner-up: Video Watchblog (116)

Honorable mentions: Universal Monster Army;
horrorhosts.com; E-Gor's Chamber of TV Horror Hosts;
Creepyclassics; The Drunken Severed Head



BEST CONVENTION OF 2007
MONSTER BASH (136 votes)



Runner-up: Wonderfest (125)

Honorable mention: Screamfest; Fangoria Weekend of Horrors



BEST FAN EVENT
MONROEVILLE MALL ZOMBIE WALK (345 votes)




Photo by Shawn Wall, shawnwall.com

Runner-up: Dr. Gangrene's Chiller Theatre Live at WonderFest (168)

Honorable mention: Monster Squad reunion (Monster-Mania);
Witches' Dungeon Classic Movie Museum (Bristol, CT.)
Universal Monster Army traveling toy exhibit





FAVORITE HORROR HOST (Active)

Penny Dreadful (309 votes)



Runner-up: Svengoolie (249)
Honorable mention: Count Gore De Vol; Dr. Gangrene





BEST AUDIO SITE OR PODCAST

CULT RADIO A GO-GO (207 votes)




Runner-up: RUE MORGUE RADIO (170)
Honorable mention: VOICES IN THE DARK;
ROTTING FLESH RADIO;
OLD TIME RADIO NETWORK AT PODSHOW



BEST CD
MYSTERIOUS ISLAND (288 votes)



Runnerup: THE GHASTLY ONES
Honorable mention: LURKING CORPSES, Lust for Blood;
RADIO APOCALYPSE




BEST HORROR COMIC BOOK

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER Season 8, by Joss Whedon (295 votes)

Runner up: DC ULTIMATE HALLOWEEN (183)
Honorable mention: THE GOON; THE TRAP-DOOR MAKER; GRAPHIC CLASSICS: BRAM STOKER

BEST TOY, MODEL OR COLLECTIBLE

UNIVERSAL MONSTERS ACTION FIGURES by Toy Island (297 votes)

Photo by Michael Crawford, Captain Toy

Runners-up (224 votes each): FRANKENSTEIN GIANT PEZ;

KING KONG WORKING ARMATURE (Sideshow)

COUNT ALUCARD'S CONTROVERSY OF THE YEAR

DO I HAVE TO BUY THAT ONE TOO? (440 votes)

Fans object when new releases are packaged with films they already have.

Runner-up: New special effects in old films (285)

Honorable mention: Who owns online art?



BEST DVD COMPANY

ANCHOR BAY (303 votes)

Runner-up: MGM (172)

Honorable mention: Universal




CLASSIC MOST IN NEED OF DVD RELEASE OR RESTORATION


ISLAND OF LOST SOULS (84 votes)





Runner up: DRACULA

Honorable mention: BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN




Writer of the Year (write-in category)

TIM LUCAS

Photo by Donna Lucas

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

FRANK DIETZ





SPECIAL RONDO AWARDS

Monster Kid of the Year
MICHAEL SCHLESINGER




For working behind the scenes at Sony on behalf of monster fans everywhere. He directed
the English dubbing of GODZILLA 2000; helped bring LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA
to theatres; convinced Sony that the Sam Katzman collection, including The Giant Claw and
The Werewolf, was worthy; and remains every monster fan's man on the inside. A true Monster Kid in every way, he is Rondo's choice for Monster Kid of 2007.




MONSTER KID HALL OF FAME

Six new inductees are:




Cortlandt Hull and Dennis Vincent, the
geniuses behind the Witch's Dungeon movie
exhibits.





Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth, who brought dragsters
and fun to the world of monsters.




Bernie Wrightson, who helped invent Swamp Thing,
a patchwork Frankenstein monster and the modern horror comic.




Archie Goodwin, the firm editing pen behind
Warren Publication's creepiest monsters.




Ghoulardi, whose wink and nod made the airwaves of
Cleveland just a little bit spookier.




Ben Chapman, who was gentler than the Creature he
portrayed, and far bigger, too. His warmth, grace and
love of his fans will never be forgotten.

Venturing into the Hall of Fame

I just watched the Ventures get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and all I can say is HELL YEAH! I was just listening to Hawaii Five-O on the drive home today, matter of fact. I had actually forgotten that the induction ceremony was on TV tonight but happened to stumble across it just in time to catch the Ventures. They played two songs live - Walk, Don't Run and Hawaii Five-O.

I think I'll break out my Ventures CDs tomorrow - I've had enough of this winter weather, anyway, some good surf tunes will help blast the cold away. And none of that "The Ventures aren't a surf band" crap - they are, and they rock!

So speaketh Gangrene!!