StarWars

In what seems as a long overdue gesture of appreciation for one of the most seminal horror actors in the history of the genre, Count Dracula himself, Christopher Lee, can now have the ever-impressive "Sir" appended to the front of his name.

Joining a number of others, including musician Joe Brown and cyclist Nicole Cook, BBC News reports that the veteran actor, who also starred as Count Dooku in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and Lord Saruman in the Lord of the Rings, has been knighted by the Prince of Wales for "services to drama and to charity."

Through it all, Sir Christopher Lee remained as humble as ever, jokingly citing not Hammer but his success in The Lord of the Rings or Star Wars as his big break: "I've done a lot of films that have become iconic, not necessarily because of me...a whole new career opened up for me when I was in Lords Of The Rings and Star Wars.

This isn't the first honor to bestowed upon Dracula. In 2001 Queen Elizabeth appointed him Commander of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II, and in 2005 named the 'Most Marketable Star' for his performances in three of the top films in 2005 - Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride and Star Wars, Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith, which garnered $640 million combined.

We asked, and you delivered. After counting more than 100,000 votes, we can reveal the winners of our super-duper, stunningly creative Ultimate Fan Polls! (Cue drum roll.) May I have the envelopes, please?

Winners of The Ultimate Horror Movie Fan Poll:

1. What is the best horror movie franchise of all time? Nightmare on Elm Street.
2. Which horror movie classic deserves a reboot? Poltergeist (narrowly edging The Shining).
3. Who is the best all-time scream queen? Jamie Lee Curtis (with a decisive 51% of the vote).
4. Who is your favorite slasher of all time? Freddy Krueger.
5. Who would you like to see take a turn as a scream queen? Megan Fox (ahem).

Winners of The Ultimate Sci-Fi Fan Poll:

1. What is the best sci-fi movie franchise of all time? Star Wars (decisively).
2. What is the best sci-fi film of 2009 so far? Star Trek (with 69% of the vote; no robots for you).
3. What is your most anticipated upcoming sci-fi film? District 9 (beating out Avatar).
4. Who is the all-time best sci-fi action heroine? Ripley (Alien).
5. What is the greatest all-time sci-fi creature/alien? Alien (Alien). (Sorry, Chewbacca.)

Big thanks to everybody who voted. You can view all the nominees and the breakdown of votes at Horror Squad and Sci-Fi Squad. In addition, Reuters has a nice story on the poll results. I'm glad to see Jamie Lee Curtis recognized for her multiple roles, but a bit startled that the Star Wars franchise still holds sway. Any big surprises for you? Outrage? Joy?