A stylish queer horror-romance with a high-concept monster hook and a strong emotional core. It sounds equal parts terrifying and tender, with the entity weaponizing desire and shame, which gives it real thematic bite beyond the gimmick.
Leviticus
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Horror · Romance
Wed · 1h 28m
Director: Adrian Chiarella
Starring: Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Mia Wasikowska
Overview
Two teenage boys must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most: each other.
Director
Adrian Chiarella
Cast
Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Mia Wasikowska
Curator Review
Verdict
A stylish queer horror-romance with a high-concept monster hook and a strong emotional core. It sounds equal parts terrifying and tender, with the entity weaponizing desire and shame, which gives it real thematic bite beyond the gimmick.
Best for
viewers who like queer horror with sincere romance
fans of tragic, emotionally charged monster stories
people drawn to conversion-therapy and repression themes
audiences who enjoy horror that is both intimate and melodramatic
Skip if
you want straightforward scares over emotional symbolism
you dislike queer coming-of-age stories
you prefer horror with minimal romance
you are sensitive to conversion-therapy trauma or abuse themes
Overview
Leviticus looks like a sharply conceived horror-romance built around one of the oldest and cruelest ideas in the genre: the monster knows exactly what you want and turns that longing into a weapon. That premise gives the film immediate emotional stakes, especially with two teenage boys forced to confront desire, fear, and the social violence around them at the same time.
Worth noting
The response it has inspired suggests a movie that plays as both nightmare and love story, with a tragic streak and a very specific queer perspective. The best horror-romance works when the creature feature is really about shame, repression, and the danger of being seen, and this seems to understand that balance.
Bottom line
It also sounds like the kind of film that can be messy in a good way: heightened, earnest, and a little cruel, but memorable because it commits fully to the premise. If you want horror with emotional vulnerability and a strong queer pulse, this is an easy yes.
Top Letterboxd reviews
hugeasmammoth (4★) · 15513 likes
priDEMONth
-ˏˋ mak ˊˎ- (3.5★) · 14741 likes
why is it always 'i love you' and never 'if a demon entity is going to take the form of who i love most and torture me with it, i want that thing to look just like you'
Millie (4.5★) · 13491 likes
Call me by your naim
cob (5★) · 8487 likes
frank ocean needledrop is diabolical
-ˏˋ mak ˊˎ- (3.5★) · 8279 likes
guy who has only seen heated rivalry, watching their second piece of gay media ever: “getting a lot of ‘heated rivalry’ vibes from this”
Themes
queer desire, teen romance, body and identity horror, repression and shame, conversion therapy trauma, monster as metaphor, forbidden intimacy, coming-of-age