Which brings me to Resurrection, the latest installment to bear their moniker. With hesitancy, I decided to give Resurrection a try. Streaming solely on Shudder it must have some merit, right? Unlike RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, the Boulet Brothers hand pick past contestants from previous seasons – and provide this “All Stars” of their own concoction. In it, they choose whom they deem worthy enough to appear in Dragula’s upcoming Season 4. With Resurrection, shot entirely during the pandemic amid riots and Covid-19 spikes, we get a two-hour dirge of horror that only these brothers can provide. Imagine the antithesis to RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, where former contestants instead must exemplify drag of the horrific kind. Blood and guts are not out of the question. And in the case of this entry, taxidermy as a headdress is applauded.
Seven contestants are visited upon by the brothers, and opposed to seasons past, we get a more intimate look at them this time. Having been eliminated on their previous seasons, here they get an opportunity to shine anew, with the added twist of doing a floorshow from the comfort of their own homes and environs. Which proves to be an advantage for some. Here we meet again Dahli, Kendra Onixxx, SAINT, Loris, Priscilla Chambers, Victoria Black and Frankie Doom.
The unique thing about Resurrection is that it completely takes it time. If you are used to slick editing and fast quips from Drag Race, you won’t find that here. Instead, you get tremendous focus on the contestants and their processes, interspersed with devilish interstitials from the Boulet Brothers. It feels like a car crash, but instead of just glancing at it, we linger.
Each contestant stands out in their own way. We are even treated to Kendra Onixxx’s emotional recovery from a fire effect which went wrong during a public performance. And where Drag Race shies away, we are immersed in the story of Priscilla Chambers as she transitions into her true self, all the while defining that drag is something everyone can do to share their art, no matter your gender or how you identify.
With references to the Black Lives Matter Movement and the surrounding pandemic, the contestants dive deep (often, quite literally) into the categories of Witch, Ghost and Vampire. The manner in which the winner is revealed at the end is even grotesquely and creatively done.
So, if you are looking for a change from Ru and don’t mind intense horror with your drag, then eat this up! And if you don’t, dine elsewhere. The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Resurrection is streaming solely on Shudder.
