‘Leviticus’ Rotten Tomatoes Score Cements It as 2026’s Most Essential Horror Release
The summer of 2026 has planted its flag firmly in horror country, and no upcoming theatrical release carries more critical momentum than ‘Leviticus.’ Written and directed by Australian filmmaker Adrian Chiarella, the film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival, where it immediately established itself as one of the Midnight program’s most buzzed-about discoveries, triggering a distribution scramble that ended in one of the festival’s biggest deals.
The story follows two young lovers in a conservative community who are subjected to a religious conversion ritual that accidentally unleashes a violent entity taking on the form of their deepest desires. Starring Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Mia Wasikowska, Nicholas Hope, and Ewen Leslie, the 88-minute film was produced by Causeway Films, and represents Chiarella’s feature-length directorial debut after a string of acclaimed short films in his home country.
Those who caught the premiere sensed something rare was unfolding. Neon quickly acquired the US distribution rights in a reported seven-figure deal, outmaneuvering competing buyers for a film with no franchise ties and no conventional marquee stars. Now, with its June 19 theatrical release days away, ‘Leviticus’ holds a Certified Fresh rating of 95% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 41 reviews, placing it among the most acclaimed genre films of the year. It also carries an 83 on Metacritic, a combination that reflects the kind of broad and sustained critical consensus rarely achieved by a debut feature.
The praise has cut across publications and taste profiles alike. Variety awarded the film a Critics Pick, calling it a succinct and incisive debut that earns Chiarella a prime place among new genre voices. Reviewers have consistently pointed to its exceptional lead performances and uncompromising approach to queer social horror, with comparisons to ‘It Follows’ appearing in review after review as the closest reference point for its brand of intimate, dread-soaked supernatural filmmaking.
Chiarella has been open about the deeply personal drive behind the project. “I always wanted to reclaim this genre,” he told IndieWire at Sundance. “I always felt like horror films were really shaped by queer writers for queer audiences, and in a lot of ways we were reclaiming that space.” He has since described ‘Leviticus’ as a film about homophobia in all its shades, with the monster serving as a metaphor not just for conversion therapy but for every variation of queer erasure, from internalised shame to institutionalised bigotry.
Named for the Old Testament book long cited to justify homophobia, the film has drawn comparisons to the work of Jennifer Kent and the Philippou brothers, positioning Chiarella as a significant new voice in Australian horror. It also marks a notable screen return for Mia Wasikowska, who served as both a leading cast member and executive producer, lending the production added prestige ahead of its wide release.
Whether ‘Leviticus’ can carry that extraordinary critical goodwill into genuine box office momentum is the defining question of its opening weekend, and it would be worth hearing from horror fans whether they think a film this personal and this uncompromising has what it takes to become the genre-defining moment of the summer.
