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Australian horror film *Leviticus* explores homophobia and queer teen love through supernatural terror

4 hours ago2 articles from 2 sources

Consensus Summary

Australian horror film *Leviticus*, directed by Adrian Chiarella, premiered at Sundance in January 2026 and screened at the Sydney Film Festival in June 2026. The film follows Naim (Joe Bird), a closeted teen in a religious town, and Ryan (Stacy Clausen), a jock who pursues him. After an exorcism ritual—triggered by Naim’s mother (Mia Wasikowska) and the local pastor—unleashes a shapeshifting monster that mimics their desires, the boys must confront both the supernatural threat and the homophobia of their community. Shot in Melbourne and Geelong, the film blends horror with a queer love story, avoiding cynicism to explore themes of coercion, isolation, and first love. Neon acquired it for A$7.1 million, with a US release scheduled for June 18, 2026, the day after its Australian premiere. Critics and audiences praise its social commentary, though interpretations vary on whether it directly addresses conversion therapy or broader homophobic pressures.

✓ Verified by 2+ sources

Key details reported by multiple sources:

  • Film *Leviticus* premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2026
  • The film screened at the Sydney Film Festival in June 2026, with its Australian debut on June 17, 2026
  • Director Adrian Chiarella wrote and directed *Leviticus* as his debut feature film
  • Joe Bird plays Naim, a closeted high-schooler, and Stacy Clausen plays Ryan, the jock who pursues him
  • Mia Wasikowska portrays Naim’s religious mother, Arlene, in the film
  • The film’s monster is a shapeshifting entity that mimics the form of the victim’s romantic/sexual desire
  • The film’s exorcism scene is triggered by a pastor (Ewen Leslie) calling an exorcist (Nicholas Hope) to ‘pray away the gay’
  • Neon acquired *Leviticus* for a reported A$7.1 million at Sundance, planning a US release the day after its Australian premiere (June 18, 2026)
  • Joe Bird previously starred in *Talk to Me* (2022), which grossed A$140 million worldwide
  • The film was shot in and around Melbourne and Geelong, depicting a fictional regional Australian town

Points of Difference

Details reported by only one source:

ABC News
  • Joe Bird experienced dĂ©jĂ  vu at Sundance, as a bidding war also occurred for *Talk to Me* in 2022
  • Adrian Chiarella initially conceived Naim’s mother as a ‘horror mum’ like Piper Laurie in *Carrie*, but Mia Wasikowska’s performance made her more ambiguous
  • Bird and Clausen performed their own stunts, mimicking rehearsal stand-ins for intimacy and violence scenes
  • Chiarella encouraged Clausen to lean into ‘animal instincts’ (e.g., predatory pouncing) for the monster’s alter-Ryan form
  • Bird was recognized by fans in a shopping mall while staying in character, who mistook him for a character from *Talk to Me*
  • Sam Jennings and Kristina Ceyton (producers of *Talk to Me*, *The Babadook*, *The Nightingale*) provided key creative notes
  • Cinematographer Tyson Perkins and production designer Bethany Ryan crafted a ‘lived-in’ aesthetic, avoiding ‘shiny, plasticky’ realism
  • Chiarella tasked Bird and Clausen with in-character exercises, including visiting a mall together
The Guardian
  • Chiarella initially struggled with the idea of a literal ‘gay demon’ exorcism, fearing it would justify anti-LGBTQ+ beliefs, so he inverted the premise
  • The film’s monster was designed to be ‘broad enough’ to represent coercive measures beyond just conversion therapy, including microaggressions and community pressure
  • Chiarella cited the recent New South Wales conversion practices ban as a backdrop for the film’s themes
  • The film’s dread stems from ‘ordinary humans’—townspeople’s inaction and parents’ complicity—mirroring historical failures like the HIV epidemic and marriage equality debates
  • Chiarella embraced the ‘Aussie horror’ sub-genre, citing *Talk to Me*, *The Babadook*, and *Lake Mungo* as influences
  • Bird downplayed his ‘Scream King’ label, saying he didn’t seek horror roles but that Australia has strong horror scripts
  • The film’s love story is framed as sincere, contrasting with ‘cynical’ horror tropes, with the monster’s mimicry adding a darkly romantic twist

Contradictions

Conflicting information between sources:

  • The ABC states *Leviticus* was ‘finished’ before Sundance, while the Guardian implies the film was still in production when accepted to the festival
  • The ABC describes the monster as ‘a vengeful spirit unleashed’ by the exorcism, while the Guardian frames it as a ‘shapeshifting bogeyman’ that ‘takes the form of whoever its victim is most attracted to’ (slightly different phrasing but consistent in core idea)
  • The Guardian mentions the film’s ‘gory history of horror’ nods, but the ABC does not explicitly highlight this aspect

Source Articles

ABC

Australian horror film Leviticus weaponises homophobia to terrifying effect

Writer and director Adrian Chiarella's debut supernatural horror feature, Leviticus, is as romantic as it is scary.

4 hours ago
GUARDIAN

‘What’s the opposite of a gay demon?’: The creepy new Australian horror film that’s getting global buzz

Writer-director Adrian Chiarella subverts the idea of conversion practices in Leviticus, a jump scare of a movie that tells a tender queer love story too Film-maker Adrian Chiarella knows there’s nothing more terrifying than what you’ll read in the news. As a gay man, he has long been horrified by reports of religious leaders everywhere from the US to Indonesia attempting to purge “homosexual demons” from young people as they cry, convulse and vomit. The horror buff in him could see a great scar

15 June 2026