The British Horror Studio’s Lovecraftian medieval epic has received one of horror fandom’s most cherished honours: a Rondo Award.
The British Horror Studio is celebrating a remarkable international victory, as The Reign of Queen Ginnarra has won Best Independent Film at the 24th Annual Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards.
Directed by Lawrie Brewster, and starring rising horror star Megan Tremethick in the title role, the two-and-a-half-hour Lovecraftian medieval horror epic was honoured by voters in one of the most beloved fan-driven awards in the horror world.
The film triumphed in a competitive category that also recognised several acclaimed independent genre titles, with Good Boy and the Academy Award-nominated The Ugly Stepsister named as runners-up. For a Scottish-made independent horror epic to prevail in such company marks a significant achievement for the British Horror Studio.
A major win for British independent horror
The Reign of Queen Ginnarra tells the story of a dark medieval kingdom consumed by tyranny, betrayal and occult power. Megan Tremethick stars as Queen Ginnarra, a merciless ruler who seizes the throne from her father and sacrifices her own people in pursuit of terrible strength granted by ancient gods.
The film’s mixture of political horror, sword-and-sorcery spectacle, Lovecraftian dread and classical melodrama has made it one of the most ambitious productions yet to emerge from the British Horror Studio. The official Rondo results described the film as a British independent production in which “Old Dark Gods intervene in the battle for a Kingdom”, placing it alongside a notably varied international field.
The award also marks the continuation of a very successful year 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 major attention online after being featured by Bloody Disgusting, garnering more than one million views across social media in just 48 hours.
This growing momentum has helped establish Tremethick as one of the most distinctive new faces in British independent horror, combining vintage star quality with an increasingly visible creative presence behind the camera.
What are the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards?
The Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards were created in 2002 by David Colton and Kerry Gammill at the Classic Horror Film Board. Named after the 1940s character actor Rondo Hatton, the awards celebrate achievement across horror film, television, publishing, restoration, journalism, artwork, commentary, fandom and film preservation.
Over the years, the Rondos have become a treasured fixture of horror culture. They are proudly fan-based, with nominees drawn from the world of horror fandom and winners selected by public vote. For many classic horror devotees, the Rondos are less about industry glamour and more about genuine passion, community and the preservation of horror’s strange and beautiful legacy.
That makes the victory for The Reign of Queen Ginnarra all the more fitting. The film is steeped in the spirit of classic horror, with theatrical performances, Gothic atmosphere, dark fantasy imagery and a commitment to a more operatic style of genre filmmaking. This approach has become something of a house style for Lawrie Brewster and the British Horror Studio team.
Fans who wish to explore the film further can watch the official trailer for The Reign of Queen Ginnarra, or find the film through the Hex Studios shop.
Another 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’s work in helping revive Amicus Productions.
Together, these honours underline the growing recognition of the British Horror Studio’s work within the wider horror community. What began as an independent movement built around passion, persistence and a love of classic 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 Amicus Horror’s coverage of the rise of the British Horror Studio, as well as its continued reporting on new films, stars and filmmakers emerging from the movement.
For Lawrie Brewster, Megan Tremethick, and the wider creative team behind The Reign of Queen Ginnarra, the award is a powerful endorsement of a film made outside the mainstream, but with a scale of ambition rarely seen in modern independent British horror.
A queen crowned by horror fans
For The Reign of Queen Ginnarra, its Rondo victory is a reminder that horror fandom still has room for films made beyond the usual industry channels, especially those created with imagination, conviction and a deep love for the genre’s history, no matter how eccentric they may be perceived to be.
For the British Horror Studio, this is more than an award. It is a sign that the mission to revive classic British horror, to build new stars, and to create ambitious independent genre cinema from Scotland is reaching audiences far beyond its own walls.
Queen Ginnarra has been crowned, and British horror has another reason to celebrate.
If you would like to read a more historically themed version of this article, you can visit our 1940s inspired news website The British Horror Chronicle right here.