Shudder has acquired the distribution rights for Natalie Erika James’s “Saccharine,” ahead of its debut at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. The deal includes rights in North America and the U.K. Also of note is the fact that “Saccharine” will have a theatrical release ahead of its Shudder debut in 2026.
The film “follows Hana (played by Midori Francis), a lovelorn medical student who becomes terrorized by a sinister force after taking part in an obscure weight-loss craze: eating human ashes.”
“Saccharine” is James’ third film, following 2020’s “Relic,” which premiered at Sundance before being picked up by IFC Midnight, and 2024’s “Apartment 7A,” a starry prequel to the horror classic “Rosemary’s Baby.” That film went directly to Paramount+ after premiering at Austin’s genre festival Fantastic Fest.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with Independent Film Company and Shudder again after our experience releasing RELIC together in 2020,” James said in a statement. “They’re an incredible team with a deep understanding of genre and a real commitment to filmmakers.”
“Natalie announced herself as a singular force with her haunting debut RELIC, a film that we were privileged to bring to audiences in 2020 via IFC Midnight,” Emily Gotto, senior vice president of acquisitions and productions at Shudder, said. “With ‘Saccharine,’ she returns with a chilling, utterly original vision that pierces our deepest obsessions with body image, reaffirming her work as a leading voice in genre cinema.”
“Saccharine” is a Carver Films and Thrum Films Production, financed by Screen Australia in conjunction with XYZ Films, IPR.VC and Stan, in association with VicScreen. The film is produced by James, Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw. The deal was negotiated by Gotto for Shudder with XYZ Films on behalf of the filmmakers.
Shudder has become a premier destination for genre filmmaking, with recent standouts including “Dangerous Animals,” starring Jai Courtney as a serial killer who feeds his victims to sharks; “Reflection in a Dead Diamond,” a spy-movie pastiche from French husband-and-wife team Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani; and “V/H/S Halloween,” the latest entry in the long-running found-footage anthology franchise. The service is also home to “The Last Drive-In,” hosted by longtime horror aficionado Joe Bob Briggs.
