Dracmorda and Swanthula Boulet, better known as The Boulet Brothers, are back with The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans Season 2 — and they say it’s more brutal, ambitious and emotionally raw than anything they’ve done before. Gayety spoke with them about what that means, how they raised the stakes, and what fans can expect from this next chapter in horror drag competition.
Q: You’ve said this season is your most ambitious and brutal yet. What specific elements did you push further this time around?
Dracmorda: All of them, honestly. Our intention from the start was to make this feel like a monumental event, something that only comes along once every few years. Titans 1 was the most watched season of any Boulet Brothers’ Dragula content we’ve ever created, and while it was very successful, we knew viewers wanted more in some areas. We took a hard look at those elements and reimagined them with a twist. It is a delicate balance because Titans is its own distinct series, but at the same time there are signature Dragula moments fans expect to see, and they will.
Q: What were your creative goals, and how did you challenge yourselves as producers and directors this season?
Swanthula: We set out to pull from every corner of the Dragula universe. You will see echoes of Resurrection, the first Titans, and the classic Dragulaformula all fused together into one massive, high-stakes season.
Q: Filth, horror, and glamour remain core pillars. How have those been reimagined in Titans 2?
Dracmorda: We did not want to simply repeat what fans have seen before. This season twists those pillars into something darker and more unexpected, and the way the monsters are asked to embody them will shock even longtime viewers.
Q: Any teasers for new extermination formats or unexpected challenges fans should brace for?
Dracmorda: This season we have essentially unleashed every insane challenge we have ever dreamed up and combined them into one brutal gauntlet. From Fright Feats to Ghostly Gallows to the most extreme exterminations we have ever staged, the competitors are facing it all at once. It is the most punishing and over-the-top version of Dragula yet.
Q: Dragula has always married spectacle with vulnerability. How did you balance horror with emotional storytelling this season?
Swanthula: This is probably the rawest behind-the-scenes look we have ever aired. In the past, we sometimes edited things down to protect cast members from their own behavior, but that created two problems: one, the audience was left with an incomplete story and filled in the blanks with wild theories, and two, the cast rarely appreciated the protection. They are often not self-aware enough to realize we were doing it. So this time, we left it all in, and let me tell you, it is a lot.
Q: The guest judge lineup is stacked this season. What does it mean to bring horror and queer icons into the judging panel?
Dracmorda: It is very important to us. There is a formula behind how we pick judges, and the most important factor is that they have something valuable to offer the cast. You will never see a mean-spirited person on our panel who is only there to deliver a cruel soundbite. That is not what we are about. These are our monsters, and we are protective of them.
Q: What does the AMC Networks partnership allow you to do for Titans 2?
Swanthula: AMC has been an incredible partner, and they really see the value in the larger Boulet Brothers universe. They are extremely supportive and essentially give us the freedom to lock ourselves in our laboratory and make monsters without interference. That kind of trust is rare, and we are fortunate to have it.
Q: Looking ahead: where do you see Dragula and the horror drag genre going in the next five years?
Dracmorda: First, I do not lump what we do into a broad “queer horror” category, and I do not love the idea of calling it “queer TV.” It is just TV, entertainment with queer subtext, and I do not want to limit the audience with a label. Dragula is for anyone who has ever felt like an outcast, a freak, or someone who does not belong.
And just because we are queer creators does not mean everything we make should have our personal identities baked into the logline. Some of horror’s greatest creators were queer, but their work was not exclusively for queer audiences. James Whale, for example, was queer, and he directed Frankenstein (1931), The Old Dark House (1932), The Invisible Man (1933), and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Those are cornerstones of horror history that transcended labels.
We are horror characters and horror creators first and foremost, and that should always lead. As for the future of Dragula, it is incredibly successful and in some ways just beginning, because we have so many ideas for where to take it. That said, Dragula is demanding and consumes a lot of our focus, which can pull us away from creating scripted film and TV. Ultimately, that is where we are headed, so it all comes down to balancing the time.
