“Dragula’s” original champion and a true goddess of Halloween drag all year round, Vander Von Odd shares her thoughts on the current state of drag, the best of horror cinema, how “Nightgowns” changed her life, and “Banshee’s” flight to NYC. [Cover photo: Justin Atkins]
Thotyssey: Vander, hello! You are one of the most prolific glamor ghouls of drag today. Where are you spreading beautiful nightmares at this moment?
Vander Von Odd: Hello, and thank you, that’s awfully flattering. As of this writing, I cast all of my curses from Los Angeles, California.
If I got your origin story right, you were born in California and raised in Mexico, and currently living in L.A. Do you still get to visit Mexico a lot, and explore the current drag scene there?
I was raised between two desert cities, separated by the US / Mexican border. I lived and went to school in the US, but spent my weekends in Mexico with my grandmothers. I loved it, and I have such a deep nostalgia for the 21 years that I lived there… but so much has changed in the ten years I’ve been gone. I love my hometown (hometowns?), but I’m just not compatible with the small town mentality.
That said, drag throughout Mexico is thriving. Despite the sometimes limited access to resources and materials, Mexican drag artists look and perform just as good, if not better, than their US counterparts. Most of us were forged in scarcity, making drag from anything and everything–and that breeds a very, very inventive kind of bitch.
Is it fair for people to describe you as a “Horror Queen?”
Absolutely, I very much wear that with pride. Most people default to “Spooky Queen,” but I’ve never cared for that one much. My sister Hitchcock Blonde once described me as a “Twilight Zone Showgirl,” and I thought that was much more fitting.
It’s interesting how Dragula was sort of meant to show that alt / punk / beautifully messy category of drag, but the fandom and other performers in the genre still seems to want to judge people for stuff like crooked wigs and hem lengths. Even people in professional FX makeup and costuming want to chime in… but none of these criticisms should really apply to this kind of a show, right?
I think audiences have been conditioned by reality TV competitions to expect and root for polished aesthetics–think ANTM, Faceoff, Project Runway, Master Chef, etc. They all dabble in industries that largely favor high quality, high end aesthetics. Even when the intended choice is messy, or chaotic, there’s a careful and meticulous finish to the work. This is where drag greatly clashes with reality TV competitions. The very nature of drag is sort of boundless, and that’s why it’s so hard to quantify drag in a way so that it can be judged in a competition setting.
Don’t get me wrong, I love drag competitions–and especially pageantry. But I think of them almost like a genre within the larger artform, and not an all-encompassing representation of drag. Ultimately the producers putting on a pageant will set the parameters under which contestants can expect to battle under in order to win. As more and more people become familiarized with drag, I hope that we can appreciate polish as a stylistic choice and not a standard for quality or merit.
Who do you think are some of the most talented Dragula alums you’ve seen?
I like to point out that Dragula has obnoxiously talented first-outs. Dallas (formerly known as Pinche) is absolute drag meme gold, Felony is a skilled fabricator and designer, Violencia has the best taste for bad taste, etc. For anyone that hasn’t done a deep dive on first / early outs, I would highly recommend because you won’t be disappointed.
Let’s chat a bit about horror! Movies in general seem to be getting bogged down in corporate IP blockbuster stuff, but the horror genre still seems quite vibrant… maybe even at a peak! We have the X franchise, Smile and now Smile 2, Terrifier, etc. Did you have any favorites this year?
Thankfully the horror genre has always been vibrant and exciting. And we’re very lucky to see as many genre films financed at a studio scale as we have this year (albeit while some studios try to emulate the A24 formula). Oddity, The First Omen, The Substance, and Alien: Romulus all got me together. Currently I’m most excited for Nosferatu and the re-release / remaster of Silent Hill 2 (the game).
Would you ever want to appear in a horror movie? If so, would you rather be the monster / killer or the final girl?
Oh, always and forever the monster, no questions asked. I’m also a creature performer, so I very much enjoy getting put into very involved character makeups.
Dragula and drag itself have evolved significantly since that first season, and alternative, darker drag has gotten much more popular–especially as far as social media is concerned. Does that excite and inspire you, or does a part of you wish it all stayed a bit more niche?
This is a tough one for me. I think the magic of niche is that it often runs on love and admiration for the work itself, and that’s why niche communities tend to be tightly knit. We love and care for it, so we are very protective of it. On the flipside, creatives are often working under less than ideal conditions because there isn’t big money to be made in niche genres / artforms. Sure, a little bit of that magic dissipates when it enters a more mainstream consciousness. But I’m excited for all the people who discover it, and fall in love with it, and ultimately become a part of the wider community that appreciates and participates in it. If you love something, share it.
You are also a pioneering cast member of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9 winner Sasha Velour’s moody multimedia drag experience Nightgowns, which has had many popular incarnations over the past several years. How has that association affected or inspired you? And, might there be more Nightgowns in the future that you’ll be partaking in?
Being on cast for Nightgowns played a big role in realizing that I needed to transition. When I was working in LA around 2016, I was never booked with more than one trans girl (if that), and so despite being a working queen I wasn’t in very close proximity to the trans community. Going to New York for Nightgowns was where I really got to sit down and get ready with the girls, and that experience was life changing. For as long as I can remember the feeling was always there, but over the years I suppressed the feeling enough to convince myself it wasn’t. Being in close quarters with all that Goddess energy just yanked it back to the forefront in such a way that I couldn’t ignore it any longer. I think it’s a testament to the space Sasha curated. It’s a space for discovery, and for dreaming.
There are no Nightgowns dates currently in the books, but I very recently created some really special work that I’m extremely proud of for her new show VELOUR: A Drag Spectacular which just closed it’s first run of shows at La Jolla Playhouse.
You are probably working all October. But if you weren’t, what’s your dream Halloween experience? Is it something cozy, or hellishly hedonistic?
I love, love, looooove handing out candy on Halloween. I don’t often click with kids–I think my look (even out of drag) can be a little intimidating–but Halloween and horror is where I really click with kids. I love fostering that excitement for Halloween and horror that I had growing up. People ask me if I want drag kids, or biological children… and the answer has always been no. I have no interest in being a parent, drag or otherwise. I do, however, love being the weird Auntie that brings the coolest presents, watches horror movies with you past your bedtime, and helps you cobble a scary-ass costume for Halloween.
You have been touring the country with a spooky show called “Banshee” alongside fellow Dragula alums Maddelynn Hatter, Louisianna Purchase and Evah Destruction. What’s that experience been like?
Traveling is a very lonely experience. At the gig, you’re inundated with love and connection. But as soon as you step out of those doors, it’s just you: a hotel room, some cold takeout, and a plane ride to the next gig. Traveling with people you love completely changes the dynamic, and every “Banshee” run of shows feels so incredibly special. It’s rare we get to travel and perform together, and we never really know how long these things will be able to live on. Luckily “Banshee” is going strong, and I feel confident we have many, many more shows ahead of us.
You all will be bringing “Banshee” to New York’s Red Eye on October 11th, 12th and 13th, along with local drag stars Julie J and Xana Whoria! What can the trick or treaters expect from these nights?
“Banshee” is a multimedia experience, and Red Eye has all the stage and lighting capabilities to bring our diabolical fantasies to life. You can expect anything from phantasmagoric sex sirens to homicidal homemakers in the throes of motherhood. Its a curated experience crafted by queer creatives with a deep rooted love for all things drag and horror.
What else is coming up for you, and is there anything else you want to mention?
I recently co-wrote a really fabulous Drag Tarot with my friend and writer Steve Foxe for RP Studio (release date: April 2025). And be on the lookout for the next staging of VELOUR: A Drag Spectacular; I’m incredibly proud of the work I did for the show, and I’m so excited for more people to see it.
And finally: what’s the best Halloween candy?
Smarties and Tootsie Rolls! I love them, and growing up I only ever ate them on Halloween or at Birthday parties… so they’ve always felt special and classic.
Happy Halloween, Vander!
Check Thotyssey’s calendar for Vander Von Odd’s upcoming area appearances, and follow her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and DragQueenMerch.
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