Fans of 1940s genre cinema will be familiar with Rondo Hatton, best
known for his recurring role as The Creeper in a series of horror movies and
mystery films. Hatton was a journalist who contracted acromegaly, which made his head, hands and feet grow out of proportion
with the rest of his body. Moving to Hollywood, he found brief stardom
before succumbing to a heart attack.
Directed by Joe O'Connell, Rondo and Bob sees
Bob Burns, best known for his incredible art direction on
the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, take a look at the life of Hatton and how it mirrors his own self
doubts.
The documentary features veteran stuntman Gary Kent, actress Dee Wallace,
Re-Animator
director Stuart Gordon, Joseph Middleton, Joe Bob Briggs,
Hills Have Eyes producer Peter Locke,
Texas Chain Saw Massacre’s Edwin Neal, filmmaker
Fred Olen Ray and many more.
Rondo and Bob is on US VOD from June 7th. A UK/ROI release
has yet to be announced.
Check out the trailer and two posters below.
The official synopsis reads:
Robert A. "Bob" Burns is a significant name in horror film art direction for his work in the original Texas Chain Saw Massacre, The Hills Have Eyes, Re-Animator, The Howling. His props also appear in Poltergeist. From a young age he showed signs of being a genius and could create complex designs all in his head, draw detailed cartoons and create outrageous puns. In high school and college he studied drama, which he later utilized in films including Confessions of a Serial Killer.
While attending the University of Texas he edited the Texas Ranger humor magazine and discovered Rondo Hatton, a former Tampa, Florida, sports reporter, who contracted acromegaly, a condition that caused his face, hands and feet to grow out of proportion to the rest of his body. It caused the former athlete and All-American kid to close himself off from the outside world until he met his second wife Mae. Together they went to Hollywood where Hatton became the Creeper in a series of films starting with the Sherlock Holmes story The Pearl of Death. He died of a heart attack brought on by his medical condition.
The documentary weaves together the stories of Burns and Hatton and delves into their horror filmographies and personal life stories. The Creeper becomes a metaphor for Burns' lifelong belief in his inner ugliness, a lack that left him unable to feel true love.
The film mixes interviews with archival film footage and rare video of Burns and the people he tried desperately to love. Along the way it examines vital touchstone films of the horror genre and tells the true stories of two of its important players.
To bring the characters of Rondo and Bob fully to life, scenes from Burns' and Hatton's lives have been recreated using actors.
