Saccharine is a 2026 Australian supernatural horror film written and directed by Natalie Erika James. It stars Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, Madeleine Madden, and Robert Taylor.
The film had its world premiere at the Midnight section of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on 22 January. It was released in the United States on 22 May 2026, and in Australia on 9 July 2026.
Contents
Premise
After succumbing to an obscure weight-loss craze involving the eating of human ashes, lovelorn medical student Hana finds herself terrorised by the ghost of the person she's eating.
Cast
Midori Francis as Hana
Danielle Macdonald as Josie
Madeleine Madden as Alanya
Robert Taylor as Travis
Showko Showfukutei as Kimie
Annie Shapero as Melissa
Joseph Baldwin as Ryan
Production
The film is from writer-director Natalie Erika James. It is produced by Anna McLeish and Sarah Shaw of Carver Films. Production also comes from Thrum Films and investment came from Screen Australia, XYZ Films and Stan, in association with VicScreen. Co-producer is Ben Morgan.
The cast is led by Midori Francis, Madeleine Madden and Danielle Macdonald.
Principal photography took place across Melbourne, including at Docklands Studios Melbourne and La Trobe University, Brunswick and Beaumaris. Filming was completed in December 2024.
Release
Saccharine premiered in the Midnight section of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on 22 January 2026, followed by its European premiere at the Special Midnight section of the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on 18 February. It later had its Australian premiere on 4 June 2026 at the 73rd Sydney Film Festival.
Prior to the film's premiere at Sundance, Independent Film Company and Shudder acquired distribution rights for North America, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, with the intention to release the film theatrically at some point in 2026, followed by a streaming release on Shudder.
The film was theatrically released in the United Stares by Independent Film Company on 22 May 2026, before its release in Australia and New Zealand by Maslow Entertainment on 9 July 2026.
The film was released on VOD and digital platforms in the US on 12 June 2026, and began streaming on Shudder on 24 July. In Australia, it will later be made available on Australian streaming service Stan as a Stan Original production.
Reception
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 71% of 77 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.3/10. The website's consensus reads: "Tapping into anxieties latent in an era of weight loss drugs, Saccharine's insights into nuanced themes come with a lot of empty calories but its gross-out scares sure do hit the spot." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Francis's lead performance received praise from critics. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that her "commitment to the central role is so unfaltering that she makes the script's rough patches less of a deal-breaker", while Tomris Laffly of RogerEbert.com described Francis as "extraordinary".