Every Real Location Where ‘Leviticus’ Was Filmed Across Victoria, Australia

There is something quietly unsettling about discovering that the bleakest landscapes in a horror film are real places you could drive to on a weekend. That is exactly the feeling settling over audiences who have just seen ‘Leviticus‘, the Australian queer supernatural horror that has been turning heads since its debut at Sundance earlier this year.

The haunting atmosphere of ‘Leviticus’ did not come from special effects alone. Written and directed by Adrian Chiarella, the film stars Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen as two teenagers tormented by a violent supernatural entity summoned by their religious community, one that takes the form of the person they desire most. With a story that raw and a world that believable, it was only a matter of time before audiences started asking exactly where those images came from.

The Victorian Landscapes That Shaped the ‘Leviticus’ Shoot

Much of ‘Leviticus’ was filmed across Victoria, Australia, with production taking place over a tight 30-day schedule during 2025. That compressed timeline makes the visual cohesion of the finished film even more impressive, given how many distinct pockets of the state the crew managed to work into the project.

The filmmakers intentionally searched for places that felt isolated, weathered and emotionally distant. The result is a collection of locations that almost become characters themselves, quietly adding tension to every scene. Director Chiarella has been open about drawing from personal experience to shape the story, and the locations he chose reflect that same commitment to authenticity.

Set in rural Australia, on the outskirts of Melbourne, ‘Leviticus’ keeps its focus on a small group of characters and a town under the dominant influence of its fundamentalist church. That specific sense of place, somewhere close enough to civilisation to feel real but removed enough to feel inescapable, runs through every frame.

The film was shot in Geelong, Bacchus Marsh, and other areas in Victoria’s west. For Australian viewers already familiar with those towns, the recognition lands with an extra jolt, the kind of eerie pride that comes from watching somewhere ordinary transformed into somewhere deeply sinister.

Geelong, Ballarat and Bacchus Marsh as the Film’s Unsettling Backdrops

One of the most recognisable filming locations is Batesford Roadhouse in Geelong. Several important sequences were filmed here during July 2025, with the business temporarily closing its doors to accommodate production. In the film, the location helps establish the small-town atmosphere surrounding Naim and Ryan’s world.

The filmmakers additionally utilised parts of Ballarat, whose historic industrial surroundings complemented the film’s visual style. The city’s combination of heritage buildings and wide open spaces fitted perfectly with the movie’s themes of isolation and personal conflict. Ballarat is not a place most people associate with supernatural dread, which is precisely what makes its use so effective here.

Production also incorporated sequences around Bacchus Marsh, a Victorian town known for its expansive landscapes and rural character. These areas provided additional exterior shots that strengthened the film’s remote atmosphere. The surrounding scenery may look peaceful in isolation, but ‘Leviticus’ frames it in a way that makes even ordinary countryside feel like something is watching from just out of frame.

Meanwhile, sections of Werribee’s industrial district contributed to the movie’s distinctive visual identity. The area’s warehouses, industrial facilities and weathered surroundings helped reinforce the harsh environment facing the characters. Fans have noted online that these locations were so convincing they felt uneasy looking at perfectly normal buildings afterwards.

How VicScreen Funding Shaped the Production’s Sense of Place

The choice of locations was no accident. Developed through the VicScreen Originate Features initiative, the film aimed to showcase Victoria’s diverse landscapes while supporting local filmmaking talent. That program has been quietly nurturing a new wave of Australian genre cinema, and ‘Leviticus’ looks set to become one of its most celebrated results.

The project received funding in July 2024 as part of Screen Australia’s 2024-25 production slate. It was produced by Causeway Films, who co-financed the film with Samira Productions. That institutional support gave Chiarella the resources to be specific about where he shot, rather than settling for whatever was closest or cheapest.

Cinematographer Tyson Perkins used the region’s natural beauty to create an unusual contrast between scenic Australian environments and the constant feeling that something dreadful may be waiting just outside the frame. That visual tension between beauty and threat runs throughout the film, and it would not land nearly as hard without locations that genuinely carry that duality.

The Film’s Critical Reception and What It Means for Australian Horror

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. The website’s consensus reads that ‘Leviticus’ merges an emotionally involving queer relationship with its clever monster concept, executing its intriguing hook with eerie aplomb.

Neon acquired worldwide distribution rights excluding Australia and New Zealand to the film in a deal worth around US$5 million. Maslow Entertainment released the film in Australia on 18 June 2026, with Neon releasing the film in the United States the following day. That dual release reflects the genuinely international appetite that built around the film after its Sundance premiere.

Australian horror has another title to place on the mantlepiece. ‘Leviticus’ joins the ranks of films that rely on the grittiness of Australian suburbia and slow-burning realism to showcase poignant stories that reward those who dare to dive deeper into their meanings. The Victorian landscapes are not just a backdrop but a core part of what the film is saying about isolation, community, and the quiet violence of small-town life.

As interest in ‘Leviticus’ continues to grow, these Victorian filming locations are quickly becoming must-see destinations for film enthusiasts. Many of the sites can be visited by both domestic and international travellers, offering fans the opportunity to experience the landscapes that shaped one of the year’s most distinctive horror releases. If you have already seen ‘Leviticus’, we would love to know whether the real-world locations made the film hit even harder for you, or whether the horror worked better before you knew exactly where to find those roads.