Talk: "Do You Want to Tell me Something?": Vomiting Women in Horror by Sarah Kathryn Cleaver
When thinking of vomiting scenes in horror cinema, it’s a decidedly (though not exclusively) female trope; from the infamous pea soup of The Exorcist (1973), through to the almost unwatchable (and multiple) oral discharges of Drag Me to Hell (2009). In recent years, the trope has spewed beyond the abject enclosure of horror and into other genres, from vomiting housewives in Mad Men and Big Little Lies, to the 15-minute puke fest in Triangle of Sadness. Watched closely (if a little queasily) it’s clear that there’s more going on in these scenes than mere shock value or gross-out comedy– women’s cinematic vomit is closely interlinked with verbal violations, aggression and even frightening female sexuality. What are all these vomiting women trying to communicate?
