'Leviticus' Review: A Powerful Queer Horror Film That Turns Desire Into Terror
Few biblical passages have been invoked as frequently in debates surrounding sexuality as the verse from the Book of Leviticus often used to condemn same-sex relationships. For generations, that scripture has been cited to justify prejudice, discrimination, and pain experienced by LGBTQ+ communities.
Leviticus transforms queer trauma into a chilling horror story about love, faith, and survival.
Neon
Writer-director Adrian Chiarella channels the weight of that history into Leviticus, a queer horror feature that confronts those ideas through supernatural storytelling.
Initially, Chiarella considered making a film centered on so-called religious exorcisms intended to "cure" queer youth. However, the filmmaker ultimately arrived at a different concept: what if suppression of queer desire came not through exorcism, but through possession?
That premise forms the backbone of Leviticus, a horror film that combines social commentary with genre thrills. While its metaphor is unmistakably direct, the film uses it effectively, delivering both emotional resonance and unsettling scares. Chiarella's debut also stands out for its visual composition and the performances at its center, offering what feels like a significant moment for contemporary queer horror cinema.
Naim and Ryan's Forbidden Connection
Naim, played by Joe Bird, struggles after being relocated to rural Australia. Isolated in an unfamiliar environment, he finds comfort in Ryan (Stacy Clausen), a local teenager whose laid-back surfer attitude quickly draws him in.
Ryan introduces Naim to life in their small town through simple adventures: watching snakes consume toads, wandering endless suburban streets, and breaking into an abandoned mill for entertainment. Their friendship soon evolves into a spontaneous romantic encounter, one neither attempts to resist.
Although their attraction is obvious, both understand the necessity of keeping their relationship hidden.
A Conservative Community Fuels the Horror
Religion exerts enormous influence over the isolated town, where same-sex relationships are openly condemned. Naim's mother, portrayed by Mia Wasikowska, becomes increasingly attached to the local church as she struggles following her divorce.
Meanwhile, Ryan is revealed to have also been involved with the pastor's son. Concerned by these relationships, the community brings in a mysterious "deliverance healer," played by Nicholas Hope.
During a disturbing ritual involving Ryan and the pastor's son, the healer declares:
"All your lust, all your indecency, all your desires — it has to go now,"
Strange words are spoken, flames are raised before the boys' faces, and the ceremony ends with violent convulsions and visible suffering.
The Demon That Wears the Face of Desire
Shortly afterward, terrifying events begin unfolding.
Naim witnesses the pastor's son being brutally attacked by an invisible force. Ryan experiences similar encounters, and once Naim's mother asks the healer to "help" her son, he too becomes targeted.
The film gradually reveals the rules governing the supernatural entity. It has already preyed on several teenagers in the community. It attacks only when victims are alone. Most horrifying of all, it appears in the form of the person each victim desires most.
The resulting terror stems from an agonizing uncertainty: can someone recognize true love when evil wears the same face?
Horror as a Reflection of Real-World Prejudice
The metaphor at the center of Leviticus is intentionally overt, yet Chiarella uses it to powerful effect. The film explores how hatred can disguise itself as salvation and how sexuality can be weaponized under the guise of spiritual protection.
Though comparisons to It Follows may seem inevitable, Leviticus reaches beyond familiar horror conventions. Its scares are consistently linked to the revelation that the town's church has sanctioned these paranormal attacks against LGBTQ+ youth.
In doing so, the supernatural threat becomes symbolic of something far more disturbing: real-world intolerance.
A Love Story Hidden Within the Horror
While Leviticus embraces dark themes, it also celebrates love and connection.
Rather than merely translating social issues into horror imagery, the film highlights the enduring bond between Naim and Ryan. One of the story's most poignant moments arrives when Ryan says that if he must spend his life fighting a creature that resembles the person he loves, he wants that creature to look like Naim.
What initially appears to be a horror movie with a romantic subplot gradually reveals itself to be something deeper. By the final act, Leviticus emerges as a love story inseparable from its horror elements, yet never defined solely by them.
