‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula’ Recap: ‘Killer Clowns’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 408 of ‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula’.
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It is definitely safe to say, that the modern world has quite the complicated relationship with the clown. Because these trickers and goofballs that are supposed to entertain us and make us laugh, tend to terrify people more often than not and it is fascinating that they are able to strike fear in our hearts. Because no one really has a solid answer as to why the clown terrifies them so. Sure, they can cite Tim Curry’s portrayal of Pennywise the Clown in the 1990 It TV miniseries as a good and solid reason as to why they fear the clown, but beyond that… people just deem them creepy and this has become such a universal fear, that the clown has now become a fixture of the horror genre. 

To the point where Pennywise received his own two-part movie series starting in 2017 and where John Carroll Lynch played one that was designed to prey upon our darkest fears in American Horror Story, and even cult classics like Killer Klowns from Outer Space are finding new life among fans because of the terror they now invoke. But while we may not have a precise reason as to why they scare us so, that doesn’t mean the chills they send down our spines shouldn’t be celebrated and that is precisely why the Boulet Brothers opted to spotlight them in the next episode of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula. For the final four monsters are the best the show has to offer, and their skill set would allow for them to create some terrifying clowns and they did indeed do so… after dealing with more unique challenges. 

For ‘Killer Clowns’ also saw the final four, reunite with Merrie Cherry for a hot minute to take part in a dunk tank battle royale. One that would help the winner choose the best ride possible. For in addition to putting on a clown-themed floor show this week, the monsters would also take part in a horrifying go kart race in full clown costume and once Dahli won the dunk tank fight and assigned the rides, the group got down to business and created their clown costumes and well… the preparation sequence, definitely built up some serious excitement for the floor show. Because each and every one of them, understood the assignment and what the Boulet Brothers wanted from their costumes going forward and that allowed for quite the powerhouse floor show to take place when the time finally arrived, one that undoubtedly sent anyone with a fear of clowns, out of the room.

Because everyone gave life to some mortifying clowns. The kind that absolutely evoked a sense of terror. In fact, on a side note, this writer has no problem with clowns in the slightest, but some of the looks… specifically Dahli and Sigourney’s… left me uncomfortable for certain with the unsettling nature of their costumes and well, it’s a good thing they delivered. Because the judges had a lot of good things to say, and the wonder of this competition didn’t end there. For the go kart race in question, was the stuff of nightmares. One where all kinds of clowns rose from the grave to terrorize our beloved monsters and throw pies into their faces and once this creepy race came to a close… the elimination round was able to get underway and we are going to talk about that in some detail today. Simply because… it was both stunning and compelling. For not only did the Boulet Brothers opt to handle the elimination in another surreal manner, by using puppet versions of the monsters to tell an uncomfortable, carnival style tale, but they also… dropped a cliffhanger our way.

Because we simply don't know who was eliminated this week, despite seeing blood and guts on the screen and that’s brilliant to say the least. Because it gives us hope that the final four will stay intact for one more week since the costumes were so killer this week and it just plain adds drama to an episode that was utterly top notch. Because the Boulet Brothers didn’t try and explain away our newfound collective fear of the clown, they just embraced it and took us on a terrifying ride and that’s no small feat. Since a drag competition shouldn’t be an outright emotional experience. But that’s what happened here, and it was wonderful and now that this incredible episode has come to an end… we’re left waiting with bated breath for the beginning of the end. For the final leg of the competition awaits us and if it is anything akin to this episode, we are in for quite the terrifying treat. Until next time.

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