'Emetophobia' explained as Netflix viewers issue warning over disgusting Lizzie Borden episode

A Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan true crime drama was never going to be a comforting watch and the latest instalment in the Monsters Netflix franchise is no exception.

Ella Beatty takes on the titular role in Monsters: The Lizzie Borden Story, alongside Vicky Krieps as the Bordens’ live-in maid Bridget 'Maggie' Sullivan, Charlie Hunnam as Lizzie’s father Andrew, Rebecca Hall as her stepmother Abby, Billie Lourd as her older sister Emma and Sarah Paulson as Aileen Wuornos.

It explores Lizzie’s life inside her restrictive Victorian family home, as well as the relationship between Lizzie and Maggie and the murders that made her one of America’s most notorious crime figures.

Other than the deaths that are central to the show, another moment has people discussing emetophobia.

There’s a scene in the second episode that viewers have warned others about. If you enjoy binge-watching shows while you eat, this episode might have to wait. That's because we see Lizzie and the maid serve Mr and Mrs Borden oysters, with the intention of poisoning them.

Their cunning plan ends with a horrific amount of projectile vomiting.

What is emetophobia?

Emetophobia describes the fear of vomiting, vomit and seeing people vomit. It also describes the fear of watching others throw up or feel nauseous.

An estimated two to seven percent of the population experience emetophobia and it's considered a real, recognised phobia.

While nobody enjoys seeing anyone vomit, or what they’ve thrown up, emetophobia sufferers may experience severe panic, anxiety and will go to great lengths to try to avoid any contact with vomit in their daily lives.

The scene in Monsters: The Lizzie Borden Story has sparked a debate on Reddit (Netflix)

There’s a Reddit page dedicated to emetophobia that now hosts a thread with dozens of comments as a warning for those who may be planning to watch the Netflix series.

One user called episode two 'an emetophobe’s nightmare'.

Another viewer replied: “I held my ears and covered my head and said ‘let me know when it’s [expletive] over’.. Other than that scene? love the show.”

Someone else joked: “If you think about it positively, it could be used as exposure therapy!”

A third wrote: “I watched the episode last night and would have loved to have seen this warning prior. I also hate vomiting and vomit. I have overcome a lot of it as I have aged. But that episode made me so sick watching it.”

The cast have revealed how they filmed it (Netflix)

It’s one thing watching the gut-churning scenes, but what about filming them?

Charlie Hunnam, Rebecca Hall and Ella Beatty, along with director Max Winkler, revealed how they pulled it off.

Winkler said he spent hours researching theatrical vomiting online, revealing it as one of the ‘hardest things I’ve ever done’ coordinating the spewing.

“We do everything once as a dry run without the vomit. So everybody’s faking it,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “Then we do tubes, which we have to do many tests and figure out what’s the distance, what’s too crazy, what’s just crazy enough, what’s too small. Then we start with them putting stuff in their mouth and just doing that version of it.”

As it turns out, Hall isn’t too fond of vomit either. The director said one of the biggest challenges was trying to keep her from throwing up for real.

Rebecca Hall as Lizzie's stepmother, Abby Borden (Netflix)

“I’m not good with icky stuff, and I’m really not good with vomiting,” she told the publication. “I have like a hair trigger empathetic response, and I will immediately start [vomiting].”

Meanwhile, the former Sons of Anarchy star shared: “It seemed like it was gonna require being very, very uncomfortable and, you know, I’m kind of a germaphobe.

“So even if it’s fake vomit, being covered head to toe in vomit and diarrhoea for the day did not seem like a particularly enjoyable experience. And indeed it wasn’t.”

All eight episodes of Monsters: The Lizzie Borden Story are available to stream on Netflix now.