After ‘Obsession’s’ Success, Another Horror Film Is Ready to Take Over June

The horror film Leviticus is starting to gain strong attention ahead of its theatrical release, with some early signs suggesting it could become one of the breakout genre hits of June.

The film is being released by Neon, the same distributor behind several recent acclaimed horror titles. It is written and directed by Australian filmmaker Adrian Chiarella, who is making his feature-length debut with this project. Leviticus was first shown at Sundance earlier this year, where it premiered in the Midnight section and immediately began attracting discussion from critics and audiences.

The story is described as a supernatural horror romance. It follows two teenage boys who are forced to survive while being hunted by a dark entity. The creature has the ability to take the form of the person each victim desires most, which adds a psychological layer to the horror. The film also explores themes of identity, fear, and repression, and includes commentary on homophobia and conversion therapy.

According to festival reports, early reactions to the film were very strong. Critics highlighted both its emotional storytelling and its horror elements. The film currently holds a 95 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, based on early reviews, which places it among the highest-rated films of the year so far.

One of the reviewers described the film as both disturbing and emotional. Benjamin Lee of The Guardian wrote, “a haunting and innovative horror film”, while also praising the chemistry between the two lead actors. Marshall Shaffer of Slant Magazine called it “at times intensely creepy” while also describing it as a strong coming-of-age romance with emotional depth.

Richard Lawson of The Hollywood Reporter noted that the film “takes a solemn, eerie look at homophobia and repression”, pointing to its deeper social themes. Meagan Navarro of Bloody Disgusting also praised the performances, writing that “Leviticus owes much of its success to the tremendous performances by its two leads.”

The cast includes Joe Bird, Stacy Clausen, Mia Wasikowska, Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie, Nicholas Hope, and several others. Bird and Clausen play the central roles of the two teenagers whose relationship becomes the emotional core of the film. Their performances have been widely mentioned in early reviews as one of the strongest parts of the movie.

Behind the scenes, the film was developed through VicScreen’s Originate initiative and supported by Screen Australia funding. It was produced by Causeway Films in collaboration with Samira Productions. The production also involved post-production work from VicScreen and Kojo Studio, showing strong industry support behind the project.

Leviticus premiered at Sundance in January 2026 and later screened at the Sydney Film Festival in June. Neon acquired the worldwide distribution rights outside Australia and New Zealand in a deal reportedly worth around 5 million US dollars. The film is set to release in Australia on June 18, followed by a US release the next day.

Online interest in the film has been growing quickly. Trailers and fan edits have started circulating on social media, gaining millions of views. Early buzz suggests that word-of-mouth could play a major role in its performance, similar to what happened with recent horror breakout hits.

With strong reviews, rising online attention, and a well-known distributor behind it, Leviticus is now being watched closely as a potential surprise success in the horror genre this year.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments!