Dracmorda and Swanthula Boulet, aka The Boulet Brothers, are bona fide drag and horror icons. Best known for creating and hosting the reality competition series Dragula for the past decade, they’ve recently branched out to the scripted space as well, first with their Halfway to Halloween special back in 2023 and most recently with their brand-new Holiday of Horrors anthology, featuring four frighteningly festive short films from themselves, David Dastmalchian, Akela Cooper, and Kate Siegel. Their short, “Gaudete,” is a tale of family tension as a daughter butts heads with her mother and stepfather over her grandmother’s estate, leading to chilling revenge and resurrection alike.
Fanversation got to speak to Dracmorda and Swanthula Boulet about their newest project. During the conversation, they discussed what inspired the short, how the creative process differs from their work on Dragula, crafting the film’s iconic looks, their goals for future specials, and much more.
FANVERSATION: I accidentally did sort of a double feature with this and Krampus this week, which I highly recommend — it’s a great pairing. I want to start by asking, what are some of your favorite holiday horror films?
DRACMORDA: Oh, there are so many, right? There’s your traditional horror ones, but then there are comedy horror ones, too, that I think are fun. I always like Silent Night, Deadly Night — part one, definitely not part two, just to be specific.
SWANTHULA: In fact, part two of Silent Night, Deadly Night is my answer for what is the worst horror movie you’ve ever seen.
DRACMORDA: And then, of course, Black Christmas is such a classic. That’s probably my favorite holiday horror movie of all time.
SWANTHULA: Yeah, Black Christmas is so good. I’m more for ‘80s camp and fun, so for me, it’s Gremlins.
Great recs. Going into your short film, it feels like a very classic tale with a fresh spin, and I really love how, at its core, it’s sort of this twisted intergenerational story of these three women. Where did your idea for the short come from, and were you inspired by any traditional folklore or myths? Because it kind of felt like it had that energy to it.
DRACMORDA: I have to say, I think it was inspired by our actual house — our real-life house that we own. That’s where, to me, the story kind of birthed from. There was an older woman who lived here for a very long time before we moved in, and I almost, in a weird way, imagined this as her story. That’s where it came from, and we actually shot that short in our actual house, so you can kind of see behind the veil a little bit there.
SWANTHULA: I think, for me, it was really riffing on the idea of the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future. It was really channeling the idea of the ghost of Christmas past. As for folklore, I acknowledge that, for sure, whether it be a revenant spirit or some kind of undead brought back to life. There are a lot of different variations of that concept, but this was our version.
DRACMORDA: Speaking about the folklore, initially, that was a concept we wanted to play with because, in some cultures, vampires or revenant spirits are the deceased family members that come back and sort of torment you, and when I think of Christmas and the holidays, I think of a big family gathering. I was like, “What’s more demented than your dead relative coming back on Christmas Eve and taking vengeance on you?” It’s pretty demented, I would say.
SWANTHULA: I’d say even some of the living relatives are around to torment you, right?
You’ve got that so right. My friend got me into Dragula this year, and I’m always so impressed with all of the themes and stories you integrate into the show. How does the experience of coming up with episode themes compare to crafting a narrative short film like this? What are the similarities and differences in those processes?
DRACMORDA: For me, I think the Dragula content comes from more of a fun place. When we sit down and brainstorm, we’re like, “Okay, what would we love to see drag artists tackle?” Whatever it is — if it’s a summer slasher, let’s take them to a campground and make them come up with new killers. That kind of comes from a more fun place, where I think our narrative stuff comes from a deeper, broodier place, I would say. That’s the difference for me anyway.
SWANTHULA: The thing that sticks out for me the most conceptually — Drac and I like to say that we’ve been in a creative conversation since the day we met, and it’s just never stopped. It’s been, like, 20 years, so we have tons of ideas, and I think that, both in the narrative and reality, it’s similar. The ideas flow sort of prolifically, but the real difference, for me, is working with the talent. That’s where it starts to feel very different. I’m not dealing with a crazy drag queen in their twenties who’s never been on TV before — I’m dealing with actors who take it as seriously as we would like to take it, and they bring a huge skill set to it, and it was a joy.
That leads so well into my next question, because you have such a great cast for this. I’m curious how the casting worked and how you ended up assembling them.
DRACMORDA: When we came up with the concept, Bonnie [Aarons] was number one. She had some things going on, so she had to pull out, and this thing was supposed to be shot six months before it was actually shot. She had some health things and was going back and forth, and I was like, “No, we cannot do this without you.” So rather than recast it, I was like, “I’m gonna hold out, and I have faith that you’re going to be able to do it after all.” And she’s like, “Okay, I don’t see how that’s gonna happen.” And then, lo and behold, at the last minute, she was like, “I can do it.” And I was like, “All right, we’re doing it.” We pulled the other actors together, and honestly, everyone that we worked with brought life to this project for us. They were so good. It would have been such a missed opportunity if they didn’t have the right energy to bring to this, and they all did. Our first reading, both Swan and I were like, “We love this cast. It’s perfect.” I’m super grateful to them because they are the ones who are going to make or break it.
SWANTHULA: Bonnie is a friend because she’s a friend of the show. We’ve worked with her many times, and she’s so outrageous, and crazy, and cool. That was a must. And David Dastmalchian, who we love on so many levels — as a creative partner, as a person, as a horror host — he really helped us as far as tapping into talent in Hollywood that would be able to turn around on a dime and deliver these performances. So I have to give him the credit, because he did a great job of connecting us to the right people.
In addition to the cast, the music in this really took it to the next level. The Crouch End Festival Chorus and the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra — their rendition of “Gaudete” during that death scene was so good. How did you find the right sound and recording for those moments and that sequence?
DRACMORDA: That song has been in a folder of mine for a very long time. I literally have a folder that’s like “movies and TV” — well, they’re two separate folders — but this one has been in the movie folder for a long time, and when Swan and I developed this, we were like,” The whole last half of this needs to be this song.” Initially, it was just going to be the song and no other audio before it, so we were going to kind of tell it almost music video-style, but the idea developed, and we’re like, “No, we need a little more context.” I think some Christmas music is so creepy. It’s moody, and it’s cinematic, and it’s kind of grand, and it’s inspiring.
SWANTHULA: Drac and I have a great love for all holidays. I guess it’s like a reason to celebrate — all of them, even Easter. None quite as equal to Halloween, but Christmas, we indulge in the spirit of the season, and part of that is the music that you hear, even at ceremonies, church services, and stuff. The music can be so ritualistic and powerful, and that’s where I think the influence came from for me.
DRACMORDA: The spirit of what we call Christmas or Yule — the idea of this winter holiday — there’s so much magic around it, however it’s interpreted. Christianity sort of absorbed it and tried to make it their own thing, but it’s been around for a long time, and it’s so paganistic, with bringing the tree in the house, and the traditions, and gathering up, and the candles. It’s honoring the return of the sun after a winter period, and there’s something really magical and almost creepy about it in general, I think.
Speaking of the death scene in this, you’re obviously no stranger to very iconic ones. Do you have a favorite one that you’ve done on Dragula?
DRACMORDA: For me, it’s Yuri’s death in Season 6, where she gets in the plane, and it blows up. That’s my favorite because it’s so ridiculous, and it harkens back to Season 1 of the show and the dark humor of it. I think that one is my favorite.
SWANTHULA: I think that one is definitely one of the best, and I gotta give Drac credit where it’s due. Drac pretty much was like, “Hold my purse — I got this” as far as the concept and shooting it and everything. So many people loved it, and it really hits that nerve of dead wrong, campy, stupid, funny, ironic. I loved it. But mine is probably the opposite spectrum of that because I think it managed to be legitimately disturbing: Zavaletta’s death in Season 4. That strangulation with the rosary strapped to that bed, I think that brought us to a place where maybe not a lot of the other death scenes were able to bring us.
I actually just watched that one, and I agree — that one got me a lot. There’s this moment of panic at the end of the short from Judy, and I think that we’re to assume that she’s the next target, but I’m curious, is there any chance that she would be spared or even team up with the grandmother?
SWANTHULA: I think Drac and I left the story unfinished almost purposely. We haven’t talked this out, but in my mind, she is spared. She is not attacked. When she’s at the music box, that’s the little summoning. It’s like, “Why did you leave me alone with them?” And you hear this little sound, and I feel like her voice is what brought Grandma back from the edge. Who knows? In the future, I could even see an expansion on this — what happens next.
I love that. I was so curious how you interpreted that moment, so I love getting some more of that insight, and I would be so down for an expanded feature.
SWANTHULA: What do you think, Drac?
DRACMORDA: I like that. I know at some point we talked about, would Judy potentially also become like a revenant spirit with her? There was talk of, is the mom actually more sinister than is led on, and was she a part of the grandmother getting killed? There are a lot of places you could go with it, I think.
Totally. Oh my gosh, now I want so much more. I love the narrative of this, but obviously, the makeup and character design are so incredible as well. How did you come up with and then execute that look? Because it’s very particular and impressive.
SWANTHULA: It absolutely is. It’s 100% collaborative. Drac was really heavy-handed with the design of the monster, and we worked with Cig Neutron, who won Face Off All Stars. He’s a friend of the show. He’s been on Dragula, and he’s done our prosthetics, so we knew exactly who we wanted to do the makeup. Bonnie brought a real sinister edge to the performance, but I think, as far as the look of the costume and how iconic she turned out, my voice was a little louder in that department. We were like, “Well, what do we put her in?” And I’m like, “I want this character instantly recognizable — something soft and memorable. Not black. Don’t put the ghoul in black because it’s very forgettable.” And with the glowing eyes and everything… I’m happy you asked that question because my goal, I literally sat down with Drac, and I was like, “This character has to be iconic. Her clothing and her look have to be unforgettable — not just her monster face.”
DRACMORDA: You contributed a lot to that as far as the look of it, because initially I was like, “If we’re gonna do a spirit like this or something vampiric looking, I don’t want it to be soft. I don’t want it to be like Anne Rice vampires — I want it to be like, ‘Holy shit, this is a monster, and it’s legitimately scary,’” and so the face, I had a lot to do with it. I also didn’t want to take away from Bonnie’s look because she’s so statuesque and beautiful in her own way. I wanted to leave enough of it so you could tell it was her under there. But yes, Swan brought the idea of the pink dress to the conversation. I think it was just the perfect marriage.
Speaking of the aesthetics, there are some really cool shots in this. I love that you shot outside of the windows for a lurker-type vibe. As directors, do you have a favorite shot that you’re proudest of pulling off, or just how one turned out aesthetically?
DRACMORDA: I’m gonna say it’s that last shot craning up to Judy on the porch. We weren’t sure if we were going to be able to pull that off. There’s another one earlier in the same setup where we start on Judy going to bed, and then you see the dad downstairs with the wine glass, turning off the light, and we pan. I thought that one was pretty cool.
SWANTHULA: I agree. I love those panning shots. We wanted to give the idea of the different levels of the house reflecting the different levels of activity — what was going on on the second floor as opposed to the first floor, then descending into the basement. Speaking of the basement, going from darkness when the basement doors open, it’s just blackness, and then it kind of reveals the terrain of the shot. That’s probably one of my favorite shots in the short.
The other shorts in this special are also so fun and have such a strong, singular point of view. If you could pick any director in the world not involved in this anthology to take on a Christmas horror short, who would you like to see what they would do with that prompt?
DRACMORDA: Probably other friends of ours. We wanted to have Don Mancini do one, and he couldn’t do it, even though he wanted to. Bryan Fuller is another one, too, that we really wanted to have part of it. He’s a good friend of ours. His movie, Dust Bunny, just came out. Those two would be good. I mean, John Waters could do a sick Christmas thing, I’m sure.
SWANTHULA: 100% for Don and Bryan. Brandon Cronenberg, his movies are so weird. I love when people take us into a really weird space, and they’re usually kind of serious. I’d be excited to see him do something holiday.
DRACMORDA: Honestly, I’m kind of inspired recently, and I’m thinking about this from a production company point of view — because we do own our own production company — I want to tap into some really young filmmakers who people don’t know. I think there’s so much great potential out there, and people who are brilliant filmmakers, but they’re not good networkers, which is kind of like our story. [Laughs] I’d love to find them and give them a chance to be like, “You know what — you don’t have to go schmooze us at a party. I’m gonna give you this opportunity because your work’s good.” Who knows? Maybe we’ll be able to do that in the future.
SWANTHULA: I love that you said that because I think putting it out there into words into the universe is the first step to manifest that kind of stuff. Breaking in is kind of hard. We forged our own path 100%, and I think with a lot of work, a little luck, and a good idea, we managed to get where we are, but it would be cool to be able to extend a hand and give young creators a leg up in a city that’s really cutthroat.
DRACMORDA: I’d love to do that with this, actually, if this became an annual tradition where there were holiday shorts. I’d really like it to be bigger and longer. This is sort of our first foray into the holiday special, so we’ll see how it does. If people love it, I would love to do this annually.
SWANTHULA: “Merry Christmas. We’re giving you the opportunity to perform or to show us your work in this short setup.”
I love that so much. I want to end by asking if there are any horror movies or creators recently that you think deserve some more love in this space that you’d want to shout out.
DRACMORDA: I’m going through my Rolodex of what we’ve seen this year. I’d say Osgood Perkins for me. I love him. I love his movies, and I’d love to see him get more opportunities.
SWANTHULA: Sinners was my favorite horror movie that I’ve seen in a really long time, so more Ryan Coogler, please.
The Boulet Brothers’ Holiday of Horrors is now streaming on Shudder and AMC+.
— Taylor Gates