‘The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans’ Winner On Her Growth As A Drag Artist
Earlier this week marked the finale of the first season of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans, where queens from previous seasons came back to compete for the title of Titan of Dragula. After nine rounds of grueling competition and harrowing Fright Feats, the first Titan has been crowned: Victoria Elizabeth Black.
Victoria Elizabeth Black first appeared in season two of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula and was a runner-up. Then, she took part in The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Resurrection. Now, she has nabbed her well-deserved monstrous crown. Her looks in this season ran the gamut of intricately designed creatures to sickly sweet takes of the Crypt Keeper.
The Boulet Brothers themselves exclusively told Dread Central:
“We’re thrilled to crown Victoria as the first Titan of Dragula. As someone who competed on the main series a few times already, we feel she is the perfect example of a monster drag artist who evolved out of (and alongside) the show. This season of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula: Titans was really a love letter to the fans of the show, and to the competitors who (we felt) deserved another chance in the spotlight, and the experience was incredible.”
Dread Central spoke with Victoria Elizabeth Black over Zoom about her favorite look, the beauty of Dead Silence, and more.
Dread Central: Congratulations again on your big win. That is incredible. My first question, though, is how do you feel about your new title of Granny Hag From Hell? <laugh>
Victoria Elizabeth Black: <laugh>I mean, if it fits. <laugh> I guess I am kind of old. I can’t believe I’ve been doing drag now for over 10 years.
DC: <laugh>So you’ve been on The Boulet Brother’s Dragula a couple of times and so I wanted to hear from you how you felt you’ve grown as an artist and a performer.
VEB: Going from just club life to season two of The Boulet Brother’s Dragula and just seeing how much quieter I was and shy on camera. I really see how much I’ve opened up. I’m definitely more comfortable just being open with myself and my personality and not being so scared anymore. So I’ve enjoyed seeing that growth. Then, when it comes to the drag and the looks, it’s just like what I’ve created from then to now is so insane to me. I just like never thought I could create some of the stuff I’ve done for The Boulet Brother’s Dragula: Titans. That’s been really cool just to see my own growth and being pushed to my limits with the stress of not letting the fans down. So all of that really created something pretty monstrous I would say.
DC: I think so. And so what you said with this season, in particular, you created a lot of looks that you never thought you would’ve been able to create. Do you have a favorite look that you pulled off in The Boulet Brother’s Dragula: Titans?
VEB: Definitely my sci-fi challenge look. From the sculpting process of it to how the hell am I going to mold this and make a monster suit was just mind-boggling to me. I was gonna make it animatronic too, but I was like, ‘let’s scale it back’ <laugh>. But just figuring that out was insane and I couldn’t be more proud of how it turned out. I just love it. It came out so fun. The most uncomfortable thing I’ve ever worn.
DC: I was gonna say that can’t be comfortable, but it’s for the art, right? <laugh>
VEB: For the art! Production loved seeing me sleeping on the floor that day, just completely contorted on the floor. That was definitely a moment <laugh> So much fun though. I’m very proud of that look.
DC: Your final floor show was not even just a look, it was an entire set. And I wanted to hear more about the kind of from the ideation process to execution, what that was like to create your final floor show.
VEB: I’ve known that I’ve wanted to create a mad scientist number for a long time. I wanted to showcase with this performance that you need part of your true childhood self to really go big later in life. It really like helps to have that.
From the conceptualization, it was just such a simple doodle sketch, and just figuring out how I wanted to make everything. Like finding items, like traffic cones to do like some of the crazy electrocution portions, I guess you would say. I just went full force. I didn’t really think much before I did it, I just said, okay, we’re building this today. Then I just went for it. Then painted it and before I knew it we were rehearsing and it was just a blur. It’s a blur. <laugh>
DC: You did it in 48 hours?
VEB: Yeah. 48 hours.
DC: What was that like balancing trying to build like this set and then also craft your look?
VEB: That was really stressful. Honestly. <laugh> Just making sure the concepts merged together and I wanted something that was still glamor, that showcased like Victoria, but not too monstrous. I wanted it to read as Victorian and that’s why I went the route I did with it.
DC: My God, the dress and the wig, it’s just an incredible all-black ensemble.
VEB: It’s definitely inspired a lot by my mom because she has black hair. So back in the 80s, this is very much of a silhouette that she would have. So I definitely took inspiration from my mom.
DC: I’m curious how being on The Boulet Brother’s Dragula: Titans specifically has been different from your other times on The Boulet Brother’s Dragula. Was there a point when you were like, ‘this is harder than anything I’ve ever done before’?
VEB: It was just so different. My season was like summer camp compared to this. This time really put us to the test. We got along and everything, but there were definitely times when we wanted to kill each other just for the lack of sleep and stress. And all the FrightFfeats that we didn’t expect. In past seasons, if you were in the bottom, you did an extermination. This time we all get tortured.
It was a bonding moment for everyone because you have to do it together. If you didn’t, you go bye-bye. So everyone was really going for it with these Fright Feats. No one was leaving.
DC: I know you talked about this in the finale, but was there a Fright Feat that had you thinking ‘I don’t know if I can do this.’
VEB: The drowning one was very intense. Like I thought I was dying for a moment. I was like, we’re going under, this code’s not working. I don’t know why the gate’s not opening. <laugh> Death. So that was definitely a scary, scary one for sure.
The pig brains were pretty nasty, I will say. But it tastes very bacony but very greasy. It just coats your throat.
DC: Ooh, ooh, gross. <laugh>
VEB: <laugh>. No, good times. Good times.
DC: I would love to know about your horror movie history. I’m assuming you’re a horror movie fan?
VEB: Big horror fan, it goes way back.
DC: Do you remember your first horror movie?
VEB: When my parents finally let me watch something remotely scary, I think I was 13. They let me watch The Ring for the first time and I was obsessed. Like obviously I was a little spooked. I kind of miss that feeling. I can’t get spooked as much anymore, but I hate being desensitized.
DC: <laugh> I know…
VEB: That was super memorable and I had an obsession with Samara for years and years. That just began a whole journey with horror movies for me.
DC: Did you love Hoso’s look when she was Sadako?
VEB: I’m proud that she won that because it was really fucking good.
DC: Were there any horror movies that you think really shaped you either as a person or as a drag artist and a drag performer?
VEB: Guillermo del Toro. I love him to death. Crimson Peak, I love that movie so much. I take a lot of Victorian references for some of my looks cuz I just love that era, the clothing, and just everything about it. [Del Toro’s] creatures really inspire me. Also, Dead Silence.
DC: You know what, you could have done a good Mary Shaw.
VEB: I have it in the works! I’ve had a Billy doll being worked on for a couple of years now, so it’s gonna happen at some point. I’m so excited.
DC: Oh, that’s cool. My last question for you, is if you had a piece of advice to give young drag artists, what piece of advice would you give them?
VEB: Do your favorite shit from horror, make it into a fully realized character, and put your drag into it. The Boulet Brother’s Dragula is such a fun place to really just let loose with your art and creative mind. So don’t hold yourself back by what you think drag is. It could be anything. It can be just the wildest and most intense concept you can think of. Don’t limit yourself is what I will say. The universe is limitless with drag and The Boulet Brother’s Dragula.
You can see The Boulet Brothers, Victoria Elizabeth Black, and other The Boulet Brother’s Dragula: Titans competitors on tour early next year! Get tickets here.
Categorized:Interviews News
