CYBERSOCKET HOT TAKE: Huluween Dragstravaganza is *AMAZING*

Hulu's Huluween Dragstravaganza premiered on October 1st and I'm ashamed to say I've only finally just watched it. But holy shit was it worth the wait!!! Starring hosts and RuPaul's Drag Race alums Monét X Change and Ginger Minj, the show is all at once campy, spooky, sexy, and above all hilarious. Done in the style of the old variety shows (spooky puns and all) Huluween Dragstravaganza exclusively on Hulu is one of the most enjoyable 45 minutes of Halloween Drag fun I could fathom.

The special opens with the two exchanging campy barbs and jabs at both themselves, as well as their peers. When an unplugged TV starts talking to the two of them, Ginger says with abject earnestness, "If I’ve learned anything in my life it is ‘do not wear white after Labor Day, and never mess with horny talking TVs!’" Well, naturally they touch it and get sucked into the campy, horrifying world inside the screen. When Ginger asks, "Where are we?" Monét very plainly states, “Well, duh. We’re obviously in a subatomic microcosmic parallel quantum universe, silly." To which Ginger naturally asks, “Is that the same as an NFT?"

When they get sucked into this parallel quantum universe, they sing an absolute blast of a song (kick lines and all) explaining exactly what the Huluween Dragstravaganza is and why you're about to have an incredible time. Here, they also introduce their diverse cast of performers who will be joining them. The list includes none other than Lady Bunny, Manila Luzon, Mo Heart, Jackie Beat, Selene Luna, Jujubee, Landon Cider, and forever babe/everyone's gay uncle, Mario Diaz.

What's very quickly apparent is that this entire thing is a plug for all of the Halloween content you can watch this month on Hulu (hence, "Huluween"), but they do these flawlessly. When the song is over Monét says pointblank:, "Well, now we know what this is all about. ... Yeah, this whole thing is a tribute to all the creepy shows and scary movies you can watch on Hulu during Huluween!" As the two start touching various props and references to other Hulu horror properties, Monét warns Ginger, "Be careful with that! This is the puzzle box from Hellraiser... the new original movie streaming on Huluween!" When they point to butt implants from Hulu's Fresh, Ginger replies coyly, "Also streaming on Hulu. (Beat) I’m sensing a theme.”

And then they break to a "commercial break" featuring the ensemble of drag kings and queens. And that's what this variety special is: a total advertisement wrapped up in an exceptionally well-executed, old-school Halloween special made modern by queer, diverse casting of incredible performers. The sketches run from a ghoulish sex hotline called Ghoul Talk ($6.66/minute obvi), and at one point Landon Heart plays "Twink Martindale", hosting a reality competition to see who will be crowned The Next American Slasher. The "competition" features contestants "Ivana Killyoo" who is 23 years old, "Sybill Pleatherface" who is also "23", and "Canabelle" who is... you guessed it... 23! They go on to perform a blast of a number.

I don't want to ruin any major spoilers or make this simply a play-by-play, but let me just tell you if you like campy, queer horror, and have a pension for the variety shows of the days of old, then the Huluween Dragstravaganza is decidedly something you do not want to miss. I'll also note that if you're a fan of Kesha, then this is DEFINITELY not something you'll want to miss.

One thing that really struck me is just how incredibly well-produced the special is. The girls' comedic timings are on-fucking-point and the dance numbers and cameras used are all as high-quality as I could imagine. Bravo to Hulu for creating this special, and bravo to all the incredible and hilarious performers on Hulu's Huluween Dragstravaganza. I was not prepared to absolutely love this special as much as I did, but I'm so thankful that I watched it!

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