OVERVIEW
Leviticus is an Australian horror feature and the directorial debut of writer-director Adrian Chiarella. Set in a conservative Christian community, it follows Naim, who has just moved there with his mother. He doesn’t care for the town until he meets his classmate Ryan and forms an “inappropriate” relationship with him. When their attraction is noticed, the community forces them into a conversion ritual that leaves them cursed, each one chased by a horrific version of the other.
BACKGROUND
Australians have been giving some of the most exciting horror films in recent years, with The Babadook, Talk to Me, Together, and Bring Her Back showing how well Aussie filmmakers can turn simple, inventive hooks into effective scares, while still building characters we care about. Coming from the same producers behind the Sundance Midnight breakout Talk to Me, Leviticus arrives with a similar promise: a debut director, a fresh concept built around a personal metaphor, and plenty of room for set pieces.
EXECUTION
Leviticus has the bones of a great idea, one that could have carried real horror and real commentary, yet the film never builds on it.
As Adrian Chiarella said in his introduction, horror has long been used to reflect societal prejudice and ignorance. So the core idea here, a homophobic culture turning a young gay crush into literal terror, is a compelling foundation. It feels like solid ground for a great horror film, in the same general lane as It Follows.
Yet unlike that film, Leviticus is repetitive in both its images and its ideas, and it struggles to make us care about what is happening. It makes its point quickly, then keeps its characters walking in circles, repeating the same beats with little variation.
The film’s first big misstep comes very early. After a poorly constructed and predictable initial shock, it dives straight into Naim and Ryan’s first embrace. There is no gradual development of their feelings for each other, and the film never really shows what draws them together.
To build the narrative gradually, the script has Ryan commit an inexplicable action that it never bothers to address. The problem is that this choice undermines Ryan and Naim’s relationship for the rest of the film, making it confusing to invest in them. Are we supposed to hope they end up together? Is that really what they want? Unclear.
There are two dramatic beats that work. The best one involves Naim’s mother, played by Mia Wasikowska, who gives a harsh spin on the “concerned parent” dynamic. The other is a moment involving a sister that shows how certain beliefs and instincts are passed down through generations.
These moments ring true, but they add little insight into what the film is trying to explore. Leviticus rarely digs into the church or its pastors in any meaningful way. A lot of the time, the movie’s explanation feels like “it is what it is.”
That could be fine, since Together last year and It Follows are not exactly sophisticated films in terms of thematic exploration. But those films have memorable set pieces and sustain a sense of dread, whereas Leviticus mostly bets on cheap jump scares. It takes a long time to get going, and when the scares finally arrive, it repeats the same trick: we don’t know whether what the characters are seeing is the monster or the real person until the last second, then, jump scare… it is the monster. That formula repeats at least three times with little variation, never growing crazier or scarier.
AFTERTASTE
Leviticus is a film that shows most of what it has to offer in its first 30 minutes, when its central metaphor is introduced with real promise. It never capitalizes on that potential, settling for predictable scares, leads with little chemistry, and ideas that stay on the surface. For a recent Australian horror run that has been so strong, this one lands as a bore.