2021 Chainsaw Awards rip their way onto Shudder

Shudder and FANGORIA announced some exciting news for horror movie fans. If you are a fan of the FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards, read on for information on how you can watch the ceremony this year.

Shudder announced last month that they would be exclusively televising the FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards this year, and now the two horror giants have released the list of presenters.

The Chainsaw Awards ceremony, which began in 1992, recognizes exceptional performances in horror film and television. It has rarely been televised, so the fact that Shudder is tapped to stream it is great news for those of us who appreciate the hell out of horror.

FANGORIA magazine began publication in 1979, and quickly became the go-to mag for horror aficionados. It didn’t just include press releases about upcoming horror films, it also gave us seriously gory photos from those films, along with interviews.

And, they didn’t only interview the actors and directors; that’s where I was introduced to special effects wizards such as Tom Savini.

FANGORIA’s behind the scenes stories and photos were something we horror fans couldn’t get anywhere else, because most movie magazines focused on more “serious” cinema. For years, I would self-consciously tiptoe to the magazine section of the mall book stores, and browse through the pages of FANGORIA, hoping that no one would notice the super-gory cover image.

After years of struggling, going digital and ceasing publication altogether,  FANGORIA came back strong in late 2018 and returned to its print format. And the Chainsaw Awards, which expanded in 1992 are something fans look forward to each year.

So, here’s the scoop for 2021 FANGORIA Chainsaw Awards: The ceremony will premiere exclusively on the Shudder TV feed on Sunday, April 18, 8:00 pm ET, and will air simultaneously in the US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. It will be the first time the awards have been globally televised. After the premiere, FANGORIA will release the ceremony via their social and online platforms.

Writer/actor David Dasmalchian (Ant-Man and the Wasp) will be hosting the ceremony, and presenters will include Jamie Lee Curtis (Halloween), Keith David (The Thing), Issa Lopez (director, Tigers Are Not Afraid), Tananarive Due (Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror), Kevin Smith (Clerks), Doug Jones (The Shape of Water), Gigi Saul Gerrero (director, Culture Shock), Blumhouse founder Jason Blum, James Jude Courtney (Halloween) and The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula season two winner Biqtch Puddin’.

Nominated films for 2021 include The Invisible Man, The Dark and the Wicked, Freaky, Host and Possessor. Actors who count themselves among the nominees are Vince Vaughn (Freaky), Clancy Brown (The Mortuary Collection), Elizabeth Moss (The Invisible Man) and Kathryn Newton (Freaky).

Shudder GM Craig Engler said the horror streaming platform was “thrilled to partner with our friends at FANGORIA, a horror institution, to present their annual Chainsaw Awards, televised for the first time in years.”

FANGORIA editor Phil Nobile, Jr. referred to the awards as “an institution in horror”, and said “airing them on Shudder is something we’ve been working toward since we resurrected the magazine.”

It seems to be the merging of two perfect horror icons, and eager fans have less than two weeks to wait!

What do you think about FANGORIA’s Chainsaw Awards moving to Shudder? Will you watch it? Let us know what you think in the comments section.