SWEETNESS Trailer Unleashes a Dark Thriller Ahead of February Release

Obsession turns dangerous in Sweetness, the SXSW and Fantasia standout thriller from Emma Higgins.

One of last year’s most talked-about genre discoveries is officially stepping into the spotlight.

Saban Films has released the official trailer and key art for Sweetness, the psychological thriller that made waves on the festival circuit at South by Southwest and Fantasia International Film Festival. Written and directed by Emma Higgins in her feature debut, Sweetness looks poised to be one of the most unsettling thrillers of the year.

At first glance, Sweetness plays like a darkly intimate fan story — the kind built on empathy, devotion, and blurred boundaries. But the film quickly mutates into something far more dangerous.

The story follows a young superfan who becomes convinced that she alone can save her spiraling rock-star idol from addiction and self-destruction. What begins as compassion curdles into control, and concern evolves into confinement. As her plan collapses under the weight of delusion, the film shifts tones — transforming from a fixation-driven character study into something closer to Misery by way of teenage obsession and pop-culture worship.

That tonal turn is where Sweetness reportedly hit hardest during its festival run, earning praise for how confidently it weaponizes fandom, intimacy, and the illusion of “help” as tools of horror.

The film stars Kate Hallett alongside Herman Tømmeraas, with a strong supporting cast that includes Aya Furukawa, Justin Chatwin, Steven Ogg, and Amanda Brugel. The performances — particularly at the center — have been repeatedly singled out as a key reason the film lingered with audiences long after the credits rolled.

Produced by Taj Critchlow and Daniel Quinn, Sweetness marks a confident, unnerving debut for Higgins — one that signals a filmmaker deeply interested in the psychological mechanics of obsession and control rather than surface-level shocks.

Saban Films will release Sweetness on digital and on demand Friday, February 13, positioning it perfectly for audiences craving something tense, intimate, and deeply uncomfortable.

Check out the official trailer and key art now — and let us know:

Does Sweetness feel like the next must-watch psychological thriller of the year, or the kind of film that’s going to quietly ruin your nerves?