By LINDY RYAN
THE BOULET BROTHERS’ DRAGULA: TITANS debuted in a two-episode premiere on Shudder on October 25th, quickly becoming the most widely viewed debut for the franchise to date. The ten-episode spin-off series starring drag icons from the show’s previous seasons aired weekly on Shudder and AMC+ and saw contestants competing in a grand championship of drag artistry and physical challenges for a $100,000 grand prize along with the headlining spot on the Boulet Brothers’ upcoming world tour.
This week, Victoria Elizabeth Black was crowned the first-ever DRAGULA: TITANS winner. RUE MORGUE had the opportunity to sit down with Victoria just hours after the results aired (“It still doesn’t feel real!” says Victoria) to discuss her time on the show, her win and the world tour coming next spring.
First off, congratulations! I’m so excited to hear about your experience on the show. What was it like?
It was so incredible! I was able to reunite with some of my favorite people on the show and working with Kiki to create art together was amazing. Pushing each other’s art is such a fun environment to be in. You’re literally with the best of the best, and there’s so much inspiration by your side.
I believe it and love that you thrived in such a creative, fast-paced environment. What was your reaction when you heard yourself declared the winner?
Oh, incredible. We had some friends over for a little viewing party at home. There was so much to anticipate. It could go any way. But when it happened, the room erupted. I was screaming. We were crying. All the emotions, all right at once. I still can’t believe it.
I understand this is something of a culmination of your long love for all things horror. Can you share a little about your history with horror and drag?
It started out when I was very young – like 4, 5, 6. My grandfather had owned a party store in Miami that went all out for Halloween. The store closed by the time I was born, but he had a garage full of Halloween, and every time I went over, I was completely enthralled. That kind of started the journey of my horror obsession as a child. Before I knew it, I was making corpses in the kitchen and all kinds of crazy stuff, working on Halloween every day of the year until the day of Halloween. When I was 9, I went to the Halloween Horror Nights for the first time and became obsessed with all the haunted houses. I knew this was what I wanted to do, just like that (I even worked on the set team for Halloween Horror Nights the past couple of years)! I learned all my monster make-up working for home haunts doing character makeup, and my love for it grew. From there, I discovered drag and then was able to combine drag with my love for horror. Everything changed. I became a monster. Bringing all of that knowledge to the show was amazing.
Fine. Fresh. Fierce. Festering. A zombified Victoria Elizabeth Black is ready for her close-up.
Well, it has certainly paid off. Your costumes and performances on the show were absolutely phenomenal. And more importantly, it looks like you had a lot of fun too!
Absolutely. One of the best parts is meeting all of the kind people in this community, seeing their smiling faces and how joyful they are. I’m like, “I’m not worthy,” but it’s so amazing.
Who’d have thought that the world of monsters would be full of such wonderful, kind, passionate people – and you, their reigning Titan! It’s the time for drag. We’re seeing a surge in awareness and excitement and enthusiasm that I don’t think we’ve ever experienced before, so this feels like extra special timing for you.
It feels incredible – being able to showcase our type of drag to the world, the amount of art and conceptualization and merging the glamour with the grotesque. It can be anything you want. There’s no limit to this sort of drag. And it’s great to be able to show people that there are no limits in that sense. It’s spreading, and I can’t wait to see where it goes. The show has been incredible and the love and respect from everyone is amazing. I couldn’t be more thankful.
Victoria Elizabeth Black undergoes a terrifying transformation.
I will absolutely be watching and rooting you on. Speaking of no limits, not even the bounds of geography can hold you! Tell me about the upcoming world tour.
The world tour is coming up, and the first stop is actually my hometown, Orlando! It’s going to be incredible to kick off the tour with all my sisters. I couldn’t be more excited. [It’s] a dream that’s so special, so special. Get your tickets!
And let’s not forget the fabulous Boulet Brothers themselves, who said in an exclusive quote for RUE MORGUE, “Victoria Black has taken the art of drag to places no one before her has, and we are excited to see where she takes her career,” adding, “We are very proud to call her our first Titan on THE BOULET BROTHERS’ DRAGULA: TITANS.”
The Boulet Brothers, Victoria, and some of her fellow competitors will be heading out on the road for the world tour next spring. Dates here.
“Everything changed. I became a monster. Bringing all of that knowledge to the show was amazing.”
