‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula’ Recap: ‘Nosferatu Beach Party’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains some minor spoilers for Episode 402 of ‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula’.
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As we continue our journey through the latest season of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula on Shudder, it is becoming quite apparent that Drac and Swan are looking to indulge the audience in quite the unique experience. Because ‘Nosferatu Beach Party’ is an episode that informed us of the fact that week in and week out, the themes that the contestants are going to be taking part in, hold great meaning and go deeper than a cool and kitschy challenge designed to get their best work out of them. No instead, it is becoming clear now, that the Boulet Brothers are eager to use this season to educate us on horror history and celebrate corners of the genre that aren’t talked about enough and this week’s wraparound segment and theme… outright prove this.
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Because let’s be honest, we don’t celebrate the wonder of beach themed horror all that often. In part because there aren’t a ton of movies that feature creatures attacking beach parties, but they are there, and they are campy and glorious and that is undoubtedly why the Boulet Brothers chose to make those a focus. To educate us about the wonder of these films, and to pique our curiosity about what those movies are like so we can seek them out, and of course, the tribute aspect of this episode comes forth from the Nosferatu theme. For the vampire is a true staple of the genre through and through and many attribute the modern vampire to the 1922 film Nosferatu and having both of those elements here, really did educate the audience through and through and it also… got us quite excited about what was to come with the overall theme.

For this particular fusion was unique and creative and it really did motivate the contestants to not only create stunning looks that stood out on stage, but to really dive deep into their performances and wow… were we treated to quite the stage show. Since so many of the contestants lost themselves within their characters, to the point where several of them were unrecognizable. Such as HoSo and her partner (whom we won’t reveal because we simply cannot spoil THAT surprise), since they terrifyingly embodied their vampire characters and were utterly mesmerizing to watch. As was also the case for La Zavaleta and Saint, since they put on a perfect show, and truly transformed into thirsty beach going bloodsuckers before our eyes and that’s a huge deal since it signaled quite the turnaround for La Zavaleta, after her tough week in the season four premiere.

But of course, not everyone gave this particular beach party their all. Since Merrie Cherrie went a bit off script with the costume and made it inherently clear how little she enjoyed the theme this week, and Bitter Betty struggled mightily with her performance and in an odd twist of events, Astrud Aurelia, last week’s victor… found herself in bottom looks this week alongside Betty. All because her costume really didn’t blow anyone away and her performance was sub-par and well, that led to some emotional moments. The kind where Astrud made it clear how much this competition meant to her and how angry she was over hitting the bottom after tasting victory, and well, once again… we won’t spoil the fate of the bottom lookers this week, because you simply need to watch this episode and experience that powerful ending firsthand.

Because that ending really does give us an idea of what the Boulet Brothers are looking for this year and how fierce this competition is going to be going forward and, in the end, this is another episode that simply draws you in leaves you starving for more. Because every single second of this season has been nothing short of mesmerizing. Thanks in large part to the intimacy we’re receiving in regard to the contestants. For we really are getting to know them quite well, and what makes them tick and drives them and we genuinely care about them and their fates on this show. Plus, let’s be honest… the drama is hard to turn away from because it is top-notch and well, in the end, it really will be quite interesting to see what awaits us in this fierce and creative competition, in the weeks to come, now that everyone has an idea of what they need to bring to the table… to win. Until next time.  

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