Yes it's that time of year again...we've spent days counting and recounting all your votes submitted in recognition of the best and the worst in the genre scene throughout 2002. So without any delay let's check out the winners (and losers) in...

The SGM Awards 2002

There's always high expectations from the US DVD market and this year was no different...in third place Elite thrilled splatter fans with their revisited 'Re-Animator: Millennium Edition' (3rd), newcomers Blue Underground have instantly been a hit with genre fans and so scoop second place with their release of 'The Prowler' (2nd) but following last years success with 'Schramm' and 'Nekromantik' 'Barrel Entertainment' have knocked Anchor Bay off their throne to scoop first place in the voting for the Best US DVD Release of 2002 with their jam packed 'Last House on Dead End Street' (1st) DVD set. Congratulations to the Barrel team!

Onto the UK DVD scene and it is with a touch of irony that the 3rd most popular DVD release in (not so) Great Britain is the recently banned Cryptkeeper release 'Scrapbook' (3rd) so if you haven't got a copy of Cryptkeeper's disc already then annoyingly you no longer can (and you can thank the elitist snobs at the BBFC for that). Happily the remaining winners are still available with second place proudly going to UK newcomers Mondo Macabro with their massively popular (and rightly so) release of 'Alucarda' (2nd) but the UK release that proved the most popular with SGM's readers came from the folk at Tartan's Asia Extreme with their stunning double disc tin edition of 'Battle Royale' (1st). Congratulations one and all!

As ever, the voting for Best European DVD release proved to be the most widespread with a massive amount of eclectic releases attracting the genre fans attention...the third place this year goes to Raro Video for their welcome release of Alejandro Jodorowsky's 'El Topo' (3rd), skipping into second place is Marketing Film's release of Sergio Martino's 'Die Farben Der Nacht' (2nd - aka 'Tutti I Colori Del Buio' or for anglophiles 'All the Colors of the Dark') but the top European release for SGM's readers for 2002 comes from the Italian arm of 20th Century Fox with their impressive 25th Anniversary DVD release of 'La Casa Dalle Finestre Che Ridono' (1st - aka 'The House With the Windows That Laugh').

The interest in the Asian genre movie scene continues to grow and while folk realise that there's life outside of the lucrative 'Ring' franchise SGM's readers still enjoy a good spook out with 'The Eye' (3rd) taking third place in voting albeit it being a sparse release from Panorama Entertainment (check out Tartan's improved edition), the under exposed 'Musa the Warrior' (2nd) proved popular enough for fans to nab second place but it was no surprise that the lions share of votes for best Asian genre DVD release goes to the wild ride that is 'Ichi The Killer' (1st) which no doubt bodes well for this years Dutch release.

The votes for worst DVD releases of 2002 were pretty much monopolised yet again by the collective output by one company...VIPCO! Although the team here at SGM were pleased to see the valuable input of Jay Slater to the Vipco line SGM's readers used their votes to once again single Vipco out as the worst producer of genre DVD's. Bare bones uninspired discs with non anamorphic transfers were the most vocal comments recieved but it was the release of a heavily cut 'House on the Edge of the Park' that was targeted as the biggest vote grabber as the single worst DVD release. Keep trying Vipco team!

Although they scooped the award for the best US DVD release 'Barrel Entertainment' just miss out on the top three US DVD Producers award (along with close runner 'Synapse') as it's newcomers 'Blue Underground' (3rd) who slide into third place with a wide variety of genre releases in the latter part of the year, Media Blaster's horror offshoot label 'Shriek Show' (2nd) leap into second place in horror fans hearts as they continue to establish themselves as key players in the genre market and worthy competitors to the (still) kings of the US DVD scene 'Anchor Bay' (1st) who for the third year in a row easily landslide the top position with SGM's readers votes!

The voting for Top UK DVD Producers was not only a close run contest but also very much monopolised by three main players...in third place the guys at 'Mondo Macabro' (3rd) prove that genre fans really do enjoy their movies off the beaten track, not surprisingly following the success of their 'Battle Royale' special edition readers were more than happy to vote 'Tartan' (2nd) as the second best UK producer but perhaps not surprisingly it is the UK branch of 'Anchor Bay' (1st) who scoop the top plaudits for releasing the finest of genre DVD's in the UK. Congratulations to all!

The choices of the key players in the European DVD market wont come as any surprise (well it looks to be the same candidates as last year!) with Shock Entertainment (3rd) and it's many lines (Japan, Italian etc) proving popular enough to grab third place, fans of Lucio Fulci have been quick to praise 'EC Entertainment' (2nd) for their impressive budget line garnering them second place but this year it is 'Dragon Films' (1st) who scoop the top prize of Top European Producer with a growing number of loyal fans and an ever improving catalogue - congratulations!

This year brings SGM's first awards for the best in genre books and magazines and the results make for interesting reading indeed...

The voting for the best genre magazine welcomingly showed that you don't need to be a widely distributed publication to prove popular with SGM's readers...just lurking in the voting sidelines but worthy of mention were both Tim Lucas's 'Video Watchdog' and the great UK fanzine 'Arteries'...but it was to be the long running US magazine 'Fangoria' (3rd) that took third position and the perhaps the (welcome) surprise result of the voting is the news that the excellent 'Is It...Uncut?' (2nd) magazine has come out of the underground to grab second place...but the most popular genre magazine by far with SGM's readers was not surprisingly the ever wonderful 'The Dark Side' - more than 100 issues later and still the most popular read on the market, congratulations to Allan Bryce and the Dark Side team!

The voting for the Best Genre Book was almost a landslide vote for the one publisher, there was welcomingly some competition with outside votes coming in for both Jay Slater's 'Eaten Alive' tome and some titles from the Headpress line but it is Harvey Fenton and the team at FAB Press who can hold their heads high knowing that SGM's readers voted it's line of genre books as the most popular out there! In third place is the impressive 'Art of Darkness - The Cinema of Dario Argento' (2nd) edited by Chris Gallant for FAB Press, second place goes to the weighty encyclopaedic delight that is 'DVD Delirium' (2nd) edited by Nathaniel Thompson for (guess who) FAB Press but the readers votes for the Best Genre Book of 2002 go to Troy Howarth's stunning tome 'The Haunted World of Mario Bava' (1st) - the latest in (yes that's right) the FAB Press directors series line. Hearty congratulations to Harvey Fenton and everyone involved at Flesh and Blood Publishing!

It's very much a similar story with voting for the Best UK DVD Supplier with readers showing loyalty to their favourite suppliers from previous years awards...though this year 'Blackstar' (3rd) slip from second to third place with 'Future Entertainment' (2nd) edging them out the way to snaffle the second position but it is the team at 'Play 247' (1st) who can be proud that they stormed into the top position as not only the Best UK DVD Supplier yet again but this year also scoop the overall award for 'The No.1 DVD Supplier' for their great value and excellent customer service. Very well done indeed!

Well not surprisingly like the other supplier categories, the votes for the best European DVD Suppliers were shared amongst the same popular key players from last year...in third place is the often critically discussed (see below) but still very popular 'Sazuma' (3rd), slipping just slightly into second place is the friendly folk at 'Chainsaw Video' (2nd) but for the second year running (and grabbing the bulk of the votes) the Best European DVD Supplier award goes to 'Absurd Online' (1st) - congratulations!

The voting for Best US DVD Supplier delivered a strange mix of results but welcomingly the third most popular supplier Stateside was independent genre specialist 'Diabolik DVD' (3rd), second place however showed that perhaps some folk didn't too well at school with geography as we head over the border to Canada to announce that 'DVD Box Office' (2nd) take second place for the second year running but it will be absolutely no surprise that the corporate power of 'Amazon' has once again got your vote for them as the Best US DVD Supplier yet again!

The votes for best Asian DVD Supplier were spread between suppliers from across the globe but in third pace it is US supplier 'Poker Industries' (3rd) who proved the most popular purveyor Stateside, in second place 'CD Japan' (2nd) showed that the high price of Japanese DVD's doesn't make them any less popular but not surprisingly 'DDD House' (1st) were by far your favourite supplier of DVD's from the East offering both great value for money and excellent customer service.

Bewilderingly (or perhaps not) the award for the 'Worst DVD Supplier' goes for the third year running to the folk at 'Sazuma' - even though they yet again proved popular enough to be one of the top three European DVD suppliers they still continue to get readers votes when it comes to poor customer service. Three years running and still lacking when it comes to customer confidence - must do better!

SGM would like to thank all who voted in this years SGM Awards - your input is very much valued not only by us here at the site but also by all the many Producers and Suppliers who appreciate the feedback your participation brings.