Chiarella's 'Leviticus' Turns Anti-LGBTQ Anxiety Into
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- Leviticus centers on Australian teens Naim (Joe Bird) and Ryan (Stacy Clausen) whose love becomes entangled with demonic forces after one undergoes religious conversion therapy, with monsters that take the shape of what each character desires most
- Adrian Chiarella said he wrote the film in response to a "regression" of LGBTQIA+ rights in Australia's political and cultural sphere over the last five to 10 years, framing horror as the genre best suited to ask "What are you really scared of?"
- Chiarella built chemistry between leads Bird and Clausen by sending them on road trips to scout locations, dropping them in different parts of town to find each other, running them through escape rooms, and having them hold a snake together for a key opening scene
- Neon acquired "Leviticus" in a seven-figure deal after its Sundance debut, and the film also screened at SXSW and the Overlook Film Festival before its theatrical opening Friday
- Chiarella cited the recent box office performance of "Backrooms" and "Obsession" as proof that audiences "want to feel something again at the movies," calling horror an ideal launchpad for first-time directors who don't need big-name stars
- Chiarella declined to commit to a sequel but said the world and lore could explore other LGBTQIA+ experiences beyond Naim and Ryan, and signaled his next project will remain focused on grounded, relationship-driven storytelling across genres
Why it matters: Chiarella has turned lived political anxiety — a perceived rollback of LGBTQIA+ rights in Australia — into a theatrically released, Neon-acquired genre film, and the seven-figure Sundance deal and summer theatrical slot validate Neon and exhibitors' bet that queer auteur horror can perform commercially in the same lane as "Backrooms" and "Obsession."
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