Vomit Bag
Mark Of The Devil (1970)
I found this at one of the vendors tables earlier today at VHS Fest 8. I've got a lot more to share about the event over the next few days, but I wanted to take a moment to talk about this odd little piece of film history. This bag was a gimmick that was used to promote the 1970 West German horror film Mark Of The Devil. They were handed out by theaters to people who bought a ticket to see the film which was marketed as the most horrifying movie ever made, along with a warning that when (not if) this movie made you sick to your stomach, you were expected to vomit into the bag to keep the theater clean.
We got to see an original 35mm print of this film last year at the Mahoning Drive-In Theater during Weekend Of Terror VIII. It's an excellent horror film that was famous at the time for depicting things that actually happened in 17th century Europe when witch hunters tortured and killed innocent people. The brutality shown in this film is along the lines of what you'd see in Saw or Hostel, but Mark Of The Devil premiered in theaters over a quarter century before either of those films, and I'm sure it shocked and horrified audiences to the point where some of them may have actually used these bags for their intended purpose.
Harry from Exhumed Films handed out replicas of these vomit bags prior to last year's screening at Weekend Of Terror VIII, but the one I found today is the real McCoy.
