Sightlines · reception

How Leviticus was received

2026 · Adrian Chiarella · Leviticus on Sightlines

The arc

It arrived hot out of Sundance's Midnight section in January 2026 — a stunned-silence-then-sustained-applause premiere — and held up on release, landing at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and 'universal acclaim' on Metacritic. Too new for a reappraisal arc; right now it's still in its honeymoon.

What’s debated

The recurring Letterboxd split: is it actually scary enough — some fans want the horror to hit harder, others insist the intimacy and quiet dread ARE the point.

Its footprint

Its one-line hook does the traveling: a supernatural entity, summoned by a religious community, that takes the form of the person you desire most — conversion therapy reimagined as exorcism. Even the title is a pointed jab, borrowing the Bible book most often weaponized against queer people.

Where it stands

An instant entrant in the queer-horror canon conversation — the 2026 debut that gets shelved next to It Follows and Talk to Me on 'new wave of elevated Aussie horror' lists.

Did you know? Mia Wasikowska plays a mother on screen for the first time in her career here — and she also executive-produced the film.

Named by the director

  • John Carpenter — Chiarella repeatedly cites Carpenter as formative, recalling 'that image in Halloween of him standing among the washing line.'
  • The Thing (1982) — One of his favorite films — 'the blurring of the self and other that I found terrifying,' an idea he brought into a queer love story.
  • Halloween (1978) — He recalled Michael Myers standing among the washing line as an image that stuck with him.
  • The Exorcist (1973) — His initial idea was 'a queer version of The Exorcist' — a starting point he then deliberately moved away from.
  • A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) — He names the franchise as a childhood love from the horror era he grew up on.
  • Wake in Fright (1971) — He cites it as the touchstone for the Australian horror visual language he's 'been obsessed with for as long as I can remember.'
  • F.W. Murnau — Cited as a queer horror master who smuggled his experience into the genre's metaphors.
  • James Whale — Named alongside Murnau as a queer filmmaker who spoke through horror when he couldn't speak openly.