FILTH, GLAMOUR, & HORROR BEYOND: What Makes ‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula’ the Future of Reality TV

Luis Pomales-Diaz

3 years ago

Let’s get real for a second. Cable is on its death bed, and television is getting worse.

As our impending megacorporation overlords begin to shuffle everything onto one of the three to four highly sanitized streaming platforms, we’re getting a lot more fine-tuned, tonally unified content that, while technically capable and even enjoyable, isn’t as risky as it could be. It’s homogenized texturally; it lacks the zest & the spice of life that many other viewers and I used to get from even the most laughably bad television that used to be on air.

But then you meet The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula.

What Makes The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula a TV Phenomenon?

And for four seasons (and a giant-sized, 2-hour special event) has been serving up realness upon realness, lewk after lewk, and an unending flow of SCALDING hot tea since Halloween of 2016. At points revolting, heartwarming, and downright visually stunning, the growing fanbase and love for this show marches on.

But how has it survived? It’s borderline impossible to convey, let alone condense, everything that makes this show magical into a handful of reasons. But I’ve collected the three primary reasons why in my eyes, this show isn’t just going to keep going, it’s going to surpass all expectations.

A Unique Blend of Drag, Horror, and Reality TV Innovation

Foucault said, “You should never try to freeze culture. What you can do is recycle that culture. […] re-style it, re-fashion it to the point where it becomes your own.”

Actually, it was the band Chumbawamba that said that, but it still applies to The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula more than anything I could think of. Because really, it achieves something I can’t say about any other show: while it reminds me of many things, it still manages to be the most original television programming that I’ve seen in the past five years. And that’s because the re-styled and re-fashioned beast of stitched together formats and genres has come into its own and ended up something completely different.

Take the incredible art of drag and fuse the sport of meshing a king or queen’s look with cinematic makeup rivaling the likes of Syfy’s Face Off. We get outfits laden with homages and references to horror history, prosthetics, and costume design that occasionally even looks good enough to take the lead in a horror movie.

High-Stakes Drama and Unforgettable Extermination Challenges

With that, you already have a body of creative flesh and blood enough for countless seasons. But then you insert a level of tension and drama beyond the reality television powerhouses of Big Brother, and Survivor combined to serve as the heart of why we care about the contestants.

Finally, shock it all to life with the contests; not only are there musical and performance competitions that blow you away, but there’s also the absolute spectacle of some of television’s most appalling and insane challenges in the Exterminations; subject to anything from drinking a chalice of spiders, to grueling body modifications, to being pelted with garbage or forced to answer risky questions on a lie detector, the Boulet Brothers ramp up the intensity every season with some new untold power move that leaves audiences stunned. It’s the stuff of Fear Factor induced nightmares, and it’s just the lightning needed to animate this behemoth of a television powerhouse fully.

Hybridizing different television formats like a Frankenstein’s monster of entertainment, The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula ends up forging something that can’t be summarized easily. Calling it a variety show to end all variety shows would be a disservice.

Accessible Yet Deep: Dragula’s Universal Appeal

Admittedly, I was not super initiated with the history of drag when I began watching. I had seen maybe a handful of Ru Paul’s Drag Race episodes. Understanding the full breadth of drag history is rough, extensive, full of lore and terminology. But this show doesn’t need you to be fully tuned in to the scene; it proves how intuitive a sensation it is to get thrown into a group of equal parts clashing and complementary personalities, painstakingly selected to produce champions for people to get behind.

Root for Your Favorite Drag Supermonster

Finding a favorite drag queen and sticking with them is different for everyone. What do you value, who do you gravitate towards? Craftsmanship and artistry that wows in every challenge, like the productions of James Majesty or Victoria Black’s drag legacy? The underdogs like Landon Cider who get put through the wringer from Day 1? Perhaps you’re more interested in the emotional core of the group that sees the best in everyone and tries to mediate, ala Erika Clash?

…Or you could just pick the messiest one and root for them. No shame in doing it because I’m kind of guilty of that. A shoutout to Monikkie for making one hell of a reunion.

Because in the end, the hunt for America’s next top supermonster means very little if you’re not rooting for someone, regardless of your reasoning, but it’s difficult not to cheer someone on. These larger-than-life queens and how they play off each other bring a life to the show that emulates some of the most personal conversations amongst friends you’ve witnessed, be they massive blowout fights or quiet moments of reconciliation. You can’t help but get sucked in when someone gets called out or read to filth; it’s just the inexorable pull of good drama.

Dracmorda and Swanthula: The Best Hosts in Reality TV

And, if all else fails, you still have the two funniest reality television hosts of all time in the form of Dracmorda and Swanthula Boulet. For people who don’t compete, they sure know how to steal the show.

Defying the Odds: Dragula’s Resilience in a Risk-Averse Industry

I can state the obvious and say that The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula would have been considered network poison at any other point in history. Because even today, it still is. It’s a miracle this show isn’t dead in the water.

Queer culture and horror are arguably scarier to most ancient, close-minded producers behind the television industry than the monsters crafted on the show each week. After all, there’s a reason that’s the opening gag of season 2, Drac and Swan telekinetically cutting out the input of the boardroom big wigs. Being different and grotesque is anathema to many people; they hate it even more when you make it look good.

From YouTube to Streaming Success: Dragula’s Unstoppable Rise

The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula, from its inception, was a spit in the face of the idea that something can be “unmarketable.” It began a cursed half-life as a YouTube series, and from there, it’s been shopped around from service to service, on a merry-go-round of changing hands. But at no point did this slow its roll or hinder the success of a season. If anything, it feels like the adversity has only caused drastic spikes in improved quality from season to season. The heart of the shows origins and continuing success is the gamble. It’s the fact that it’s the only show able to survive with such a high risk-reward factor and not only survive but somehow become better for it.

Challenging TV Norms with Bold, Bizarre Content

It not only bold-facedly proves that dangerous television can profit, but it also outright dares the landscape of television as we know it to get weird. The only question is if that landscape will respond to the call of bizarre, frightening, and innovative when given a chance. Ever the optimist, I believe it will.

You can stream all four seasons of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula, and the Resurrection special on Shudder!

Make sure to tune in for the two part premiere of The Broulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans on Shudder and AMC+ on October 25th!