Saccharine

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1:41

Saccharine

R

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1h 53m

Horror

Sci-Fi

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

58 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Hana, a lovelorn medical student, becomes terrorized by a sinister force after taking part in an obscure weight-loss craze: eating human ashes.

Critics Consensus

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.

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Richard Whittaker

Austin Chronicle

20h

2/5

It’s like Jillian Michaels directing an adaptation of Stephen King’s Thinner, and even some good scares can’t disguise the bitter taste it might leave in your mouth.

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Randy Myers

San Jose Mercury News

23h

3/4

Saccharine does suffer from some scenes feeling repetitive. All in all, though, it’s another flat-out win for a horror filmmaker interested in going beyond gore to uncover what haunts our human souls.

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Tomris Laffly

RogerEbert.com

4d

3/4

It proves that in a great horror movie, fear and helplessness work hand in hand. And James is expertly in control of it all.

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Megan Loucks

InSession Film

34m

D

While Saccharine is a let-down in many aspects, it shows James as a confident filmmaker tackling topics that need to be pushed to the forefront.

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Joel Copling

Spectrum Culture

8h

Saccharine has neither the courage nor the conviction to confront its own garbled messaging.

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Jennie Kermode

Eye for Film

20h

4.5/5

The complex interaction of desire and disgust is expressed through the textures of indulgent, luxurious foods juxtaposed with similarly textured body parts in a way that is both sensual and grotesque.

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Jamie

20h

Damn good if you ask me. I’d give it a solid B to B+. Have nothing bad to say about it.

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Tom B

1d

Crude & disgusting. Difficult to watch.

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Marlon

2d

Boring and not scary at all

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metalliphil

4d

Interesting take on eating disorders and body self image w solid effects - I appreciate that the film did not play it safe and explored less conventional routes in the story and the ending

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Juandi

4d

Overall, it’s a good film. The edit is cool & artsy, the acting is great, the practical effects are great & the overall message is relevant & relatable. I do wish it was shorter. It would’ve had more impact for me with a shorter runtime. I can see how the average person may find that it drags sometimes. Nonetheless, strong effort.

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Jeff G.

@RT85566186 7h

Pretty good movie a little weird but I understand wanting to lose weight but I'm not sure i would go to that extreme. But over all pretty decent but still not scary

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Natalie Erika James

Director

Midori Francis

Hana

Danielle Macdonald

Josie

Madeleine Madden

Alanya

Anna Adams

Actor

Joseph Baldwin

Ryan

Saccharine: Trailer 1

1:41

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Synopsis

Hana, a lovelorn medical student, becomes terrorized by a sinister force after taking part in an obscure weight-loss craze: eating human ashes.

Director: Natalie Erika James
Producer: Natalie Erika James, Anna McLeish, Sarah Shaw
Screenwriter: Natalie Erika James
Distributor: Independent Film Company
Production Co: Carver Films
Rating: R (Sexuality|Grisly Images|Disturbing Content|Graphic Nudity|Drug Use|Language)
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 22, 2026, Limited
Runtime: 1h 53m