New Cinematography Award- ‘Dead Meat’ Recognizes Horror Icons With ‘Prime Rib’
by Jude Locke
Horror fans far and wide frequently complain about the lack of recognition and praise given to the writers, directors, actors, and a multitude of other artists that come together and create the most deliciously visceral, blood-pressure raising, spine-chilling delights each and every year. Oftentimes critics regard horror content as ‘low brow’ and as a result of this, in combination with the limited audience due to varied tolerance of gore or age restrictions, very rarely are these pieces celebrated in the same way as the average action film in events such as the Oscars.
James A. Janisse, and his small team of horror connoisseurs, through his Youtube channel Dead Meat, decided to take these matters into their own hands in 2022, creating the Dead Meat Horror Awards, in which actors, directors, producers, and more are recognized for their contributions to the horror genre and awarded the allusive Prime Rib in an assortment of categories.
These categories included Best Stunt/Choreography, Best Digital Effects, Best Practical Effects, Best Kill, Best Villain, Best Supporting Cast, Best Leading Actor, Best Director, Best Sequel, Best Original, and Overall Favorite. The Dead Meat team also featured an In Memoriam section honoring members of horror cinema that were lost over the past year.
Introducing the nominees were several iconic actors such as Matthew Lilard and Howie Mandell. Amongst the nominees, and my personal favorites, were David Howard Thornton’s Art the Clown portrayal in Damien Leone’s Terrifier 2. Terrifier 2 was jokingly submitted for an Oscar consideration after bringing in over 14 million in the box office and purportedly caused several audience members to leave the theatre in disgust or sickness.
Other nominees included Pearl, The Menu, Smile, Barbarian, Deadstream, Prey, and so much more. 2022 was an excellent year for horror.
To see who took home the Prime Ribs and review the great horror contributions of 2022 you can see Dead Meat’s award show here.