The British Horror Studio has received a notable distinction upon the international stage, with the announcement that The Reign of Queen Ginnarra starring Megan Tremethick has won Best Independent Film at the 24th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards.
The picture, directed by Lawrie Brewster and starring Megan Tremethick in the title role, is a two-and-a-half-hour medieval horror epic of decidedly unusual character. Drawing upon Lovecraftian dread, sword-and-sorcery spectacle, and the grander traditions of Gothic melodrama, the film was chosen by voters in one of horror fandom’s most cherished popular honours.
For a Scottish-made independent production, created outside the customary machinery of the film industry, the award represents a considerable achievement. The film prevailed in a competitive category which also recognised a number of acclaimed independent genre pictures, with Good Boy and the Academy Award-nominated The Ugly Stepsister named as runners-up.
The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards are named in tribute to the distinctive 1940s screen actor Rondo Hatton, whose appearances in horror and mystery pictures gave him an enduring place in the imagination of classic horror enthusiasts. The awards themselves have become a respected institution among devotees of the genre, recognising achievement not only in film, but also in television, publishing, restoration, criticism, illustration, commentary, fandom and film preservation.
A dark queen and an ancient kingdom
The Reign of Queen Ginnarra tells of a medieval kingdom overcome by tyranny, betrayal and occult power. Megan Tremethick appears as Queen Ginnarra, a merciless sovereign who seizes the throne from her father and sacrifices her own people in pursuit of terrible strength bestowed by ancient gods.
It is, by modern independent standards, an unusually ambitious undertaking. The film combines political horror, dark fantasy, classical melodrama and an atmosphere of ritual doom. Its manner is theatrical rather than naturalistic, its ambitions operatic rather than modest, and its scale marks it as one of the most substantial works yet produced under the British Horror Studio banner.
The official Rondo results described the picture as a British independent production in which “Old Dark Gods intervene in the battle for a Kingdom”, a description which neatly captures the film’s strange mixture of medieval pageantry and cosmic terror.
The award also crowns a successful period for Megan Tremethick. Her recent directorial debut, Spoiling You, won Best Directorial Debut at the Romford Horror Festival in February, while the teaser trailer for that film attracted wide attention after being featured by Bloody Disgusting, gathering more than one million views across social media in just 48 hours.
This gathering momentum has helped establish Tremethick as one of the more distinctive emerging figures in British independent horror. She combines a vintage screen presence with an increasingly visible creative role behind the camera, a combination which appears closely aligned with the British Horror Studio’s efforts to cultivate a new repertory of actors and filmmakers.
Horror’s own republic of enthusiasts
The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards were created in 2002 by David Colton and Kerry Gammill at the Classic Horror Film Board. Since then, they have grown into a cherished fixture of horror culture, particularly among those devoted to the history, preservation and continued vitality of classic horror.
They differ from conventional industry prizes in an important respect. The Rondos are decided by fans. Their voters include collectors, scholars, writers, artists, commentators, preservationists and long-standing devotees of the fantastic cinema. For this reason, the awards have acquired a particular affection among those who regard horror not merely as entertainment, but as a tradition with its own memory, craft and folklore.
That a film such as The Reign of Queen Ginnarra should be recognised by such an audience is fitting. The picture is steeped in the older virtues of horror: atmosphere, heightened performance, Gothic imagery, fatalism, and the sense that evil belongs as much to myth and morality as to shock or violence. This approach has increasingly become something of a house style for Lawrie Brewster and the British Horror Studio team.
Those wishing to learn more about the film can view the official trailer for The Reign of Queen Ginnarra, or find the picture through the British Horror Studio shop.
A further honour for the British Horror Studio
The award follows last year’s unexpected Special Recognition Rondo, which honoured Lawrie Brewster and the British Horror Studio team for their work in helping revive Amicus Productions.
Taken together, these honours suggest a growing recognition of the studio’s work within the wider horror community. What began as an independent movement built upon persistence, eccentricity and a love of classic British horror is now receiving acknowledgement from one of the genre’s most respected fan institutions.
The studio’s wider mission has already been explored through the British Horror Chronicle’s coverage of the rise of the British Horror Studio and Brewster’s own reflections on how independent horror must adapt or perish, as well as through continuing reports on the films, actors and filmmakers emerging from the movement.
For Lawrie Brewster, Megan Tremethick and the wider creative company behind The Reign of Queen Ginnarra, the award is a substantial endorsement of a film made beyond the mainstream, yet with a scale of ambition seldom encountered in contemporary independent British horror.
A queen crowned by horror fans
For The Reign of Queen Ginnarra, this Rondo victory is a reminder that horror fandom still has room for pictures made outside the usual industry pattern. It also suggests that films created with conviction, imagination and a deep affection for the genre’s history may yet find their audience, however unusual they may first appear.
For the British Horror Studio, the award is more than a handsome decoration. It is a sign that its mission to revive classic British horror, to build new stars, and to create ambitious independent genre cinema from Scotland is beginning to travel beyond its immediate circle.
Queen Ginnarra has been crowned, and British horror has fresh cause for celebration.
You can also read a more modern version of this article at Amicus Horror over here.
About Mr Lawrie Brewster
Mr Lawrie Brewster is a producer and director with fifteen years of experience in independent horror cinema. He leads Hex Studios, serves as President of Amicus Productions, and oversees the British Horror Studio initiative.
For further information, visit www.lawriebrewster.com.