In 2016, The Boulet Brothers (Dracmorda and Swanthula) brought their unique take on the traditional drag queen competition to our televisions. ‘Dragula’ was a drag race born in blood, infused with horror and proved that glamour doesn’t have to be judged with a fine-tooth comb. They made it their goal to discover the World’s next "Dragula Supermonster" and in 2021 the show became bigger and better on its new universal home Shudder (having previously been available in different regions on Youtube, Amazon Prime and Netflix).
One of the stand out contestants this year was Sigourney Beaver. Sigourney is a self described “hyper femme AFAB queen”. Coming out of Chicago, Illinois and with a background in burlesque, she was the first CIS woman contestant to appear on 'Dragula'. Using her art of the tease and love of horror, she was able to make it to the Top 4 of the Season 4 Finale, which recently aired in December.
Sigourney was kind enough recently to have a quick chat with writer Adam Neeson about her love for horror films and all things macabre.
AN: Hi Sigourney! I absolutely loved you on this season of Boulet Brothers’ Dragula and I'm thrilled that you’ve taken some time from your busy schedule to talk with me today. We here at Fright Club NI are huge drag fans, and I feel like horror and drag have such devoted loving fan bases that mix so well. As we see in Episode One of ‘Dragula Season 4’, you choose the horror icon the 'Bride of Frankenstein'. Guessing you’re a big fan of the classic movie?
SB: Oh yes, I am.
AN: What was the first horror movie you saw growing up?
SB: Can’t really remember the first film. I loved 'Creepshow' and was a fan of Chucky.
AN: What is your favourite type of horror movie? Slasher, supernatural, monsters, zombies?
SB: I really like folk horror, so I was excited for Shudder’s recently released folk horror documentary 'Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched'.
AN: That's a great documentary film. We loved it too. Any other sub-genres that you gravitate to?
SB: I also enjoy campier and classic films. I don’t think anyone would be surprised that I love a good 1960/70’s horror vixen.
AN: When I see some of your gorgeous looks, I feel like you are often inspired by the beautiful Mistress of the Dark Elvira. Were you a fan of the Cassandra Peterson creation growing up?
SB: I knew of Elvira growing up, but I didn’t actually see her on TV or watch her movie until the last 5 years or so.
AN: What would you say gave you the most inspiration from childhood to adulthood?
SB: Growing up I was a huge fan of fantasy artwork, especially folks like Frank Frazetta, J. Catherine Jones, Boris Vallejo, and Brom.
AN: Since ‘Dragula’ is on Shudder, are there any specific horror films on that platform you’ve seen recently that you’d like to recommend?
SB: 'Viy' (1967) is wild (stick it out to the climax-- it’s worth it), and I love that so many classics are on Shudder. I tend to watch a lot of their anthologies like 'Scare Package', 'Creepshow', and 'The Mortuary Collection'.
AN: What's your dream horror franchise that you would love to appear in if you were given the opportunity?
SB: That’s a hard one since I like a wide variety, and some of the franchises that I love most aren’t very active right now. The 'Alien' franchise would be amazing, but I’d love a revival of some older franchises like the 'Re-Animator' and 'Creature from the Black Lagoon'
AN: Gotta put you on the spot right here. What's your favourite horror movie from 2021?
SB: I haven’t watched many things that came out in 2021 yet. So, it’d have to be 'Antlers'. 'The 8th Night' and 'Last Night in Soho' are cool too!
Thank you to Sigourney for talking with us. You can check her out now on 'Dracula Season 4' which is currently available to stream on Shudder. We wish her all the success in the world and hopefully we’ll be able to catch up with her in person when she’s next on tour in the UK.
In the meantime you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to check out her official website HERE.
- Adam Neeson
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