Independent Film Company and Shudder have acquired “Saccharine,” the latest supernatural body horror from writer-director Natalie Erika James. The deal, brokered with XYZ Films, secures rights for North America and the UK ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Starring Midori Francis (“Grey’s Anatomy”) as a lovelorn medical student, “Saccharine” follows her descent into terror after she joins an obscure weight-loss craze: consuming human ashes. Danielle Macdonald (Patti Cake$) and Madeleine Madden (The Wheel of Time) also star.
The project marks a homecoming for James, reuniting her with the teams behind her acclaimed 2020 debut “Relic.” Since then, James has further cemented her status in the genre space with the “Rosemary’s Baby” prequel, “Apartment 7A.”
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be working with Independent Film Company and Shudder again after our experience releasing ‘Relic’ together in 2020,” said James. “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,’ 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”.
Produced by Carver Films and Thrum Films, “Saccharine” is slated for a theatrical run in 2026 before streaming exclusively on Shudder.
