Ray Harryhausen AwardBest Visual EffectsThe RuinsIt took a combination of FX companies Rising Sun Pictures, Pixel Playground, Frantic Films, FUEL International and Eyetronics to bring the surreal menace of The Ruins to life.
Albert S. D'Agostino AwardBest Production DesignDavid Hackl, Repo! The Genetic OperaWhile also stepping up this year to the role of director for Saw V, Hackl found himself in a much more familiar role working on the unique horror musical Repo! The Genetic Opera. Hackl's set design work was crucial to the creation of Repo's bizarre, nightmarish, not-so-distant future world of epidemics and organ harvesting.
Tom Savini AwardBest MakeupGreg Nicotero, Diary of the Dead and Mirrors25-year veteran Nicotero did double duty last year, crafting zombies yet again for mentor George Romero, as well as putting together some mind-bending makeups in Keifer Sutherland's supernatural thriller. Either one would've probably been enough to net him this award.
Bernard Hermann AwardBest ScoreJohan Soderqvist, Let the Right One InThe hauntingly stirring music Soderqvist created for Sweden's Let the Right One In perfectly encapsulated the film's deft combination of horror and beauty, particularly in the Ennio Morricone-influenced "Eli's Theme". This is a score that stays with you long after the final credits have rolled.
Karl Freund AwardBest CinematographyHoyte Van Hoytema, Let the Right One InA relatively new face in Swedish cinema, 37-year-old Van Hoytema added a large part of what made Let the Right One In such a memorable film, expertly framing both the intimate friendship of Oskar and Eli, and the stunning landscape of his native land, bathing the whole affair in an ethereal bluish tint.
Curt Siodmak AwardBest ScreenplayJohn Ajvide Lindqvist, Let the Right One InAdapting his own acclaimed debut novel, Lindqvist was able to successfully transfer the printed page to the screen while sacrificing a minimum of the power and dread that made the material so worthy of adaptation in the first place. Being a foreign film, it's only a shame that it's his translated words that English-speaking audiences are hearing.
Linnea Quigley AwardBest Supporting ActressLizzy Caplan, CloverfieldIn an often chaotic film, Caplan was nevertheless able to carve out a memorable performance as the ill-fated Marlena. She would also grab attention later in 2008 with a supporting part in HBO's True Blood.
Dwight Frye AwardBest Supporting ActorVinnie Jones, The Midnight Meat TrainFormer UK footballer Jones' turn as the mysterious and deadly "Mahogany" was so instantly iconic and riveting that he was able to capture this award despite uttering only word in the entire film. That, my friends, is presence!
Vincent Price AwardBest ActorKare Hedebrant, Let the Right One InPossessing a level of depth, poignancy and subtlety beyond his years, young Hedebrant puts forth the kind of nuanced performance as the morose, vaguely tragic Oskar in his cinematic debut that one rarely gets from a child actor.
Jamie Lee Curtis AwardBest ActressLina Leandersson, Let the Right One InA big part of what made Hedebrant so unforgettable is who he gets to work with throughout the picture, a young actress who can already be safely described as brilliant in her sad portrayal of a vampire in the body of a 12-year-old girl. This was also Leandersson's debut role.
David Cronenberg AwardBest DirectorTomas Alfredson, Let the Right One InSensing a pattern here? This Swedish television director was able to step up to the plate in 2008 and deliver the finest vampire film in years, in no small part thanks to the touching performances he was able to coax out of two inexperienced pre-teen actors. He already Best Director honors in January at the Guldbagge Awards, Sweden's version of the Oscars, and now his work has been recognized by the horror blogosphere as well.
Val Lewton AwardBest FilmLet the Right One In, EFTIDefying easy categorization and crossing international borders through the power of word-of-mouth, this instant classic represented Sweden's greatest contribution to horror since the heyday of Ingmar Bergman. In a year when it once again seemed that the combined epidemics of endless sequels and remakes might strangle the genre in America, it took a picture from foreign shores to remind us of the impact that well-executed original ideas can still have.
Just checking in to make sure y'all haven't forgot about the Cyber Horror Awards--the one and only horror film awards voted on exclusively by the online horror blogging/writing community. Last year's awards were a tremendous success, drawing praise from the likes of REPO production designer (and Saw V director) David Hackl, and Let the Right One In composer Johan Soderqvist. Next year's awards will be even bigger.
