Leviticus Is One Of The Best Horror Movies Of 2026, And It’ll Also Make You Cry – SlashFilm

The first woman I ever kissed was taken out of public faculty by her dad and mom and despatched to a personal Catholic faculty in an try to curb her budding lesbianism “earlier than it was too late.” We reconnected by probability over a decade later. She’s nonetheless not straight, as a result of conversion remedy is nothing greater than expensive, church-sanctioned little one abuse. I’m extraordinarily privileged to have been born into an affirming household who by no means made me really feel unhealthy about being a lesbian, however it was laborious to not internalize what had occurred to her as being my fault. If there wasn’t something incorrect with being homosexual as my dad and mom had informed me, why did my crush get despatched away? Why have been her dad and mom so determined to “repair” her? These questions haunted me for years.

Adrian Chiarella’s characteristic directorial debut “Leviticus” channels that turmoil right into a supernatural horror story the place two teenage boys — Naim (Joe Chicken) and Ryan (Stacy Clausen) — are pressured into an experimental type of conversion remedy “deliverance therapeutic” that manifests a form-shifting entity that solely seems because the particular person they most need; one another. Comparisons to the equally terrifying “It Follows” are inevitable, however the queerness of “Leviticus” inherently raises the stakes as a result of Naim and Ryan live in concern lengthy earlier than the entity arrives. They’re pressured to steal kisses in an deserted mill and spend one-on-one time collectively within the rural outskirts of their small Australian city away from the judgmental eye of their non secular group, who view brutality as an appropriate approach to “deal” with folks like them.

And this entity’s arrival has stripped them of the sanctuary and solace they discovered with each other. Because the movie declares textually, “That is what they wished … us to be petrified of one another.”

The terror of “Leviticus” is not simply that one thing is coming for them; it is that being true to who they’re places them within the inescapable crosshairs of hazard. Want is remodeled into pores and skin-crawling paranoia, and hungering for intimacy mutates right into a craving for one thing hazardous. Horror has all the time been a refuge for outsiders to course of disgrace, concern, and self-discovery, and Chiarella faucets into that custom whereas crafting one thing intensely private. Naim and Ryan’s nightmare is palpable as we witness their growing relationship and the incomparable feelings that include falling in love for the very first time as youngsters.

Each second of the movie is in dialog with one other present in distinction; a assured alternative by Adrian Chiarella. Ryan playfully wrestles with Naim as foreplay, intertwining bodily aggression and need with out a semblance of real hurt. Niam’s mom Arlene (the all the time phenomenal Mia Wasikowska) willingly indicators her son up for conversion remedy, however she genuinely believes that is an act of affection. The one particular person on the town who understands the specter of the supernatural proves to be one of many greatest threats of their actuality. And then there’s the malevolent entity itself, presenting as somebody they love with the aim of violently destroying them.

Chiarella breeds fervent nervousness with every passing scene, by no means displaying his hand too quickly on whether or not Naim is interacting with the Ryan he fell in love with or his lethal doppelgänger. “Leviticus” is not overreliant on leap scares, as an alternative rattling nerves with the continual heartbeat of maliciousness pumping blood into the center of this group lengthy earlier than the entity arrives. Its presence solely exacerbates issues; the rot was already there. All they’ve is one another.

What makes “Leviticus” top-of-the-line queer horror films in latest reminiscence is the emotional precision of Joe Chicken and Stacy Clausen’s performances. The pair navigates a minefield of conflicting impulses and meets the problem with exceptional nuance. Their chemistry is infectious, and Chicken (following his breakout efficiency in “Speak to Me”) as soon as once more proves that he’s considered one of horror’s most promising younger abilities. Each stolen look carries the load of what is at stake, and as concern, distrust, and anger seep in, the heartbreaking deterioration of their relationship is all too recognizable. We fall in love with their love with the identical depth as the heartbeat-pounding concern we expertise after they’re susceptible to being killed.

The movie’s title comes from the biblical ebook that many evangelicals cite to justify their homophobia, although many theological historians have famous that the passage wasn’t used to disparage queer folks till 1946, following a mistranslation. It is an ideal title for a movie constructed round misunderstandings, misassumptions, and errors handled as gospel — and a reminder of the specter that looms over all queer folks underneath the thumb of nations pursuing Christian nationalism.

“Leviticus” is likely one of the finest horror films of 2026 and a wide ranging encapsulation of the inner turmoil imprinted upon so many people by exterior forces. The actuality is that many people do not want a supernatural entity coming after us to pressure us on excessive alert, as a result of we already dwell in a world that wishes us useless. Seeing that personified makes for a tough watch, however it’s one which affirms the reality we already know: with the intention to survive, we should love one another greater than they hate us.

“Leviticus” is now taking part in in theaters.