Well Red – Dragula – S4 E2
Hello uglies, let’s talk about Dragula S4 E2, shall we? Welcome to “Well Red,” Haunted MTL’s weekly review and recap of Shudder’s horror drag competition, The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula. We’re going to catch you up on who slayed, who stayed, and who passed away. We’ll also give the overall episode a critique.
Dragula – S4 E2: What Went Down
“It’s *my* fault for letting you control me.”Astrud Aurelia, The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula – S4 E2
The second episode of this season brings us the Nosferatu Beach Party! Despite a perhaps overlong and overindulgent opening (it is the Boulet Brothers, after all), the episode presented a fun challenge, a dramatic shakeup, and an astoundingly dramatic fall from grace. All in all, just another episode of Dragula, really.
The big shakeup this week was the return of a former Dragula competitor, Dahli, who won the Halloween Resurrection Special. We also see some alliances form and some drama revolving around Sigourney Beaver. La Zavaleta, also seems to have had a slight reality check since the first episode, but how long will that last?
Fright Feat
The fright feat this week was a feeding frenzy fit for a vampire, or at least a vampire with a self-hating streak. The contestants were challenged to consume garlic and drink pig’s blood. It was every bit as horrible as you’d expect. Queens absolutely gagging everywhere.
La Zavaleta took the fright feat for the night and got to pick the pairings for the main challenge. La Zavaleta partnered with Saint, then paired Merrie and Koco, Sigourney and Astrud, Dahli and Hoso, and Betty and Jade. Conflicts began to pop up, as they inevitably do.
Main Challenge
The main challenge was to create a vampiric look for a beach day. The workroom proved pretty rocky as well with Merrie Cherry stirring up a lot of drama. Merrie is cementing herself early on as the problem child of the season. The real shock, however, was how quickly things seemed to have gone off the rails for Sigourney and last week’s winner, Astrud.
When it came to the looks, guest judges Vanessa Hudgens and GG Magree joined the particularly Nahzgulish Boulet Brothers to weigh in.
- Saint wore a leather one piece with cowl and batwing floaties.
- Merrie Cherry ran with a angler fish look complete with lighted headdress and a mermaid tail.
- La Zavaleta ran retro Hollywood vampire chic in a red one piece and face prothetics.
- Sigourney Beaver went with a striped and angled two piece with parasol and red beehive hairdo with sunglasses.
- Koco Caine busted out with a one piece, a sheer red cover up, and knee-high leather boots with cute bat wings on the ears.
- Bitter Betty went sixties glam with a black and white wig, bat shaped sunglasses, a red houndstooth one piece and a sheer black cover up.
- Jade Jolie made an impression with blond hair, full face prosthetics, a black and white angled striped one piece, and completed the ensemble with a leather jacket with arm fringe and knee-high boots.
- Hoso Terra Toma arrived wrapped in baby blue with curly hair, sharp teeth, and later revealed a red and gem-studded lifeguard swimsuit.
- Dahli arrived as the pervert Nosferatu scoping out the action, hiding a tan single peice swimsuit with ruffled collars under a trenchoat. Sick, sick, sick.
- Astrud Aurelia wore a short, frilly top, open of course, and briefs with thin suspenders, coifed with curly hair and a small, ribboned hat.
As a whole, the performances were mixed. Conflicts in the workroom resulted in tepid performances from Merrie, Koco, Sigourney, and Astrud. The only pair that really looked like they were having fun on stage was Dahli and Hoso. The campy song and beach activities in the lip-sync were naturally a lot of fun, even if some of the competitors weren’t exactly vibing at the beach.
As for the results, I found myself mostly in agreement. The criteria were “look,” “performance,” and “teamwork.” While the participants were paired for the challenge, they were judged as individuals.
Jade, Merrie, and Sigourney were safe. The judges had some words for Merrie, however. Merrie seemed to be too much in her own head, which led to her lackluster performance this week. It didn’t help that her look didn’t really match the theme, either. it was a big stretch, but the Boulet Brothers seemed to like it. Overall, I feel the judges were a little kinder to her than they needed to be.
The bottom looks included Astrud, Koco, and Bettie. The main critique with Astrud was that her outfit felt a bit dull, and the performance seemed forced, as though she was working against her partner. It didn’t help that Astrud really should have taken the critique in stride, but that was not the case, the rest of the episode featured an agitated, interrupting Astrud, much to the embarrassment of her drag mother, Dahli.
The top looks included La Zavaleta, Dahli, Hoso, and Saint. La Zavaleta’s look was pointed out to be a bit lackluster, but the performance saved her. Dahli’s look was absolutely perfect and paired with a fantastic, campy performance. Dahli was my personal choice for the winner. However, Saint’s sexy leather and wings look took the win for the evening, which was well-deserved.
The final decision, however, was about who to eliminate: Astrud or Bettie? Astrud quickly made a case for herself backstage with a legendary temper tantrum.
Elimination Challenge
The elimination challenge for Astrud and Bettie involved submerging their arms in tanks full of leeches. The was blood, naturally, and somehow Bettie managed to get a leech right between her breasts, again, naturally. Leeches, while initially gross, do not really hurt as they have anesthetic properties. That’s partially why they were used medicinally for centuries. So this was a more mild elimination than last week’s.
Still, it made for a fun, gross elimination. However, only one could survive, and Bitter Bettie lived to drag another day while Astrud Aurelia died with a caved-in skull on the beach.
The Results
Winner: Saint (shown)
Top Looks: La Zavaleta, Dahli, Hoso Terra Toma
Safe Squad: TJade Jolie, Merrie Cherry, Sigourney Beaver
Bottom Looks: Astrud Aurelia (RIP), Koco Caine, Bitter Bettie
Episode Score
This week was a stronger episode than the premiere for a couple of reasons. The window dressing surrounding the competition was filed back, which really helps the flow of the show. The theme also proved to be quite fun and overall created a general sense of aesthetic through the whole of the competitors, making it easier and more reasonable to figure out who gets eliminated. I also am there with the judges this week, Astrud needed to go, particularly given their terrible behavior after the floor show.
As a whole, this episode worked out quite well. The addition of Dahli in the mix should really stir things up, as with Merrie Cherry surviving another round. Who knows what trouble will be stirred up later?
(4 / 5)
We hope you enjoyed our coverage of The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula – S4 E2. Let us know what you thought of the competition and who you think will take the prize. We’d also love to hear your assessment of the looks. Which gagged and which were groaners?
Smile 2, a psychological supernatural horror, released in October 2024 just in time for Halloween, sees director Parker Finn (Smile, Laura Hasn’t Slept) return with a sequel starring Naomi Scott (Aladdin) as pop star and recovering addict Skye Riley. While Smile 2 boasts a talented cast, it ultimately falls short of its predecessor, offering a familiar storyline with minor variations and a predictable finale. The film attempts to introduce a new method to combat the parasitic ‘Smile Entity’, but this addition fails to elevate the sequel beyond a pale imitation of its chilling predecessor.
The Plot.
Smile 2 begins shortly after the end of the original; just six days after Rose Cotter’s death. During a short interlude scene, we watch as the now cursed Joel attempts to pass the Smile Entity on by killing one criminal in front of another. The plan backfires spectacularly, inadvertently passing the curse onto an innocent bystander named Lewis Fregoli.
The film then shifts gears, introducing Skye Riley, a singer and performer making a triumphant return to the spotlight with a comeback tour after a tumultuous past. During a candid interview on the Drew Barrymore Show, Skye opens up about her struggles with addiction and the devastating loss of her boyfriend in a car accident. Her sobriety journey, however, faces a severe setback when she seeks pain relief from her old high school friend, the unwitting Lewis Fregoli. In a chilling turn of events, Lewis takes his own life while Skye watches, passing the Smile Entity onto her.
Unaware of her new cursed existence Skye gets on with rehearsing for her tour, but she begins to notice that strange things are happening. People are smiling at her in an unnatural way and she becomes the target of anonymous attacks and aggressions. When text messages begin to arrive from an unknown number, Skye decides to get some answers.
Highlights.
Let’s not beat about the bush. I found Smile 2 difficult to finish and was struggling at about the hour-and-a-half mark to stay awake. That being said it’s worth watching because everyone needs to see the 3-minute scene of the ‘smilers’ chasing Skye through her apartment. This was possibly the creepiest thing I’ve seen on a screen. The buildup, the synchronicity of the movement of the actors and their positioning, the camera work, and the lighting. I have rewatched it several times and it doesn’t get old. If you are only interested in watching this, fast forward to the 123-minute mark and get ready to be impressed.
Drawbacks.
Where do I start?
My primary concern with Smile 2 is its striking resemblance to its predecessor. The narrative follows a familiar pattern: an attractive woman fleeing a supernatural force, grappling with hallucinations, experiencing a mental health decline, and culminating in the revelation someone close to Skye was the Smiling Entity after all. This repetitive structure diminishes the film’s impact.
While the introduction of a new method for shedding the entity initially offered a glimmer of hope this concept wasn’t fully realized. It just served to add names to the line of people that the entity has infected in the past.
Furthermore, the film’s pacing suffers from excessive focus on Skye’s musical career. Scenes showcasing her stage rehearsals and music videos, while intended to establish her identity as a performer, feel unnecessary and detract from the narrative momentum. Yes, we understand she’s a performer, you told us, you don’t need to prove it. These scenes appear to artificially inflate the film’s runtime, suggesting a lack of confidence in the core story.
The Final Take.
Ultimately, Smile 2 fails to expand upon the established lore of the franchise. The film’s conclusion feels contrived, with a blatant setup for a third installment. Hopefully, if a ‘Smile 3’ is inevitable, the creative team will bring fresh ideas and avoid simply retreading familiar ground.
(2 / 5)
Both Cthulhu’s granted for that one scene.
We’re back again with Goosebumps The Vanishing, episode two. A story too big for one episode, apparently.
Or, maybe this is just a nod to the fact that Stay Out Of The Basement was a two-part episode in the original 1995 show. Either way, after seeing this episode, we could have kept it to one.
The story
We begin this second episode with Anthony investigating the parasitic plant taking over his body. Rather than, I don’t know, going to the hospital, he’s decided to phone a colleague and send her some samples from the bulb he pulls out of his arm with a handheld garden trowel.
Meanwhile, Devin is having his own worries. He’s haunted by what he saw in the sewers. So, he gets CJ to go with him to investigate. What they find is more of the tendrils of the plant that dragged him down through the manhole last episode.
I sure would have liked to see more about that.
Instead, we see Devin pivot to flirting with a newly single Frankie. Because teenage hormones I guess.
Meanwhile, Trey is having a terrible day. First, his girlfriend leaves him. Then, Anthony breaks his car window.
Needing a way to deal with his frustration, Trey decides to break into the Brewers’ basement. There, he starts wrecking up the place. Until he meets the plant creature and has an unfortunate accident.
What worked
The big difference between this episode and the last is the increased gross-out factor. This episode had some straight-up cringy moments. From the tendrils waiving from Anthony’s arm to the whole goat he brings home to feed his new pet, this episode was skin-crawling gross in the best way possible.
The series is called Goosebumps, after all.
What didn’t work
Unfortunately, that’s where my praise ends. This episode, unlike the last, just wasn’t that great.
To start with, there was a lot of unnecessary drama between characters who are not in danger of being eaten by a plant from the inside out.
I especially disliked the focus on the Frankie/Trey/Devin love triangle.
Now, I don’t hate it. This part of the story adds extra emotional depth to the show. We can see why Trey would be especially incensed by his girlfriend falling for the son of the neighbor he’s feuding with. But it would be more enjoyable if it wasn’t so cliche and dramatic.
I hate the way Trey tried to gaslight Frankie. It makes me dislike him when he should be a sympathetic character. I hate how whiny Devin is every time he talks to Frankie. And I hated the impassioned speech Frankie gives after Devin asks her why she was with Trey.
Listen, I understand what we’re going for here. Devin and Cece are not struggling financially. They’re doing alright, and their new friends here in Gravesend are not. We kind of got that without Frankie claiming that her socioeconomic status is why she’s dating a bully and gaslighter. It felt out of place. It felt like pandering. It certainly didn’t feel like something an eighteen-year-old would say. I hated it.
Finally, there was a moment near the end of the episode that irritated me. I don’t want to give too much detail because I wouldn’t dare ruin an R.L. Stine cliffhanger. But, well, it doesn’t make a lot of sense.
I get that we’re watching a show about a carnivorous plant that is going to wreak havoc on this family and neighborhood. I understand the suspension of disbelief. Some might even say I am a little too generous with it. So I can buy into a teenager being absorbed by a plant and turned into a monstrous version of himself.
I can’t buy into what happens at the end of this episode. It doesn’t make sense with the rules established. It certainly doesn’t make any sort of scientific or logical sense. It is a lazy moment meant to further the storyline but threatens the structural integrity of the season.
All in all, this wasn’t the best episode of Goosebumps. But it’s only the second episode. Honestly, the season has plenty of time to go either way.
(2.5 / 5)
So, this is a convoluted post, not going to lie. Because it’s Thriller Nite. And we have to kick it off with a link to Michael Jackson in homage, because he’s the bomb and Vincent Price is the master… (If the following video doesn’t load properly, you can get there from this link.)
The movie monsters always approach so slowly.
Their stiff joints arcing in jerky, erratic movements
While the camera pans to a wide-eyed scream.
It takes forever for them to catch their victims.
Their stiff joints arcing in jerky, erratic movements
As they awkwardly shamble towards their quarry –
It takes forever for them to catch their victims.
And yet no one ever seems to get away.
As they awkwardly shamble towards their quarry –
Scenes shift, plot thickens, minutes tick by endlessly…
And yet no one ever seems to get away.
Seriously, how long does it take to make a break for it?
Scenes shift, plot thickens, minutes tick by endlessly…
While the camera pans to a wide-eyed scream.
Seriously, how long does it take to make a break for it?
The movie monsters always approach so slowly.
So my father used to enjoy telling the story of Thriller Nite and how he’d scare his little sister, my aunt. One time they were watching the old Universal Studios Monsters version of The Mummy, and he pursued her at a snail’s pace down the hallway in Boris Karloff fashion. Both of them had drastically different versions of this tale, but essentially it was a true Thriller Nite moment. And the inspiration for this poem.
For more fun music video mayhem, check out She Wolf here on Haunted MTL. And feel free to check out more of Jennifer Weigel’s work here on Haunted MTL or here on her website.
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