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Two teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most - each other.
- Atomic705d agoLeviticus 20:13 “If a man has sexual relations with a man as one does with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They are to be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads”. Leviticus is a bold, unsettling film that confronts the intersection of religion, sexuality, and shame. It doesn’t attack faith; it attacks the misuse of faith to justify cruelty. Its portrayal of internalized homophobia is one of its strongest achievements, offering a raw look at how doctrine can become a prison when interpreted without empathy.
- macaronz4d agoCame for the Horror, Stayed for the Gay Romance 🏳️🌈 👻 A bit of a mixed bag for me. On the visual side, it's fantastic the aesthetic and overall vibe of the film are set up really well. The main issue is that it feels way more like a gay romance than an actual scary movie. In the film, a harsh religious community tries to "cleanse" two teenage boys (Naim and Ryan) of their feelings for each other. The supernatural entity that haunts them takes the literal form of each other the person they desire most. The message is that when a society forces you to suppress and feel immense shame about who you love, your own natural desires start to feel like a terrifying, inescapable monster tracking your every move. It’s basically a romance drama disguised in a spooky coat of paint. But hey, Joe Bird acts his heart out and carries the whole thing, so at least the performances didn't disappoint!
- williamw8342d agoThis movie really hits deep for those of us who fear just loving people. The movie is incredible, and it’s sort of a metaphor. The world around us doesn’t want queer people to love each other, so they hate, violate, threaten, and even hurt or kill us and the entity really just is that fear. I’m not sure if that was the intention behind the movie but it really does remind me of that simple, annoying fear.
- rg9400July 8, 2026The premise of Leviticus is fascinating and extremely clever. The mechanics are actually fairly simple, and for a good chunk of the early movie, the rules are actually left for the viewer to uncover by noticing how the characters behave in certain scenarios. Because everything feels so intuitive, the movie can avoid awkward exposition in the early going even if it does have someone explain the mechanics later on. More impressively, the movie is so tightly written that every aspect of its concept is working on multiple levels to explore different themes. The movie has some fairly overt metaphors related to conversion therapy, but as I started thinking through it, I realized that it could be interpreted on deeper levels as well, acting as an allegory for coming out, loneliness, suicide, and romance. The movie is dripping with symbolism, with every small detail crafted with the intention to further its messaging. I think any movie that can go beyond some half-hearted gestures towards deeper topics and actually has thought out how to develop its allegory is incredibly commendable. That said, I do think Leviticus struggles when it comes to its horror. The movie is fantastic when viewed as an allegorical gay love story, but as a horror, I think it leaves a lot on the table. In fact, I would say it isn't even scary, more just psychologically tense at parts. The most frustrating part of that is that the movie has all the right ingredients to be much better at the horror than it actually is. One of its biggest flaws is that it does not utilize do enough to put the viewer in the same position as Naim. I think the movie should have really amplified the unreliability of whether or not Naim was seeing the demon or a real person much more, tricking them in key moments so that they themselves start to question whether or not they can trust the people that are talking to Naim. As it is, I think it is very obvious when the demon is the one on screen, and this significantly reduces the tension. Also, while Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen are fantastic actors, I think they don't have the same physicality to drive some of the scares. Specifically, if you compare them to Inde Navarrette in Obsession, you can see how acting can really amplify the uncanny valley nature of these characters. Given that, I think Leviticus is a really well-written queer romance with really thoughtful themes, but as a horror, I think it feels like missed potential.
- James SaenzJune 23, 2026genuinely so bleak and so upsetting to watch at times. conversion therapy is abusive and ineffective and only serves to satisfy the self-serving and shame-ridden desire to conform to the norms of organized religion. the only lasting impact of it is the trauma inflicted upon these children. it can get better, and community can be found, but that trauma never truly goes away. p.s. there were these annoying teenage boys in my row that stood up and left the moment the protagonists kissed within the first five minutes. i don’t understand how you can be so ignorant as to purchase tickets to the gay boy horror movie™ and then be be so surprised and offended when the gay boys start kissing in the gay boy horror movie™ and you’re so homophobic that you immediately run away. snowflakes.
- NickJune 20, 2026A masterclass in queer horror! Adrian Chiarella brilliantly subverts the conversion therapy trope by turning the "cleansing" ritual into a living, shape-shifting nightmare. The entity taking the shape of what the boys desire most—each other—is a devastatingly poetic metaphor. Tyson Perkins’ gorgeous, bleak cinematography of rural Australia makes every frame feel loaded with dread. It’s atmospheric, deeply romantic, and utterly heartbreaking.
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Leviticus was released on June 17, 2026.
Leviticus was directed by Adrian Chiarella.
Leviticus has a runtime of 87m.
Leviticus was produced by Samantha Jennings, Kristina Ceyton, Hannah Ngo.
Two teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most - each other.
The key characters in Leviticus are Naim Reid (Joe Bird), Ryan Whelan (Stacy Clausen), Arlene Reid (Mia Wasikowska).
Leviticus is rated R.
Leviticus is a Horror, Romance, Science Fiction film.
Leviticus has an audience rating of 8.2 out of 10.
Leviticus had a budget of $3.5M.
Leviticus has made $8.5M at the box office.