spoonful-of-sugar-social-feature.jpg

Brace yourself for an exclusive reveal of a brand-new trailer and poster for Spoonful of Sugar, the upcoming psychological horror film from Fixation director Mercedes Morgan. The film is set to arrive on Shudder, AMC’s premium streaming service for all things horror next month in March 2023.

The film follows Millicent, a babysitter taking care of a young boy who can't speak and has many allergies to things such as animals and sugar. While taking care of the boy, the pair start to experiment with LSD as an alternative treatment. As Millicent grows closer to the father of the boy, tensions rise between her and the mother while the secrets of the family are slowly revealed. "Spoonful of Sugar is about motherly love. It’s a family going on a trip literally and figuratively together as their minds are opened and exposed. It’s about the lengths that we’ll go to for family and the secrets we’ll hold to keep them safe, even if our lives literally depend on it," said Morgan. Continuing her statement, the director gave some insight into the thought process of the film's creation:

"Following my first feature, 'Fixation', I knew that I wanted to make something just as surreal, as we experience the world through our protagonist’s altered state. I wanted the filmmaking to also be expressionist, and uncomfortable, but taking place in a more familiar setting. Even though we’re a horror thriller, our plot twists still revolve around character at every turn, with a tone similar to a European drama. With every movie, I plan to rip apart reality, but in a different way specific to the world that we’re creating for the piece."
spoonful-of-sugar.jpg

The film is written by Leah Saint Marie (formerly Welch), who has previously written the award-winning documentary, Price of Honor, which got Yaser Said on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted and eventually lead to his eventual arrest in 2021 and Good Girl, a short film that won the Paris International Film Festival. The cast of the film is led by Morgan Saylor, known for her roles in Homeland, Blow the Man Down, and White Girl. Other starring cast members include Kat Foster (Gaslit), Danilo Crovetti, David Yow (I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore), and Myko Olivier (United States of Al), among others. The film is produced by Natalie Metzger, Matt Miller, Katrina Kudlick via the Vanishing Angle production studio. Both Metzger and Miller worked on The Wold of Snow Hollow as producers with Metzger also having produced the Sundance darling Greener Grass. Kudlick has previously worked with Morgan, having produced and co-written the story for Morgan's directorial feature film debut Fixation.

Spoonful of Sugar's Journey to Shudder

Spoonful of Sugar is Morgan's second feature and follows up on Fixation, also a psychological horror film that premiered at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. Later that year in September, Spoonful of Sugar made its premiere at Fantastic Fest 2022. On the same day that the event began and ahead of its premiere, it was announced that Shudder had acquired the streaming rights for the film. “With Spoonful of Sugar, Mercedes Bryce Morgan delivers an incisive psychological horror laced with nightmarish visions of hallucinogenic beauty. We can’t wait for Shudder members to take the trip,” said Craig Engler, General Manager at Shudder in a statement that accompanied the acquisition announcement.

Spoonful of Sugar is set to debut on Shudder in March 2023. You can check out the brand-new poster and trailer for the upcoming psychological thriller as well as read the film's official synopsis down below.


A disturbed babysitter experiences a sexual awakening while using LSD to alternatively treat a seemingly “sick” child from a family with dark secrets of their own.