Dragula Titans Season 1 Episode 1 (TV Series, 2022)
Dragula Titans: Season 1, Episode 1 Review (TV Series, 2022)
Content warning: blood, gore, foul language, nudity (simulated), smoking (simulated)
Editorial note: these Dragula: Titans reviews will feature spoilers for each episode. You’ve been warned.
If you’ve ever wanted even more from some of the most memorable drag monsters in the history of Dragula, your dreams have been fulfilled. Dragula Titans is the new spin-off series from the Boulet Brothers. 10 former contestants who didn’t take the title their first time around return to compete for $100,000 and the title of Dragula Titan.
Each week, they’ll compete in a Fright Feat that determines if they move on to the Floor Show or not. Fail to impress during the Fright Feat and the previously eliminated contestant might step in and take your place. Eliminations are determined by a group vote and no one is safe. The Boulet Brothers and the judges determine a ranking and even a winner, but nine contestants could decide that the winner should be sent back to the Underworld to make their path in the contest easier.
The format works. As we saw with both Saint and Dahli during Season 4, getting that second chance to come back into the Boudoir and fight for the Dragula crown can make a huge difference in how you approach the contest. You’ve had the feedback from the Boulet Brothers. You’ve been on set. You know how the process works. Most importantly, you’ve learned firsthand that Dragula is a venue for drag artists to show off who they are and what they do with no inhibitions.
These returning Titans took the note and truly delivered in episode one.
Koco Caine is the first contestant to reenter the competition. They were one of my favorites in Season 4, a deadly combination of beauty, attitude, and a razor-sharp tongue. Everything about Koco is amped up this season, including their impeccable padding skills.
Next to enter is Season 1 runner-up Melissa BeFierce. Melissa quickly became one of my favorite contestants of all time with her confidence, drag artistry, and performance skills on her season. She cemented that position with what is still the greatest Filth Floor Show we’ve ever seen in the finale. A Melissa who understands exactly what the judges want is a real threat to win this season.
Up next is Evah Destruction from Season 3. Evah is a fantastic drag artist who has evolved more since their season than anyone else on the show. She has fully embraced her body hair, perfected her face, and has the ease on camera to really stand out this time around.
Erika Klash from Season 2 walks in next and I’m thrilled to see her back. Erika is an anime and video game-inspired drag artist in shades of neon and contour of manga screen tones. She’s created some of my favorite moments in the entire series and I’m excited to see her aesthetic back on my screen. Erika knows her drag and performs the hell out of it each time.
Next up is Season 3’s cryptid Yovska. Yovska…no one does what Yovska does. They’re like a demented stuffed toy come to life with each costume. They are great TV and I’m excited to see more of that brilliant mind showing off what they do.
Season 4 standout Astrud Aurelia steps out in the new phase of their drag persona. They do this incredible armored, scaled drag pulling from reptiles. Remember their winning Alien look? That’s the direction all of their drag went with even better craftsmanship. Astrud looks like they’re ready to fight this season and I’m excited to see it.
Season 4 finalist Hoso Terra Toma comes out next. Hoso is in the interesting position of coming straight off of the Dragula World Tour. Titans was being planned while the Boulet Brothers were touring with the Season 4 finalists. Per the Creatures of the Night podcast, hosted by the Boulet Brothers, Hoso was sketching designs on the tour bus in her free time so she was ready to go. They came to fight and have a clearer vision of their yokai aesthetic this time around.
Season 2 fan favorite Abhora enters next. Abhora is a nasty little gremlin of drag who will never give you what you expect each week. Her aesthetic is chaos and horror and I’m here for it. She said it herself: she’s the only contestant to win a challenge and be up for extermination for her performance in that same challenge in one episode.
Fellow Dragula reviewer, Season 2 contestant, and Resurrection standout Kendra Onixxx enters next. I love everything about Kendra Onixxx. She gets underestimated a lot for not doing full-out monster drag each time, but that’s never been what Dragula is about. Kendra is a drag queen’s drag queen who sells everything she brings to the Floor Show and makes good TV. They could bring her back some way every season and I’d never grow tired of her. Remember to subscribe to Haus of GOREgeous for the BOUview, one of the most entertaining reaction shows in all of reality TV.
Last but not least is Season 2 and Resurrection’s Victoria Elizabeth Black. Victoria is one of the most technically gifted makeup artists and costumers to ever appear on the show. Her mastery of prosthetics, latex, special effects, and construction mean you’ll never see an unfinished hem in a Floor Show. Just remember the judging on Resurrection. It really seems like Victoria could’ve been named the winner, but her own interests and the Boulet Brothers’ respect for her performance meant this all star Titans season would be where she truly belonged.
After bobbing for apples in vats of blood, the contestants prepare for a Halloween House Party. Each contestant has to recreate a classic Halloween costume and perform a lipsync to “I Was a Teenage Monster.” I’ll stick to the entrance order for consistency this week.
Koko Caine is the Mummy and it’s very Koco. I like the look a lot. Koco is that girl you’ll see at a Halloween house party doing the most while wearing the least. It’s very on brand. I think they messed up the choreography and lipsync a bit too much, so they were criticized for comparatively having a simple costume.
Melissa BeFierce is a Vampire and has one of my favorite looks of the night. Remember that Melissa knows what the Boulet Brothers want now. Her face is stamped with a fantastic vampire prosthetic and she’s wearing fully rhinestoned and articulating bat wings. Her lipsync and choreography are correct. She’s easily in the top half for this challenge.
Evah Destruction is the Devil. This is fantastic. Like Melissa, Evah knows her words and knows her choreography. She sells the hell out of the Ouija board scene and looks fantastic. This is the best her makeup has ever looked on the show and the costume and the props are perfection. Her top 3 placement is well-deserved.
Erika Klash is a Bat. It’s so cute. I can’t. I understand that it’s a kigurumi-style costume and I don’t care. This is a modern take on a classic bat costume elevated to drag. There are stones everywhere. The bat has fur where it should have fur. The red vinyl wings pop against the black body and Erika’s makeup is strong as ever.
Yovska is a Jack-O-Lantern who looks suspiciously like a cross between a living pumpkin and the Pokémon Phantump; I approve. They also have two equally large pumpkins for breasts and a classic black and orange witch-inspired costume. Their lipsync is fantastic, but the choice to black out the mouth and lips makes it harder to see from a distance. They’re another clear competitor in the top half.
Astrud Aurelia is The Creature from the Black Lagoon and I love this look. The Creature is one of my favorite Universal Monsters and Astrud finds a new take on it with that cosplay-styled sculpted armor and rice paper scales. They also nail the tone of “I Was A Teenage Monster” better than anyone else. It’s a goofy surf-rock Halloween anthem and Astrud is embodying goofy dad crashing the Halloween party vibes.
Hoso Terra Toma is a Pirate, the ship, the parrot, and the whole crew wrapped up in one costume. It’s an impressive look. Hoso likes to do the most and they do that here. They play well off of Evah in the Ouija scene. I think they only fell short in that “I know what that is” recognition element. It took a few seconds to see that they were a pirate.
Abhora is an “Alien.”
Let’s cut to it. You can see in the Boudoir that Abhora was going to be the Flatwoods Monster. It’s in her notes on the table. This is an alien cryptid with a head like the ace of spades and glowing red eyes. It’s also supposed to be 10 feet tall, so you could imagine that Abhora might have planned this as a stilt costume. Something went wrong and she had to pull out a backup plan. Alien it was. This was not her best work, she didn’t know the lipsync, and she knew she messed up.
Kendra Onixxx’s look is fire. She’s Frankenstein’s Monster by way of Grace Jones. It’s awesome. Kendra knows how to sell a character and a song. The costume is simpler than some of the other contestants, but simple doesn’t mean bad. Kendra nailed the recreation without losing the identity of the costume element of the challenge.
Last but not least is Victoria Elizabeth Black, also performing as a Jack-O-Lantern. Victoria brought out the most impressive and expressive prosthetic we’ve ever seen on the show. Her carved pumpkin face could move and capture the full range of human emotion. Then there is the gag of the wig reveal showing off a pile of pumpkin guts on top of her head. In a challenge where so many contestants impressed me, Victoria turned out to be a clear winner. The Boulet Brothers agreed.
Based on the group vote, the bottom two are Abhora and Erika Klash. Abhora loses the vote and get sent through a trapdoor back to the Underworld. Erika flips off her fellow competitors while everyone looks on in shock.
Well…everyone except for Koco. She is laughing so hard, Kendra’s telling her to stop. If that’s not Dragula behavior, I don’t know what is.
Dragula Titans premieres new episodes every Tuesday night on Shudder.
