How Scary Is 'Leviticus'? Here's The Horror Vibes To Expect
Indie horror films have always been a breeding ground for unconventional ideas that push against societal standards. Good horror movies not only terrify the viewer, but also make them think about heavy themes that traditional Hollywood films dare not touch. Not every film likes to talk about domestic abuse, suicide, and sacrilege, but in horror, those topics are regularly explored in thought-provoking ways, and the latest horror film to delve into taboo subject matter is the Australian horror movie Leviticus (2026).
Leviticus isn’t easy to describe. A lot happens despite the sub-90-minute runtime and the fairly minimalistic dialogue. Still, its terror is very targeted, focused, and all too real. There’s also a certain artistry to Leviticus that may make it somewhat challenging to follow at points, especially with how it leaves many plot threads unanswered and open to interpretation. If you’ve been looking for that next indie horror hit after Obsession (2026), here’s what you need to know about Leviticus and just exactly how scary it is.
What Is ‘Leviticus’ About?
It’s fitting that Leviticus came out in June because, for all intents and purposes, Leviticus is a very dark and queer horror movie. The film follows a young gay teenager named Naim, played by Joe Bird, who is crushing on one of his schoolmates, a young man named Ryan, played by Stacy Clausen. After he realizes that his crush, Ryan, is hooking up with the local pastor’s son, he snitches on them, which causes a person known as “the deliverance healer” to perform a sermon on Ryan to purge him of his sinful, aka gay, thoughts.
Instead, it causes an unknown entity to follow Ryan and try to kill him. Once the same ceremony is performed on Naim, he too begins to see the entity. The catch is that this being takes the form of the person they love the most. Ryan sees Naim trying to kill him, and Naim sees Ryan.
In a lot of ways, Leviticus feels like a queer version of It Follows (2015). Both films feature an unknown supernatural entity that continuously targets its victim, and only its victim can see it. There are clearly defined rules on how the entity approaches its targets, yet instead of having these rules explained to the audience, they need to figure them out for themselves. The film toys with its characters, since it’s never clear whether or not the Ryan or Naim onscreen is the real one or the monster that’s pretending to be them. There are some tells that you’ll have to discover on your own, but it makes every scene all the more tense when we don’t know who can be trusted.
What Kind Of Horror Movie Is ‘Leviticus’?
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what kind of horror movie Leviticus is. It’s a queer horror movie, but it’s the kind of horror that feels all too real, especially for young men.
Leviticus is a movie about the evils of conversion therapy, and as Rolling Stone pointed out, it’s about as subtle with its themes as a firework explosion on the 4th of July. Every adult in the film is deeply religious, going to church every Sunday, and faith is a strong force within the community. When it’s discovered that Ryan is gay, he needs to be “fixed.” When Naim’s mother calls the deliverance healer on her son after discovering how he’s gay, she tells him that the fear of the entity is good for him.
The message is clear: Homosexuality is a sin in this small town, and the deliverance healer is meant to ruthlessly eliminate it by summoning this monster to drive fear into the gay people of this town. However, it has the exact opposite effect for Ryan and Naim, as the two grow closer together in their efforts to fight against the curse placed on them by the town.
Because of this, there’s also a distinct air of religious horror that pervades several scenes. While it’s unclear exactly how much the community knows about the deliverance healer, the way the dialogue is worded gives the film a distinct The Wicker Man (1973) vibe. There’s something much bigger going on that a lot of people are aware of, and it’s confirmed relatively early on that this isn’t the first time the creature has appeared and killed the young, gay people of the town. But these religious figures never turn into howling lunatics like in religious films like Immaculate (2024). They’re trying to justify to themselves that what they’re doing is right, which is arguably even more disturbing than if they decided to start screaming Bible verses at Naim and Ryan about God’s wrath.
How Scary Is ‘Leviticus’?
If you are someone who is gay or in the closet, a lot of the ideas that Leviticus discusses feel very believable. The judgment that Naim feels from his mother, the community, and the church is overwhelming, and if you are a member of the LGBT community that grew up in a not-so-welcoming or hospitable environment, Leviticus has a way of eating into you and potentially triggering some uncomfortable memories.
Each scene has this sense of dread that’s impossible to ignore. There’s very little levity or hope in this film, as even the ending implies that things will never be the same for Naim and Ryan. Outside of a single jump scare, the horror in Leviticus is slow and eats away at you, much like the terror of Hereditary (2018). It’s the atmosphere that gets under your skin. We sympathize with Ryan’s terror when he tries to run from Naim, or when Naim pleads with random strangers to keep him company because he’s so afraid. Leviticus isn’t the kind of horror movie you’ll want to bring your friends to see. It’s the horror movie you’ll want to watch by yourself and let its dark and oppressive vibe wash over you.
