Leviticus is a unique horror film in the vein of It Follows but with a style all of its own. Adrian Chiarella directs the new picture with an impressive amount of tension fueling the storyline about two young guys, Naim (Joe Bird) and Ryan (Stacy Clausen), who are thwarted against one another by a demonic force.
This movie’s “hook” is that the aforementioned demonic force takes the form of each of the two young men in the picture and tries to get them to follow it. Set in Australia in a small town that is so tight-knit, everything is examined under a microscope, so to say, our heroes end up in love with one another and have to hide their feelings.
Naim’s mom, Arlene (Mia Wasikowska), makes sure to saturate his brain with the idea of the importance of religion in his life, but it all feels so overbearing to Naim. When Naim sees the blonde, attractive Ryan with a guy named Hunter (Jeremy Blewitt), he reports the occurrence to a pastor out of jealousy. Nicholas Hope serves as the “Deliverance Healer” who awakens the force through a conversion exercise and thrusts the film’s plot into motion.
Shannon Berry’s character, Jessica, has some ideas on what’s going on and how to deal with it. She’s one of the supporting players at the helm of the film and does an interesting job with a well-written role.
This new film deals with themes of trust and how to know whether the one you love is real or fake. Through a series of events, Ryan and Naim learn about the nature of evil as it tries to pit the two loving people against one another.
It Follows is a story about a demonic force that is hard to decipher, and Leviticus is the same type of horror film. Yet, Chiarella’s movie has characters with real emotions that make them different from the ones found in It Follows. There are a lot of important themes to be discovered in the new picture that are relevant in terms of how pure evil tries to tear people apart from one another.
Leviticus features committed performances all around. Bird and Clausen manage to initially create that awkward feeling on-screen as they take on a love for one another against all odds. While the chemistry is occasionally a bit unusual at first, the viewer will eventually warm to their romance.
As the movie plays with the premise of whether or not certain characters are real or just imitations conjured up by the demon, the film creates suspense interestingly and effectively. By staying with one another in an effort to keep each other safe from the demon, our two lead characters try to defeat the evil that threatens their desired way of life.
Mia Wasikowska plays the overbearing mother quite well, bringing a lack of true sensitivity that is required for the role. This is a strong film because her performance feels so authentic. This is a movie that may seem more frightening when you examine the behavior of the non-demons just as well as the force itself.
Leviticus has plenty of scares that could make audiences jump out of their seats, but it is unlikely to stir up the same kind of crowd as, say, Obsession. The horrors in Leviticus are more psychological, and the characterizations add more sensitivity to the story than we’re used to seeing in scary movies these days.
If one examines the movie closely, there are scenes that intensify the film and echo with frightening clarity. Love is hard enough without having to feel condemned for one’s feelings. This movie brings these types of themes into view.
This film is also quite effective as a cautionary tale that teaches viewers to learn about the person you love and to not give in to physical desires on their own. If our lead characters truly know the other one well enough, they can find a way to escape the demon’s temptations.
Leviticus is a dark and original movie. It’s not always full of the necessary action that is needed to captivate all horror movie fans, but if one enjoys thought-provoking movies with a dark edge, this will be an alternative to the typical scary movie that floods the multiplexes these days.
Leviticus is now playing in theaters.
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Thomas Duffy
Thomas Duffy is a Critics Choice member who has written film reviews for most of his life, starting at age 11 when he crafted his first full length movie critique on the film, "Roxanne," a Cyrano story featuring Steve Martin. As a result of that review and other movie obsessive writing, Thomas was awarded a creative writing award in sixth grade. Thomas is the proud author of nine books, including two highly acclaimed novels, "To Never Know" and "Social Work." Thomas can be found on X (formerly known as Twitter) or at a New York City movie theater watching the latest hit or independent movie. You can also run into him at Tribeca or at the New York Film Festival.