‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula’ Recap: ‘Horror Icons Reimagined’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

It is definitely safe to say, that the Boulet Brothers are taking the horror world by storm, and it makes sense as to why. Because they are providing fans everywhere with the perfect blend of fan service and originality, while at the same time blazing trails from a diversity standpoint. Since they are helping to shatter tropes and stereotypes in their quest to make drag performance mainstream and their incredible work and the quality that goes into it, really has left fans of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula, ravenous for more of this inventive and unique series. To the point where the brothers put together a special pandemic edition of their stunning series to further their own creative needs and to keep the fans satisfied.
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But now that things are starting to get back to normal, the time has come for this series to return to its full strength and offer us another year of artistic competition with a horror twist. For yesterday saw the season premiere of this dynamic show on Shudder and well, from the opening moments of this premiere… it is obvious now that the union between Shudder and the brothers is going to pay off in spades. For the Boulet Brothers put together a magnificent blend of cinematic storytelling to accompany this year’s fierce competition and once again, they’ve assembled the best drag performers from around the nation to wow us with their skills and all of these elements made ‘Horror Icons Reimagined’ a downright compelling episode, one filled to the brim with wonder. 

In fact, it is those cinematic elements that first elicit awe, because normally shows that feature some kind of EFX or fashion competition just get right down to it and let the competitors do their thing. So, to be drawn into a wraparound story here, one that features some wonderfully delightful slasher elements that come around full circle is a real treat. Since it speaks to the fact the Boulet Brothers want us to enjoy an experience, not just a competition for show, and they’re so intent on that being the case, that even this year’s competitors were forced to undergo a bit of a cinematic/theatrical ride themselves. Since they were treated to a haunted house experience unlike any other before finally getting their chance to create, and that was equally as engaging and engrossing to watch. 

Because this year’s artists are not only as diverse as they come, but they’re full of personality and fire, to the point where we spent a good ten minutes watching them spar with one another. But once that was done, it was down to business in creating fresh and vivacious iterations of classic horror icons and we saw some incredible work come to life for certain. Since Sigourney Beaver created an amazing take on her horror icon and of course, this week’s winner, utterly deserved the victory, thanks to her unique take on a classic monster. But alas, there must be a loser as well, and this week’s bottom tier looks went through a hellish second competition to determine who would go home. One that involved quite the bold and unsettling twist.

You’ll probably note however, that we really kept a lot of details quiet in this recap and there’s good reason for that. Because you need to experience this premiere and all of its surprises firsthand. Because this premiere was compelling through and through thanks to its unconventional structure and outright homage to everything we love about the genre. Plus, the costumes this week were downright killer, and the show also deserves a round of applause for giving us insight to what makes the artists tick and what makes them crave the art they assemble and well, this writer is hooked and eager for more of this amazing competition. And it will be quite interesting to see what other storytelling surprises and incredible art awaits us in the weeks to come as this bold new season of The Boulet Brother’s Dragula, unfolds. Until next time.

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