B Movies Blog

Hello, Movie Mavens! Welcome back to the B Movies Blog. Today, we’re popping all things Boulet Brothers into the ol’ VCR. 

Drag. Filth. Horror. Glamour. 

These four little words have become synonymous with a new wave of drag performances. These four little words have become a battle cry for the unconventional, the unfamiliar, and the (delightfully) unnerving. These four little words represent the empire and the weirdly wonderful world of Dracmorda and Swanthula Boulet, otherwise known as the Boulet Brothers.*

*Note: They aren’t brothers, but are partners. Don’t be gross. 

The Boulet Brothers were performing and hosting long before Dragula became a reality competition show. In fact, the duo has been giving a platform to alternative drag performances for years, if not decades. However, Shudder (and AMC by default) has finally given the Boulet Brothers the audience they’ve always deserved. 

Mothers. 

The first season of Dragula premiered all the way back in 2016. But, unfortunately, the Boulet Brothers didn’t hit my radar until circa 2019 when Austin’s own Louisianna Purchase appeared on season three. I was on my usual bus ride home when I saw Louisianna’s Instagram post announcing that season three of Dragula was on Netflix. 

To no one’s surprise, I spent the remainder of my bus ride and walk home Googling the Boulet Brothers, Dragula, and everything adjacent. I proceeded to stay up until an ungodly hour binging the third season, and was downright gleeful when I found out the first and second seasons were also available on YouTube and Netflix, respectively. 

After burning my way through all three seasons of Dragula, I recommended it to every single person I could. I’ve always followed certain queens from Drag Race, but I fell off after the first couple of seasons. Dragula was something unique and different and gave a voice to artists who are so often overlooked because they don’t fit the pageant queen mold. I was also working at a coffee chain and was absolutely miserable, and the Boulets gave me solace. 

Obsessed was, and still is, an understatement. 

How I think I look in the Halloween aisle at Walmart. 

Then, in 2020, I went home to stay with KP after her cancer diagnosis, and it became one of the absolute worst years of my life (not because of KP, but because of multiple other factors, including my grandmother who makes Margaret White look like a good time). Lo and behold, the Boulet Brothers were there, yet again, with Dragula: Resurrection.

Now, let’s fast-forward to 2021. KP came to visit me at my apartment, and I was rewatching Dragula during a bad mental health weekend. And, in surprise to no one, she LOVED it; we actually started the entire series over during her stay… and finished it all. 

We even had to pause an episode of season two when Biqtch Puddin talks about her relationship with her father because KP couldn’t fathom parents disowning their children; she also took this opportunity to remind me that she loved me for who I am, and my sexuality, in no way, made her love me less. 

Yes, we both cried, too. 

My sleep paralysis demons could never. 

I walked KP through how to use Shudder on her Roku at home, and we watched all of season four together. Sadly, it would be the last piece of Boulet Brothers content we’d ever get to watch together, as she passed away the following summer. 

Fast forward to April of 2023. Two pivotal things happened: 1) The Boulet Brothers released The Boulet Brothers’ Halfway to Halloween TV Special on April 25 and 2) I attended the Boulet Brothers’ Titans tour on April 26. 

As I previously mentioned, my mother passed away in the summer of 2022 after a two-year battle with cancer (you can read more about it in another piece I did). This means we’re rapidly approaching the first anniversary of her death on July 4. 

Me starring in my extremely problematic 4th grade play on Texas History. 

It sounds extremely cliched, but words can’t express how much I miss KP. It’s a pain worse than any other physical or emotional sensation I’ve ever felt. The closer we get to the anniversary of her death, the more I wish time would freeze at 11:59PM on July 3. 

However, the Boulet Brothers were there, yet again, with a special KP would have LOVED and a show that took me to church. I felt the closest to my mother I’ve felt since she died. I know she was there at the Paramount with me, and I know she would’ve been just as mesmerized  by Victoria Elizabeth Black’s performance as I was… and not just because Victoria Elizabeth Black is her favorite. 

The Boulet Brothers have not only crafted a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community, but they’ve created an entirely new area to celebrate drag artists. It’s a space where queer, horror lovin’ gals like me have all their boxes checked and feel totally at home. It’s also a space where I can remember my mother in a unique way she would’ve loved. 

Whether it be through content or live shows, the Boulet Brothers continue to remind me of how lucky I was to have the accepting mother I did. As well as to never wear Club Kid shoes. 

Me responding “No” when my friend asks if I’m dressing cute today. 

All four seasons of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula, The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula Titans, The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Resurrection, and The Boulet Brothers’ Halfway to Halloween TV Special are all now streaming on Shudder and AMC+. 

You can also find their podcast, Creatures of the Night, wherever you listen.