Every September, blood begins to pump into this old dead heart. The reason for this is simple. A new season of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula is almost here. Earlier this month, the Boulet Brothers were kind enough to release the Meet Our Monsters promo, detailing the contestants for the upcoming season.
The Boulet Brother’s Dragula has grown in popularity since its release on YouTube. Each new season promises to push the boundaries of drag and promote some of the best alternative drag artists in the world. Luckily, the Boulet Brothers were kind enough to sit down and have a chat about what to expect in this new season of frights.
iHorror: This is the first season without Ian. What kind of impact did that have? Were there moments that you wished he was present?
Dracmorda Boulet: I always wish Ian was here. Ian, on the side, is kind of my best friend too. We still talk all the time. Production is hard and he has been there since the beginning. I get why he needed a break. He still came to set a couple of times but I did miss him there.
There is a dark blessing over the show. After Titans, we said everything is new and we are reinventing things. While his leaving is sad, it also left some vacancies for new people to bring their energy into the crew. Who knows, maybe one day he will come back.
Swanthula Boulet: I was a little terrified at first. He has been a part of this since day one. It’s like someone from your family being lost or losing a limb. How will we endure? We just figured out a new normal and have remained doing the stuff that we love.
iHorror: As reality series grow, they tend to add spin offs with new locations. Is that something the two of you have considered?
Dracmorda Boulet: I don’t see that. There has been some chatter about a U.K. version of the show. That would be really exciting, but we don’t want to franchise out. It’s so integral to us, I don’t think we would ever do that.
Swanthula Boulet: We are intimately intertwined with almost every aspect (of the show). Our hand is in almost every pot. We are very closely connected to crafting what people see on TV. If another franchise sprouted, we would absolutely be at the helm.
iHorror: You have talked about the difficulty of outdoor events before. Was that more of a challenge now that the show has grown in popularity?
Dracmorda Boulet: A little bit. Mostly in do you bring guest judges out to the location? We don’t want to ask that of them. You don’t see us on location judging but you do see the competitors in the wild. We just have to find much more hidden locations nowadays.
iHorror: What is the most shocking thing that happened on set that didn’t make it to air?
Dracmorda Boulet: A competitor who was eliminated went back into the lab and completely wrecked someone else’s station. That was, you know, a lot.
Swanthula Boulet: It was kind of awesome but also not something we wanted to put out there. Fans can be really mean and cruel. If someone did something like that in a moment of weakness, we wouldn’t want to benefit from it in any way. We would rather protect them a little bit.
iHorror: You stated in the podcast recently that season 6 will have the same vibes as season 2, can you elaborate on that?
Swanthula Boulet: Season 2 lives on in people’s hearts as a sweetheart season. The competitors were confrontational in a way that new reality TV shows tend to not show. They don’t want to say everything because they are afraid of how fans will react.
We didn’t have any of that in season 2. That season was more about being queer, creative and the conflict that goes along with that. That’s what we are talking about.
iHorror: You have both spoken to your fans and asked them to tone down the hate towards your competitors in the past. Do you think that this has had any impact on them?
Dracmorda Boulet: I don’t. I think that the people that participate in that, are not true fans. If they were, they would understand the message of our show, which is not about hate. I think that this is a problem with reality TV shows in general.
iHorror: Why do you think there has been an explosion in drag in the Last 10 years?
Swanthula Boulet: We need to give Drag Race its accolades. They really pioneered the movement. It became like queer people’s football teams. It’s accessible, every town has their own drag queen. It is something for queer people to rally around.
iHorror: If you could remake any horror film using the Boulet Brothers’ Dragula contestants, what would it be?
Dracmorda Boulet: It would have to be something campy. The acting limitations of our cast would not allow for some of the films I would like to make.
Swanthula Boulet: For me it’s easy, it’s the Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Dracmorda Boulet: After the singing challenge this year, I am not sure that I would agree with that.
Season 666 of the Boulet Brother’s Dragula premieres on AMC+ and Shudder on October 1st, 2024. Also, make sure to check out their new EP, The Boulet Brother’s Halloween House Party on Spotify on October 4th.
