SLAMDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2026 REVIEW! If you like the sound of the title, then you are exactly the kind of person who will love Puke Bitch, a show created by Sam Tricomo, who wrote and directed the pilot episode. It opens with Janet Mancini (Kimberly Cruchon Brooks) in her underwear on her couch, wearing a pair of latex gloves while manipulating the unmoving body of a younger woman named Tori (Olivia Kiefer). Janet finishes removing Tori’s fingernail polish with acetone, then removes one of her gloves to take pictures with a Polaroid camera.
We then flash back to a bathroom stall, where Dove Marvel (Jaclyn Iskow) is sitting on the toilet, staring at the blood in her panties. She has on a cute little bracelet with letters spelling out “puke bitch.” Dove is in a medical center to have her vagina inspected by the gynecologist (Stephen Florentine). She squeezes the hand of her guardian, Lynn Putney (Zakiyyah BG), while the doctor inspects all the irritation that circles Dove’s vulva. Her brother, Larry Marvel (Brandon Engel), teases her in the waiting room about whether her p***y is now broken.
Beneath the surface of the Marvels’ quiet suburban existence are several dark underbellies, each lower than the next. The first is the teenage underbelly, with the unhinged parties awash with alcohol and sexual conquests. The second one goes deeper, running through some of the most trusted institutions in the community. Behind a veneer of respectability, deep hungers lurk and dark deeds are done. The third is the darkest of them all. It is there that Janet sits with a drink, staring into the air, waiting. Tori comes up to Janet, making overtures as she finds her desirable as a sex partner. Janet treats Tori like a gnat, completely unmoved until Dove walks into the bar for a pack of smokes. Janet gets up and walks away from Tori, moving toward Dove as she fishes around for her ID.
“Janet treats Tori like a gnat, completely unmoved until Dove walks into the bar for a pack of smokes.”
There are no accidental tourists that will be stepping into this realm. Tricomo’s brilliant choice of title will immediately keep all the squares out of the clubhouse. Everyone who watches this is the kind of person who wants to see something named Puke Bitch, we simply can’t resist. And everyone who sees it will be blown over by how surprisingly sophisticated the presentation is. The show may be the best example of “good” bad taste, as defined by John Waters, that we have had yet. Instead of a pipe-bursting gross-out parade, the audience is treated to a more subtle dispensing of atrocity. This allows viewers to savor the shock material in the most delicious way. You will be impressed by the impeccable lighting, with lots of neon wonderlands to get lost in. Then you will see that irritated vagina straight on, with what looks like real itch bumps, staring you right in the eye.
Tricomo uses a very clever storytelling trick to introduce his characters in the first episode. There is a lot of manipulation of the audience’s preconceptions about the relationships between the characters. Then he reveals an aspect that changes everything, locking the viewer in for more interactions. Every time we realize we have been tricked, it pleases us and leaves us wanting to spend more time with our new pals. Engel is an instant superstar, as he is as irresistible as that bad boy bisexual you always wished Jared Leto was on My So-Called Life. Iskow is the perfect choice to lead a series; she comes off as totally genuine and relatable. Brooks steals the show; her intricate work as a mysterious heavy is what gets your attention and keeps it.
I want to see more episodes, as I want to drink deeply from the Puke Bitch fountain. Anyone curious enough to check out something with such an audacious title will come out impressed, intrigued, and soaking wet for some more.
Puke Bitch screened at the 2026 Slamdance Film Festival.
"…anyone curious enough to check out something with such an audacious title will come out impressed, intrigued, and soaking wet for some more."
