The Sundance Film Festival doesn’t kick off until Thursday, but Independent Film Company and Shudder wasted no time in striking first by acquiring Natalie Erika James’ supernatural body horror “Saccharine” from XYZ Films ahead of its world premiere.
The film tells the story of a lovelorn medical student who is terrorized by a sinister force after taking part in an obscure weight-loss craze: eating human ashes. It stars Midori Francis (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Danielle Macdonald (“Patti Cake$”) and Madeleine Madden (“The Wheel of Time”). “Saccharine” was written and directed by James. It’s her third feature following her psychological horror debut “Relic,” which was distributed by IFC Midnight, and “Apartment 7A,” a prequel to “Rosemary’s Baby” starring Julia Garner.
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with IFC and Shudder again after our experience releasing ‘Relic’ together in 2020,” James said. “They’re an incredible team with a deep understanding of genre and a real commitment to filmmakers.”
The deal includes rights in North America and the U.K. “Saccharine” will open in theaters ahead of its Shudder debut at some point in 2026. It will screen at this year’s Sundance, which is the last edition of the festival to be held in Park City, Utah. In 2027, Sundance will relocate to Boulder, Colo.
“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,” said Emily Gotto, senior vice president of acquisitions and productions at Shudder. “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. It was 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.