Pestilence, famine, war, and death- the four modern horsemen of the apocalypse and the categories for the highly-anticipated final floorshow of Dragula Titans Season two. With notorious characters like Abhora and Cynthia Dolla and heavy-hitters like Evah Destruction and Sigourney Beaver, this season was stacked with players full of talent and ambition. As the season comes to its end and the finale rolls, “let’s dim the lights, start the music, and let the floorshow begin!”
Jay Kay was the contestant the fandom had their eye on this season because they have had the biggest improvement looks and performance wise since their original season, season five. However, their final floor show looks were considered a disappointment to the fandom. Many believe this is the case because Jay Kay made all of their outfits during the one month rather than having them made (which they have done for the majority, if not all, of their outfits this season) which has led to a sharp decline in their outfit quality. In particular, most people took issue with their first outfit in the pestilence category, which had no finesse; the outfit consisted of a cheap-looking neon green bodysuit and poorly sewn slime drapery, many noting it looked like low-budget Nickelodeon slime. On the bright side, I personally liked their war look because it was the most innovative and cohesive out of what they brought. The modern interpretation of guns instead of swords and other weapons was unique, and I enjoyed the sparks firing out of their prop machine guns. Regardless of whether their looks were good or bad, it is no surprise that the entire fandom agrees that Jay Kay’s makeup is always flawless and a great addition to performances.
Evah Destruction is a returnee from both season three and titans season one, and was a highly anticipated contestant due to her background in theater and her ornate looks. And in this finale, her performance was no different from the usual; flawless makeup, gorgeously put-together outfits, and graceful stage presence. My favorite look of hers in this finale is a tie between her war and famine look. While her facial expressions and fiery sword during her performance for the war category was terrifying in an impressive way, her famine look was ethereal in a skin-crawling way, the juxtaposition between her beautifully crafted outfit with her tendons and muscles visible compared to her chemistry with the skeleton was heartwrenching. Though all of her looks were executed well, in my mind, and in the opinions of many in the fandom, Evah’s looks were not as creative or original compared to the others, particularly her pestilence and death looks. Her interpretations of the categories are often very literal, such as a grim reaper on a boat to represent death and mysterious green boils for pestilence. Due to the successful execution of her outfits and performances, Evah’s win this season was unsurprising to many, and led to her position as the next Drag Supermonster of the Dragula franchise.
Jaharia was someone the fandom did not pay attention to as much, myself included, compared to the other three finalists. Though she has a track record of being a phenomenal lipsyncer, she is not very known for her looks, which made people nervous to see how she’d do against the others. The general consensus regarding her looks were that they were good, but not outstanding, and did not make her stand out as much. I think this is because her outfits were on the smaller side, lacked props, and were overall tamer concepts. Out of all of her looks, the one I liked most was her famine look, which fans noticed is similar to ‘the Blight’ from “Dead by Daylight”. The mouthpiece was something new, and her body language on the stage was incredible, it definitely sold the look. Out of everyone, Jaharia seems to have the most mixed opinions on her pestilence and war looks. While some people liked how the pestilence suit swallowed her, some thought it was simply lazy, and while some remarked that her war look looked like a halloween costume, others thought her stage performance made up for the lack of innovation. What I do admire about Jaharia is her stage presence; from her start on season six- her movements are always in-tune with the character she wants to portray with her drag.
Abhora was most people’s pick to win before their performance in the floorshow- they are an icon within the Dragula fandom and most iconic in terms of signature look and style next to figures like Hoso Terratoma and Niohuru X. Abhora’s looks in the finale this season were regarded as creative and new, but not as well executed as they could be. In fact, three out of four of their outfits had some type of malfunction ranging from a simple rip to causing full-on injury to them, which caused producers to stop the performance from continuing. My favorite look of theirs, like many others, was their pestilence look because of its ability to convey a message despite its simplicity. Her look depicted victims of atomic bombings frantically peeling off blackened bits of skin, only to reveal a bloody layer underneath. Her body language and historical significance behind the look touched the hearts of many, including myself. Another look that the fandom fell in love with was her famine look, which used suspension mechanics paired with absurdly long hands picking up the corpses of those who suffered from the greed of rich billionaires. The look showed her ability to connect these categories with real-life social issues and events that are happening today.
In the end, each finalist brought not only their own strengths and flaws, but also a vivid reminder of what makes Dragula such a revolutionary stage for expression. Whether celebrated or critiqued, their performances pushed the boundaries of horror drag and once again, left the fandom hungry for whatever monsters the Boulets have in store next.
