phancy.com - horror reviews - MOH 2026

Saccharine



IMDb Info

Release Year: 2026
Runtime: 1h 53m
Country: Australia, Finland
Language: English
Genre Tags: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi
Plot Summary: Hana, a lovelorn medical student, becomes terrorized by a sinister force after taking part in an obscure weight loss craze: eating human ashes.

Poster - Title Card


phancy.com rating:

phancy.com notes: My chief complaint about this is that's it's too long. I like the concept of the greedy ghost, the main character feels like a real, messy person, and there's certainly a lot to discuss about eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Visual direction is strong, too, with lots of great imagery. It just took so long to really get going, and then ended fairly quickly. In retrospect, it mirrors our protaganist's efforts to deal with her personal issues, but that's not necessarily compelling to an outside viewer. However, once she finally starts to deal directly with the ghost, things get more interesting, leading to an inevitably horrific ending. Externally acknowledging your problems is not the same as dealing with them interally.


Outside Reviews:

Tomris Laffly
3 out of 4 stars - rogerebert.com

There are times that "Saccharine" becomes a tad repetitive amid numerous binge-eating sessions and grisly scenes where human bodies are cut, and guts are spilled. But in a way, that repetitiveness mimics the experience of living with body dysmorphia, where concerns over weight, food, and image are constant leeches stuck on one's subconscious. It also gives the viewer ample opportunities to take in James' gifts as a sophisticated horror director and stylist, even when the film doesn't quite land. Still, from a scene set in the basement of Hana's building, where sticky trash bags resemble ghastly faces, to a gorgeously eerie score and sound effects that deepen the film's uncanny qualities, "Saccharine" proves that in a great horror movie, fear and helplessness work hand in hand.


Luke Buckmaster
4 out of 5 stars - Eating disorder body horror offers plenty to chew over

Riffing on the lore of the "hungry ghost", a Buddhist mythology often interpreted as an allegory for insatiable desire, the question of course becomes: how bad are things going to get for Hana, and how much of that horror is James willing to shove in our faces? Quite a lot, as it turns out. Though Saccharine is less a barrage than a slow infection, with a well-judged atmosphere that feels equally haunting and haunted.