Leviticus (2026) | Film Review
Odeon's Scream Unseen on the 17th August 2026, was none other than Adrian Chiarella's directorial debut, Leviticus (2026). Leviticus is a queer, coming-of-age psychological horror, akin to development-focused horror films, such as It Follows (Mitchell, 2014), that explores a supernatural analogy of the scientifically discredited and egregious practice of 'conversion therapy'.
Leviticus is the story of two young teenagers, Naim , played by Joe Bird, and Ryan (Stacy Clausen), as they're forced to undergo a religious practice (at separate times in the film), bore witness by family and the religious community. The practice consists of a 'deliverence healer', credited only as Precheur (Nicholas Hope), attaching an invisible entity to the boys, that pursues and coerces them to 'sin'. The acceptance of which, is fatal.
Just an aside, Naim's name really threw me off several times, as I genuinely thought it was an accidental placeholder for the character's name and not linked to the origins, na'ima - to be at peace. But, it also took me about three quarters of the film to realise it was made & set in Australia...
The cast, including Mai Wasikowska as Naim's mum, were strong and made the - usually eye-roll inducing - faux-religious practice and subsequent repercussions more believable. That, and the decision to refrain from inserting pseudo-religious jargon to explain the entities origins / mechanisms kept the film from falling into the mistakes of other films, such as, End of Days (Hyams, 1999), The Nun (Hardy, 2018) and The Exorcism of God (Hidalgo, 2021).
As previously mentioned, the similarities to It Follows, from the coming-of-age / exploration of sexuality & oneself, as well as the invisible entity being only visible to the attached, are undeniable. However, the entity's portrayal as the one you desire most / attracted to is an interested spin that keeps from being a carbon copy and grounded it into the essential queer narrative.
It'd be mistaken not to mention that the film hinges on being an instalment into the queer-horror pantheon, with its many poignant allegories and mirror of real life experiences. From the disassociation from family members, to the religious 'fix-it' attitudes, to the physical and mental abuse experienced by members of the LGBTQ+ by those with bigotry and prejudice views - especially those influenced by faith (or their interpretation of their faith).
It would also be prudent to remind, that Leviticus 18:22 is frequently raised in social / political discourse to justify actions, such as gay conversion therapy, discommunication / disownment of LGBTQ+ family members and much, much worse. Hence, the title, Leviticus. Hypocritically, some of those supporting those venomous actions - using Leviticus as justification - will then commit adultery, extort through business practices, or do unquestionable things whilst holding the title of Priest.
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The acting and deep allegory driven story are the real pull for the film - albeit, with some questionable decisions sprinkled here and there, but justified by remembering these are teenagers. I still cringe at some of the things I did as a teenager, so I'll give the actions of the characters somewhat of a pass.
Leviticus (2026) | Film Review
Although, a woman - dressed like Beetlejuice - and her partner in the screening I attended, did leave during the bus handjob segment...
The rest of the film, however, is very much a paint-by-numbers affair and for a 1 hour 28 minute runtime, it did feel like it went on considerably longer. Some scenes dragged considerably, whilst others felt like they were included just to fall into a standard horror film formula e.g. the whole, "We don't know what's going on", "Let's visit someone who has previously experienced with this", "Oh no - that didn't really help".
That's not to desuade from the real strength of, Leviticus, the emotion. It 100% delivers on unburdening the feelings of isolation, desperation and presenting the internal confliction of nature when against oppressive external agency. It delivers on being an atmospheric allegory for religious bigotry and the impact on the young LGBTQ+ community, as well as holding attention to scenes that many of the older generations of said community, may share in solidarity. The concept is interesting and not bogged down by pseudo-religious explanatory nonsense. The film hosts a beautiful visual presence, with natural & industrial landscape backdrops and lighting to hammer home that feeling of isolation / loneliness. The pacing, however, is a bit lopsided and the general feel is slow and may be a sit-out for those expecting something more high octane in that department.
They did manage to get away with saying, 'See-You-Next-Tuesday', in an aggressive / hate-filled manner twice in the film and retain a 15 Certification from the BBFC - commendable!
Leviticus is out 2nd September.
