Official synopsis
Siblings Dove and Larry revel in wild nights and mocking their foster mother, Lynn. While Larry seeks attention from the Reverend and her son, Dove grows secretly fascinated by roadkill, unaware that their neighbor Janet harbors an even deeper connection to death.
Review
Writer/director Sam Tricomo’s episodic TV series Puke Bitch announces with its debut episode that it has no qualms about startling viewers. It also makes no apologies for its confrontational tone. This is clearly evident in the episode’s opening moments, with a wholly unexpected close-up shot that I won’t spoil here.
We’re introduced to 17-year-old Dove Marvel (Jaclyn Iskow) and her twin brother Larry (Brandon Engel), who obviously have a close relationship with each other. Dove has some uncomfortable medical issues but her fascination with roadkill is on a whole other level. Larry is sexually fluid and outgoing, and agrees to sex with a fellow church boy involving payment from offering donations. The siblings’ neighbor Janet (Kimberly Cruchon Brooks) has a dark side of which surely no one is aware.
The debut episode “Acetone” nicely sets up each main character and their obsessions, along with the tone that the discomfiting circumstances to which viewers are shown are only the beginning of far worse proceedings. The performances are rock solid, and the situations and dialogue as believable as they are unsettling.
Tricomo has crafted a confrontational, uneasy world meant to cause reflection and conversation. The horror elements are in place, and range from the psychological to the murderous, and beyond. Viewers who seek out bold, unconventional fear fare will want to take a look at Puke Bitch.
Puke Bitch had its world premiere at Slamdance Film Festival, which runs February 19–25, 2026. For more information, visit https://slamdance.eventive.org/films/696589c2eb1b48f2e1d9f931, where you can watch a trailer of the episode and find screening and ticketing information.
