Hello Uglies! You know, here at Dragadventures every time Dragula airs we say we will do a recap as we adore the Boulet Brothers and the horror they’ve unleashed on the world. However life somehow always gets in the way (adulting in this crazy post-pandemic world is so much fun, isn’t it)! But this time we will commit to this and bring you all our recaps of Season 4, so without further ado, let’s bring some drag, horror, filth, and glamour to Dragadventures! Read on to see what our very own Kirsty thought of the first episode and the new cast of monsters …
Let’s start by saying this cast is incredible, just from the cast announcements I already had some favorites, but of course it‘s always amazing to add some new faces to the list. First in is Merrie Cherry, honestly, I would have failed walking into the workroom alone – scare mazes are horrific even without the feeling of those scare-actors; the urge to whack them is so strong in those surroundings, but the contestants all handle it well.
And we have some familiar faces appear on screen – Rupaul‘s Drag Race season 5 Jade Jolie is the newest monster to join the Boulets sisterhood! We also see Resurrection winner and season 3 queen Saint, will she have an advantage over the others? Well, we shall wait and see, what the audience loves the most about Dragula is how authentic it all feels, it’s all-natural reactions, no cheesy catchphrases and we’re on the journey with them from the get-go. So from these entrances, I’m most excited to see Hoso Terra Toma, Formelda Hyde, Saint, and Sigourney Beaver.
The Boulet Brothers arrive to welcome the ghouls, this season already seems like Shudder is giving them the production this show truly deserves. The winner will receive $100,000 and headline on the Dragula World Tour (give us the dates already!) .
The first challenge is brutal, to survive extermination they must work their way through a maze designed to shock and scare. At this point I would have turned around, I would take forever to navigate out a maze. For those of us who love Halloween, and fright nights we know the fear of these mazes and the struggle to get out when greeted by fear. We shall see how they get on, so let the games commence!
I’m obsessed by this theme park level of games they are having to endure, dont get me wrong I would not want to be in their shoes. But seeing them endure this level of challenge is so refreshing, and a great way to start up the competition. Everyone seems to be handling it well until Sigourney levitates across the room with a clown several times. Dragula doesn’t let up, it takes no prisoners it chews them and spits them out…. I love it.
The first-floor show challenge is a good one, the queens must transform themselves into a horror icon, and reimagine it to their own perspective. Again a great challenge, there are so many icons in the horror genre the possibilities are endless, it can be film, TV, books, and comics. But be warned no cosplays are to be seen or featured.
I don’t want to sound like a basic bitch, but I’m SO happy to see a fully developed and well-lit boudoir for them. I know it’s not aesthetic for Dragula to have a pristine room, they like to make it more on brand, we’ve seen queens get ready in the desert, etc but it’s nice to see a main center for the show. While the queens like myself appreciate the new Boudoir, they talk about their haunted house experience. But where is the other team? Are they being divided into separate teams to compete?
We are 32 mins into the episode and already the knives are flying, the girls exchange some friendly competitive words which become well….shady. Why is it we doubt the social media queens, is it because of the stigma of it being influencer culture? As to get a number of followers takes a lot of work, and if Formelda Hyde performs online, that is a great option for those who can’t attend the show for various reasons. For that reason, they have a fanbase based on that already, if anything that helps her?
The first-floor show is for a better term, insane. The looks that have been showcased already are so well thought out and high conceptual. The creativity for their horror icons is all so varied, and they all perform the character to a high standard. For me, the stand-out and best look was Hoso Terra Toma, but the winner is… Astrud Aurelia! A well-deserved win, leaving Formelda Hyde, Bitter Betty, and La Zavaleta in the bottom. I do agree with these choices, although I do think Merrie Cherry’s outfit was bottom-worthy, it didn’t read horror or imaginative it looked cosplay. But hey what do I know, the Boulets are the experts. Formelda Hyde and La Zavaleta are in the extermination, Bitter Betty stays for another week, I think out of the bottom Bitter Betty ranked lower. Her interpretation was good, however, the details in comparison to the others weren’t matched. Once again the Boulet’s are not playing around, to survive another week the queens are to take a trip to the local cemetery to be buried six feet deep in a coffin… No big deal. Oh and if that wasn’t enough, they’ll be joined by some friends in the form of creep-crawlies and vermin. Meanwhile backstage as the monsters relax, in like a whirlwind La Zavaleta is what I believe the word would be….mad, angry, and mid breakdown.
They fly at everyone and take digs at Formelda, hey it’s an intense situation and tensions are going to be rife, this is a very strong cast. For La Zavaleta this extermination is much tougher emotionally, the last time she was at a cemetery was to bury her sister, all of these emotions should channel into surviving the elimination. Your heart breaks for them, but this is the name of the game.
Both of them take to it bravely, they both handle themselves how most of us probably would. The water trickling in looked like that would be the worst part, almost like drowning due to the small area. La Zavaleta had the slight edge in eagerness to stay, the production of seeing them both run through the forest to escape the Boulets is everything. It’s a reminder of just how unique, fun, and brilliant Dragula is, and with a stab, it’s all over and we say goodbye to Formelda Hyde. It’s a game I was excited to see what they would bring, but alas support them in the real world on their socials here.
We can’t wait for next week, we’re watching on Shudder via Amazone Prime so who knows when it will be uploaded but fingers cross for Tuesdays!
Follow all things Dragula over on:
Instagram: @bouletbrothersdragula
