The Boulet Brothers – Dracmorda Boulet and Swanthula Boulet – have been a mainstay of drag and nightlife. Their commitment to the horror and queer community is unwavering and their talents span producing, writing, reality TV, show running, comic books, music and hosting their prolific nightlife productions, spanning decades.
Their hit show, Dragula, encapsulated the legacy they’d built for themselves as legendary producers of night-time shows. It broke conventions of the mainstream presentations of drag, making a statement by platforming drag that had a fierce dedication to horror, out-of-the-box concepts and everything in between.
While Dragula has made its name on an infusion between the reality TV aspects of the drag competition, Dracmorda and Swanthula have been uncompromising in their love of horror. Merging horror skits with the overarching anchor of the competition, Dragula has gone from strength to strength, redefining and giving a platform to artists that have unique and darker aesthetics and performances.
Inclusivity, Out of the box visuals, fun and filth.
Halfway to Halloween is no different. Special guests included David Dastmalchian (Dune, Suicide Squad), Kevin Smither (Tusk, Clerks, Clerks 2, Dogma), Barbara Compton (Re-Animator, Chopping Mall), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp) and Katya (RuPaul’s Drag Race). Bringing back competitors from all seasons of Dragula, including Kendra Onixx, Koco Caine & Melissa Befierce, The Boulet Brothers retained their commitment to platforming artists and including them in their meteoric rise to the top, giving the whole show a solid foundation which bled authenticity.
There’s a clear inspiration of variety shows from years gone by, using classic transitions and encompassing skits, music and drag to create something that felt both vintage and fresh, whilst paying homage to the bloodline features and tropes of horror that we all recognise so easily.
Leaning into the campiness of the 60s with remnants of Elvira, Barbara Compton hosts a cannibalistic cooking show effortlessly. Harking back to horror’s infinite ability to self-reference, Felissa Rose shines in a camp counsellor skit, equal parts perky and unsettling. David Dastmalchian Frankensteinfeld left us wanting more with Dastmalchian as a wolfman Kramer.
It’s good to see the Boulet Brothers strike a brilliant balance between the fun and campiness of their horror skits we’ve grown accustomed to and portraying the key elements of horror, portraying legends in an authentic way with an energy that horror so flawlessly secretes. Their halfway-to Halloween-special brings into focus the main crux and motivation of their career—horror, Inclusivity, Out of the box visuals, fun and filth.
Dragula’s Halfway to Halloween is out now on Shudder
