TV
The Stilettos of Bog’s End: The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans Ep 2 “Revenge of the Witch” Recap
Calling all the basic witches! Put on your dusty wigs and moth-eaten capes, and grab your moldy chalices because another serving of drag, filth, horror, and glamour is bubbling in the cauldron. After a legendary opening night of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans, the smoke has settled, and the stage is set for an epic showdown. Shade has been thrown so far and wide that it’s almost impossible to make out a Teletubby from a toilet bowl, but after a kaiju-sized episode, we now have a better understanding of who these Titans are since their time spent six feet under. And while we saw Abhora, the purveyor of chaos, cast back into oblivion, Halloween isn’t over for the Boulet Brothers. It appears they have one more trick up their bewitching couture.
Before that trick can be treated, our chronically costumed creatures enter the boudoir for a fresh day in Hell, and the shit-talking commences. Not fond of this particular form of a death drop, the Titans are still in disbelief over the floor-dropping elimination they witnessed last week. Erika – forever bruised like a bad apple – insists she will neither forgive nor forget being voted into the bottom. Evah’s pissed too, only her anger is directed towards Abhora due to their defeatist attitude, and most others agree. Well, aside from HoSo and Astrud, who have empathy for their beaked beau and wish the world could have seen more of Abhora’s art.
With those words, the first spell of the episode is cast as Abhora – cupping an iconically creepy baby doll mug for all the tea she overheard – casually strolls into the boudoir. Everyone is understandably shocked by this turn of events, and lore-wise it doesn’t make any sense – Miss Thing had been banished into oblivion with no explanation for her return! Some are bothered, but Evah hugs her friend, relieved to see her back for a second (third?) chance. HoSo and Astrud, meanwhile, are overjoyed as their horniness gets the better of them. All three embrace, despite Astrud and Abhora not-so-secretly wanting to murder each other over the beloved third in their throuple. Kendra, always the voice of reason, shrugs her shoulders and says the show must go on, and so it does as the cast is beckoned to the main stage.
The Challenge
None of us like to see corporate America turn Halloween into the holidays overnight, so in Samhain’s spirit, the Boulet Brothers are keeping the spook alive with a Revenge of the Witch challenge. Considering the return of our favorite witchy weirdo, it’s quite the apt title. The Uglies must design and create an original and terrifying look based on the iconic theme of the witch. Creativity is key, but their unique brand of drag must not get lost in the brew. But the real kicker of this challenge is that they must also create a pair of custom-made shoes to go with their witchy wardrobe and serve it ancient city style to a lip sync performance of a “special song” the Boulets have picked out. It’s giving Pearl in her Wicked Witch of the West fantasy.
Fright Feat
Not one to forget torturing their cast for entertainment, the Boulets announce that this week’s Fright Feat is to play and survive a game of Burn the Witch in which they’ll be served some of the hottest foods on the planet. Whoever manages to stuff it all down like Vhagar the dragon, will be given the ability to cast The Curse of Baldness on a fellow competitor. In a wig-snatching twist, the cursed Titan’s wig or headpiece will evaporate for the entirety of the floor show. As Melissa so eloquently puts it, they will be “bald, just pelona, bald.” Given the typically grotesque nature of this show’s lewks, being a bald baddie may prove less of an issue for some more than others, so it would be wise to direct this witchcraft strategically.
HoSo quips that they’re “worried for a lot of white people here,” while Erika the Extermination Kween says she is determined to win the Feat and prove her worth. Kendra leads a toast as they gulp down their first ill-advised consumable, and the ‘ookiest episode of Hot Ones begins!
Level 1: Vato Loco Blood Mary – Easy, right?
Level 2: Cayenne-laced Jalapeño – Tears are welling.
Level 3: Moruga Scorpion Peanuts – Gags are gagging.
Level 4: Plutonium No. 6 Hot Sauce – Snot is flying.
Level 5: Hellfire Wasabi Habaneros – Yovska and Koco are first out.
Level 6: Ghost Chili Pepper Amuse-Bouche – HoSo and Evah lead the charge as the Uglies start dropping like flies.
Level 7: Whole Ghost Chili Pepper – Melissa and Victoria are out.
Level 8: Trinidad Scorpion Chocolate – Abhora, Erika, and Kendra remain.
Level 9: Whole Carolina Reaper Pepper – Kendra is out, leaving last week’s bottom two to battle for the win.
Level 10: Pepper X – A bonus round, since production did not think anyone would last this long.
Level 11: All Levels Combined – Somehow, Abhora and Erika stuck it out this long and are forced to consume everything on the list at once.
Ultimately, Erika licks her plate clean first and prevails. Without any semblance of strategy, she predictably casts The Curse of Baldness upon Abhora for “doubting” her during the Feat, which she later explains was to put Abhora in her place.
And with that tomfoolery finished, Koco leads a group vogueing session to the tune of “Who that witch bitch?” while Erika presumably sets fire to the rain in the restroom.
Floor Show & Judgment
The lights dim, and all oxygen is sucked out of the room. The Boulet Brothers appear on the main stage with high ponytailed deep space lewks that can only be described as “Ellen Ripley listened to Ariana Grande while skinning a Xenomorph.” The pair introduce returning guest judges Bonnie Aarons of The Nun, whose enthusiasm for horror is always appreciated, and Darrein Stein, director of Jawbreaker and first-ever guest judge on the show way back in Season 1.
The first true floor show of the season begins, and the witchy mist-shrouded silhouettes we love to see, appear on stage. This eeriness does not last long, though, because the super secret lip sync song is revealed to be the early aughts viral-before-there-was-viral classic “Shoes” by Kelly. Gagula has somehow gotten gayer and the juxtaposition of these (mostly) terrifying witches performing such a silly and flamboyant song is hilarious. The clear lipsync assassins of the night are Kendra, Evah, HoSo, and Koco. Kendra is nothing if not a performer, with Koco not far behind, and Evah and HoSo bring their characters to life with broom and bubble wand props, respectively. Astrud and Erika kinda-sorta-not-really-vogue-the-house-down-toots, while Yovska, Victoria, and Melissa fade into the background. And finally, the resurrected witch bitch, Abhora, quite honestly slays the performance despite suffering from curse-induced alopecia. Their performance is campy, creepy, and everything we love about that goon.
Now, let’s get some shoes. The Titans model their hooves for the judges, and the Boulets are left somewhat unimpressed. They describe a disconnect between those who succeeded and those that stepped in shit. Erika, displaying a candy corny witch lewk and poorly performed lip sync, remains safe due to a sickening runway in which she literally gags on a sickle. Her fellow Haus of Basic competitor, Astrud, gets by on all looks and no substance, and Koco remains safe by doing the opposite. Abhora, always her own worst enemy, could have easily been at the top of this challenge. Their shoes were Dracmorda’s favorite of the night, and her spiral design turned her Curse in on itself, but as usual, they could not get through the performance without tripping over themselves.
Melissa, serving Diane Keaton back from the dead First Wives Club eleganza, tried a bit too hard with the prosthetics. While not necessarily bad, it isn’t the “deadly, serving, c*nty” Melissa BeFirece we know and love, and Titans is not the time to try something new. She remains safe, with her bottom-landing critiques more of a warning than a scolding. Kendra, on the other hand, performed to perfection, but her shoes were the worst of the week as she hardly customized them at all. And finally, Yovska gets into trouble for serving last week’s Abhora. During judgment, their skull-themed candy witch becomes an eyesore under the harsh studio lights, and their paper mache shoes are hardly visible underneath the outfit. Potion backfired.
That leaves Victoria, Evah, and HoSo at the top of the coven for this week’s challenge. Victoria, as expected, looks fantastic as a one-eyed witch who carries her plucked oculus in a jar of its own. Her bony shoes are jaw-dropping, but her performance was lacking compared to her sisters. HoSo wowed the judges in rat-strewn shoes as a Mad Catter animalistic witch who wears their victims like this year’s runway. But their witch-adjacent vibe isn’t enough for the win, and so it’s handed to Evah Destruction. Evah’s witch lewk may be a bit on the nose, but that’s exactly what’s so charming about it. The broomography sold her performance, and her shoes looked as if the Book of the Dead had a date with a cobbler. She’s over the moon with positive critiques. Blessed be!
Last Rites
The voting from last week, which added a certain level of spice to the competition due to a lack of Exterminations, is strangely missing this time. Instead, Yovska and Kendra must await the Boulet’s final judgment backstage while the ghouls get to gaggling. As such, the drama is fairly chill this week, with the biggest scuffle occurring between Kendra and Yovska. Kendra seems to be asking the others who did the worst for the pleasure of hearing Yovska’s name called out, which Yovska says comes across as a display of insecurity. A small cussing match ensues between the duo and Koco, who sticks up for Kendra before everyone agrees to disagree and shuts up. But before any souls can be damned, production creates some drama of its own by conveniently forgetting to clean up a vote from last week. Abhora quietly saunters over and sees that the name written down is Yovska, and HoSo admits to voting for them in an attempt to stave off votes from one-third of their throuple. Abhora’s revelry is short-lived as HoSo and Astrud fondly reminisce on a hot wax session that fell between the “cracks.” Oh my!
The time has come for Kendra and Yovska to climb the Staircase of Souls and brace for impact. In congruence with everyone’s thoughts backstage, Yovska is the unlucky soul. They drop into oblivion, and we watch as their portrait appears where Abhora’s once hung. We hear the faint sound of a flushing toilet as the screen fades to black.
Quote of the Episode
“My bussy is sweating!” – Melissa BeFierce during the Fright Feat
Honorable Mention
Last week’s victim and this week’s surprise twist, Abhora, laid it all on the line during the challenge. Their spiral concept swatted away that pesky Curse of Baldness, and their wacky personality shone through during the lip sync. Unfortunately, they couldn’t manage to stand up straight through it all.
Rating
As entertaining an episode as any, it’s always curious to see what witchy wonders the show’s Uglies conjure up. However, the drama is cut down considerably with no voting and no exterminations. Instead of a climax, we’re given blue balls. Yes, these Titans have already been murdered during their seasons, but if we’re not going to get an exquisitely filmed death scene, it’d be nice to watch them slit each other’s throats over votes. Perhaps filming so soon after the World Tour threw a wrench in the usual theatrics? (7/10 Fiery Snot Rockets)
As genre fans, we see a lot of streamers vying for our dollars and promising to give us the gory goods. In addition to the usual suspects, we usually get a handful, geared specifically towards genre fans, that pop up every once in a while. While some deliver and stick around, like Shudder, others end up leaving us nothing but fond memories, like Chiller. With streamers like Arrow Video, Midnight Pulp, Screambox, Scream TV, etc., it’s hard to know which apps are worth the time and money anymore. Which is why, after learning about Night Flight Plus at Brooklyn Horror Film Fest, I decided to take this streamer for a test drive. I ran through the library and took notes to help you figure out if this site deserves a slot in your streaming app lineup. Let us dive in.
What Even Is Night Flight Plus?
First things first, Night Flight Plus is not just a horror app. It launched in 2016 and is built around the 1980s USA Network series Night Flight. So, they have episodes of that show and walk a fine line between genre and music documentaries. The site celebrates counterculture. Meaning there is a ton of cool stuff for film and music nerds alike. While a lot of their horror movies can be found on other apps (look right at Shudder and Kanopy), they have a robust animated film section and a ridiculous amount of short films. So, it is setting itself apart from most other streamers simply by having a decent-sized smorgasbord of random cool stuff. I personally have my eye on New York Dolls – Lookin’ Fine On Television if I have time to step outside of the horror space while playing on the app.
What Movies Are Streaming This Month?
This month’s categories of note include: Black Phone 2: Curated by Director Scott Derrickson. Derrickson proves he has a taste and has assembled a lineup which includes Tetsuo: The Iron Man, Opera, a 1988 video profile of John Carpenter, and a handful of documentaries about film and music.
In keeping with the Black Phone 2 theme, Night Flight Plus also has: Black Phone 2: Late-Nite Faves 1980-82. This section includes The Boogeyman (1980), Fade to Black, Butcher, Baker, Nightmare Maker, and Dark Night of the Scarecrow. It also has the movie that introduced me to the world of Frank Henenlotter, Basket Case.
However, it’s the Japanese Horror section that pulled me in. Evil Dead Trap, Evil Dead Trap 2: Hideki, Bloody Muscle Body Builder In Hell, Dead Sushi, and Madame O. While some can be found in other corners of the internet, a few are movies that have eluded me for years. So, I will definitely be making time to cross these off my list while I have access to this app.
But Wait! There’s More!
Night Flight Plus also offers label showcases for companies like Yellow Veil, Severin Films, Blue Underground, and Arrow Video. The eclectic categories also include sections of work directed by Lucio Fulci, Dario Argento, and Antonio Margheriti. I also appreciate the thought to add “Blaxploitation, Mob Action and Rough Street Justice” and include Black films off the beaten path. Action fans might want to check out the Bruceploitation Collection, featuring 11 Bruce Lee films at the moment. Overall, the streamer feels like one of those restaurants that dabbles in various kinds of cuisine, and you have to figure out where it excels.
Because memberships are as low as $6.99 per month (or $59.99 for an annual unlimited access), I think it is worth checking out for a month or two. If things get serious, you can definitely think about making a long-term commitment. To sweeten the deal, Night Flight Plus is available on Roku, Apple TV, iPhone, Android, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast, Google Play, and Sony. You can also view their library on a web browser if none of those options work for you.
Night Flight Plus is currently offering seven-day trials for people who want to try it before they buy it. They also allow you to have the service on as many devices as you please, unlike Netflix. So, if you’re looking to get into some fringe, cult, and punk cinema, you might want to give it a whirl. However, if none of these deep cuts and nearly forgotten gems get you excited, then this isn’t the streamer for you.
You can check out Night Flight Plus here.
Do you know what time it is? It’s time to float, baby—because Stephen King’s It is returning to our screens! Developed by Andy Muschietti, Barbara Muschietti, and Jason Fuchs, the latter of whom also serves as co-showrunner alongside Brad Caleb Kane, It: Welcome to Derry is a prequel series to 2017’s It and 2019’s It Chapter Two and is set in 1962, 27 years before the events of the first film. Pennywise (played once again by Bill Skarsgård) is back for another child-eating cycle, so you’d better stay out of the sewers, even if you see a shiny red balloon down there.
Ahead of the series’ HBO and HBO Max premiere on October 26, the cast and creatives behind It: Welcome to Derry took to the Empire Stage at New York Comic Con to tease the horrors in store. If you couldn’t make it, never fear (well, maybe fear a little—you taste so much better when you’re afraid) because we’ve rounded up the highlights right here.
It: Welcome to Derry Is Based on Mike Hanlon’s Interludes from Stephen King’s Original Novel
If you’re a Constant Reader of Stephen King, you might remember that the 1986 novel It includes a series of five first-person “interludes” documented by Mike Hanlon (played in the films by Chosen Jacobs and Isaiah Mustafa), Derry’s town librarian and unofficial historian. These serve to flesh out the sinister world of Derry, which is a character in and of itself, and to help the reader appreciate just how far back Pennywise’s dark influence over the town goes. As Andy Muschietti put it during the panel, the interludes are “a puzzle that was intentionally unfinished in the book,” one that sparked an idea in the minds of the series’ creators.
“For me,” he says, “those interludes were kind of a blueprint for a different story, a hidden story, a story that is not told forward but a story that is told backward and has, as a final conclusion, the events in which It became Pennywise.” Why is the story being told backward? You’ll have to see the show to find out.
Photo taken by Samantha McLaren.
The Story Centers on Mike Hanlon’s Grandfather and His Family
We caught a glimpse of Leroy Hanlon, Mike Hanlon’s grandfather, in 2017’s It, where he was teaching the young boy how to use a bolt pistol to kill sheep. In It: Welcome to Derry, we’ll meet a young Leroy, played by Jovan Adepo, just as he’s moving to Derry with his wife, Charlotte (Taylour Paige), and their son—right in time for a kid to disappear in town.
Leroy is a “flyboy” in the U.S. Air Force, which was especially meaningful to Adepo, whose own father was a military man. “Getting a chance to play, in some form, a version of who I thought my father was as a child was really exciting for me,” he says.
Adepo notes that Leroy is in search of a better life for his family, which he’s probably not going to find in the clown murder capital of America, and teases that the man has a “very unique relationship with fear.” As for his wife, Paige says that Charlotte “has a sacral sense that something is just not right in Derry.
“It’s frightening to think that you’re losing your mind,” she says. “It’s frightening to feel hysterical, and everyone around you being like ‘oh, we’re good.’”
The 1960s Setting Creates New Opportunities for Anxiety and Fear
Stephen King’s It is split between the late 1950s (for the child portion) and the mid-1980s (for the adult portion). The film adaptations shifted these time periods up to 1989 and 2016, respectively. Since Pennywise’s murderous cycle occurs every 27 years, this means the prequel series is set in 1962, which allowed the creative team to tap into some of the themes and ideas present in King’s 50s setting.
“What we couldn’t do in the movie in terms of era… we’re doing now,” Andy Muschietti explains. “It’s closer in spirit and also in textures and feel to what the book was.”
“I love doing complex, interconnected, very character-rich shows,” says co-showrunner Brad Caleb Kane. “Setting it in 1962… that was very interesting to me, particularly when you’re dealing with a monster, an interdimensional creature, who uses fear and hatred to divide, and you’re talking about 1962 in America. Well, that’s a very rich and specific area to mine.”
This period of intense social anxiety and political instability in America would be nothing short of a buffet for Pennywise, for whom fear is flavoring. As King writes, “adults had their own terrors, and their glands could be tapped, opened so that all the chemicals of fear flooded the body and salted the meat.” In that case, our favorite Dancing Clown might want to monitor Its sodium levels.
“Derry is a microcosm for America,” Kane adds.
Indigenous Characters Will Play a Major Role in It: Welcome to Derry
It Chapter Two caught some heat in 2019 for its inauthentic inclusion of Native American spiritualism as a plot device. It: Welcome to Derry seems to be making strides to correct that mistake through the character of Rose, played in the series by Kimberly Guerrero. (That’s the same Rose, by the way, who owns Second Hand Rose, the pawn shop glimpsed in It Chapter Two and staffed by King himself in a cameo appearance.)
“The Stephen King universe is a family, but it’s a family that we’ve been left out of,” Guerrero says. “The native story has been there, but we were never able to join you all at the table. We have stories, too—and boy, what a story!”
Guerrero notes that the story of Derry, where something evil lurks in the sewers just out of sight, is one that will feel familiar to Indigenous audiences, saying, “I have never been to a reservation or a Native American community that did not have a place where you do not go. You do not go because you do not know.” But Rose does know, and she’s doing her darndest to protect against It. Her greatest fear is something happening on her watch.
“It was such a gift to get to play this Indigenous character that has had all this ancestral knowledge that’s been passed down from generation to generation to generation,” Guerrero enthuses. “Rose knows—my community in this story knows—everything that happened before Derry was Derry. There was a first Loser’s Club, and that Loser’s Club was a group of Indigenous kids.”
Photo taken by Samantha McLaren.
James Remar Was Thinking about Retirement before Getting the Call
Rose’s story in It: Welcome to Derry is closely connected to that of General Francis Shaw, played by James Remar. The actor, who recently reprised the role of Harry Morgan in Dexter: Resurrection, says he was considering retirement when the opportunity to join the Stephen King universe fell into his lap.
“I was in the parking lot of a Pavilions grocery store and I was thinking to myself, well, it doesn’t really matter if I don’t work anymore,” Remar recalls. “I got into the car and I got a phone call from my agent, and they said ‘Andy and Barbara Muschietti want to meet you for this undisclosed project, and they’re only meeting one actor.”
“I admired this man since I was a child,” Andy Muschietti explains. “When he said yes, I couldn’t believe it.”
Remar, who brought his own experiences growing up in the 1960s to the table, says his character was saved from Pennywise by Rose when they were kids. They fell in love and had a whirlwind romance as only 9-year-olds who have been terrorized by an ancient evil entity can, though Shaw’s psyche was “shattered” by his encounter with It. Now in charge of strategic air command for the northeastern United States, General Shaw returns to Derry on assignment and reunites with his old flame just as the cycle begins again.
“I feel that my character is drawn back to Derry,” Remar says. “It’s out of my control… I’ve forgotten it in large part, but it’s in the fabric of my being, and I go to Rose.”
We’ll See a Different Side of the Shining’s Dick Hallorann
Audiences will meet plenty of new characters in It: Welcome to Derry. But one character who is likely very familiar to Stephen King fans is Dick Hallorann, the man who would go on to become head chef at the Overlook Hotel and who would use his “shine” to help save Danny Torrance from the terrifying forces lurking within its halls. Hallorann is a central character in The Shining (played by Scatman Crothers in Stanley Kubrick’s film adaptation, and by Melvin Van Peebles in Mick Garris’ 1977 miniseries) and a tertiary one in Doctor Sleep (portrayed by Carl Lumbly in Mike Flannagan’s adaptation). However, Constant Readers will know that Hallorann also has ties to Derry, where he founded The Black Spot bar, the site of a racially-motivated attack. According to Chris Chalk, the actor bringing this iconic character back to the screen in It: Welcome to Derry, the version of Hallorann we meet in the series is quite different to the older, gentler version we know and love.
“Dick is in Derry because Dick fucked up,” says Chalk. “Dick thinks all of these people are corny, he doesn’t respect a single one of them, and that’s the journey of Dick. The Dick you know is super nice. Good luck with this Dick!”
In an exclusive clip played for the NYCC audience, Hallorann—who was a mess cook in the military during his younger years—has a terrifying vision of Pennywise while flying high overhead in a U.S. Air Force plane, seeing the ruin’s of Bob Gray’s circus wagon and dead children suspended in the air in the sewer.
“You’re going to meet him at a stage where he has a different relationship with his internal self, with his spiritual world,” Chalk adds of Hallorann, “and his biggest fear is himself and losing control.”
Photo taken by Samantha McLaren.
Pennywise Is Here, but You Won’t See the Iconic Clown Right Away
We’ve been dancing around the Dancing Clown a lot in this article without looking directly at It. Don’t worry, Pennywise stans, It’s definitely part of the series—but you might not see It in Its clown form right away.
“He’s our shark,” says Barbara Muschietti, referencing Jaws’ tactic of teasing viewers with sightings before a sudden and shocking reveal. “We believe wholeheartedly that we can’t allow the audience to get comfortable with It. We had to hide the ball.”
“Part of the unpredictability is, ‘When is the clown going to show up?’” adds Andy Muschietti. “I can’t tell you when! But he will… He’s present in other incarnations for a while and then, when you least expect it, there he is.”
It: Welcome to Derry will premiere on HBO and HBO Max October 26th, 2025.
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2025: ‘Buffet Infinity’ Review
Brooklyn Horror Film Fest 2025: ‘It Needs Eyes’ Review
Brooklyn Horror Film Fest 2025: ‘Lucid’ Review
Brooklyn Horror Film Fest 2025: ‘Boorman and the Devil’ Review
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2025: ‘Violence’ Review
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival 2025: ‘New Group’ Review
Is Night Flight Plus Your Next Favorite Streamer?
‘Queens of the Dead’ Took a Bite Out of Brooklyn Horror Fest
‘Black Phone 2’ Review: Colder, Meaner, Faster—But Is It Better?
The Worst Blumhouse Movies and Why They Miss the Mark
‘The People Under the Stairs’ Review: A Brilliantly Bizarre Undercover Horror Classic
Glen and Glenda: Don Mancini’s Reverence for Queerness in ‘Seed of Chucky’ (2004)
Slappy Was the Blueprint: How the Dummy from Goosebumps Became A Horror Icon
‘Five Nights at Freddy’s’ and The Story of William Afton Explained
‘Truth or Dare’: Who Did it Best?
The 11 Most Disturbing Horror Movies Ever, According to an Actual Horror Fan
V/H/S Franchise Ranked, Best to Worst
[REVIEW] ‘Cherry Falls’ (1999) Brittany Murphy Shines in This Cult Classic Slasher
Everything You Need to Know About Jason Voorhees
