In the last year or so, actor David Dastmalchian has written a comic book called Count Crowley: Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter, about a monster-hunting horror host, and done a bit of online horror hosting himself. Now Dastmalchian is set to do some horror hosting of a different kind, as he will be hosting the 2021 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards. This year's ceremony will premiere on the Shudder streaming service this Sunday, April 18th, at 8pm Eastern.
Presenters at the ceremony, which "recognizes outstanding achievement in horror film and television", will include Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Smith, Keith David, Gigi Saul Guerrero, Issa Lopez, Tananarive Due, Jason Blum, James Jude Courtney, Doug Jones, and Biqtch Puddin'.
Among this year's nominees are the films The Invisible Man, Freaky, The Dark and the Wicked, Host, and Possessor, and actors Vince Vaughn, Kathryn Newton, Clancy Brown, and Elisabeth Moss.
Shudder's Craig Engler had this to say about the event:
We’re thrilled to partner with our friends at FANGORIA, a horror institution, to present their annual Chainsaw Awards, televised for the first time in years. We hope to bring Shudder members and horror fans together for a vibrant celebration of the genre we love so much."
Fangoria's Phil Nobile Jr. added:
The Chainsaw Awards are an institution in horror, having existed in the magazine since 1992. Bringing them back as an actual event has been a dream, and airing them on Shudder is something we’ve been working toward since we resurrected the magazine."
The 2021 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards are being filmed and hosted virtually, with pre- and post-shows on social media. Through the Shudder TV feed, the ceremony will air simultaneously in the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, making this the first time the Chainsaw Awards have been televised globally. After the Shudder premiere, the ceremony will also be available to watch via Fangoria's online and social platforms.
This sounds like good fun to me, it's very cool that we're going to be able to watch the Chainsaw Awards through Shudder this year.