Saccharine is a 2026 Australian supernatural body-horror film about a medical student haunted by the ghost of someone she consumed.
At a glance
| Release date | January 22, 2026 (Sundance); May 22, 2026 (United States); July 9, 2026 (Australia) |
| Director | Natalie Erika James |
| Writer | Natalie Erika James |
| Starring | Midori Francis, Danielle Macdonald, Madeleine Madden, Robert Taylor |
| Runtime | 113 minutes |
| Genre | Supernatural body horror |
| Box office | About $559,000 reported |
Plot summary
Hana is a medical student in Melbourne who has turned a weight goal into a second course of study. A craze reaches her circle: a powder made from human ashes, sold as a shortcut. She takes it. The person she consumed does not stay consumed. James, who made Relic, keeps the haunting inside Hana’s body rather than in a house. Food, reflection, and the anatomy lab stop being separate rooms.
Spoiler section: the ending
The film does not treat the diet as a metaphor that can be walked away from. Hana’s attempt to undo what she ate fails because the dead are already in the method, not only in the meal. The last movement stays with her body, not with a rescue.
Production and behind the scenes
James wrote and directed. Producers were Anna McLeish, Sarah Shaw, and James. Principal photography finished in December 2024 in Melbourne, including Docklands Studios, La Trobe University, Brunswick, and Beaumaris. Charlie Sarroff shot it. Hannah Peel wrote the score. Midori Francis plays Hana. Danielle Macdonald and Madeleine Madden co-star, with Robert Taylor.
Release and reception
Saccharine premiered in the Midnight section of Sundance on January 22, 2026, then played Berlin’s Special Midnight section on February 18. IFC and Shudder handled the United States release on May 22, 2026. Australia opened on July 9 through Maslow Entertainment. Reported box office is about $559,000. Reviews treated it as a body-horror film aimed at the diet-drug moment, and argued about whether the structure holds the idea.
Cast
- Midori Francis as Hana
- Danielle Macdonald as Josie
- Madeleine Madden as Alanya
- Robert Taylor as Travis
Trivia
- James’s previous feature was Relic (2020), also a Sundance horror film.
- Filming wrapped in December 2024, more than a year before the Sundance premiere.
- Runtime is 113 minutes.
- The U.S. date is May 22, 2026, not the festival date.