‘Horror Is So Back’: Michael Johnston Joins the ‘Leviticus’ Stars in the TikTok Trend Taking Over the Summer of Scares

Horror’s stranglehold on 2026’s pop culture moment is showing absolutely no signs of loosening. Following the box office dominance of ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’, the trend proves there is still a substantial demand for smaller, well-made horror films. Now, as the genre’s latest festival darling prepares for its wide theatrical debut, the cast of the upcoming Australian queer horror film ‘Leviticus’ has taken that momentum straight to TikTok, and they brought a very special guest with them.

‘Leviticus’ is a supernatural horror film written and directed by Adrian Chiarella, following two gay teenagers who become tormented by a violent supernatural entity, summoned by their homophobic religious community, that takes the form of the person they desire most, each other. It is the kind of film that arrives with real weight behind it, and the online community has been feeling every ounce of it.

The social media hype reached a new peak when Michael Johnston, the breakout star of the smash hit ‘Obsession’, joined ‘Leviticus’ leads Stacy Clausen and Joe Bird in a “horror is so back” TikTok challenge.

The clip racked up over 372,000 views in a matter of hours, with fans of both films losing their collective minds in the comments over the crossover. The video, filmed in front of a ‘Leviticus’ poster, shows Johnston cycling through four audience reaction modes: supportive, sarcastic, flirty, and excited, and honestly, all four feel correct for what horror fans are experiencing right now.

The cameo is more than just a fun bit of celebrity promotion. It speaks to a genuine camaraderie forming around this particular wave of horror. Thanks to his leading role in ‘Obsession’, Michael Johnston is quickly emerging as one of the breakout stars of this year. The film follows Bear, a music store employee who buys a supernatural toy that grants his wish for his friend Nikki to fall in love with him.

A critical and commercial success, it grossed over $294 million worldwide, becoming Focus Features’ highest-grossing film of all time. Johnston showing up to hype ‘Leviticus’ the night before its US release is a passing of the torch moment that fans were more than ready for.

For Clausen and Bird, the timing could not be better. Critics have been raving about ‘Leviticus’ ahead of its theatrical release, and it holds a 94% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Neon acquired the film during the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. ‘Leviticus’ premiered on January 23, in the Midnight section of the Sundance Film Festival, and is set for release in the United States on June 19. For a debut feature going up against a ‘Toy Story’ sequel in its opening weekend, that kind of organic word-of-mouth, amplified by a viral TikTok moment, could be exactly what pushes it over the edge.

What makes the TikTok collaboration feel so organic is how much the films share in spirit, even if they differ wildly in setting and story. Both ‘Obsession’ and ‘Leviticus’ are intimate, character-driven horror films built around desire gone terrifyingly wrong, and both have found their biggest champions online among younger, queer audiences who have been hungry for exactly this kind of representation. Director Adrian Chiarella acknowledged the challenge, noting to IndieWire that “‘Leviticus’ faces the unique uphill challenge of being a queer movie entering national theaters,” while also expressing excitement about putting more of these stories into the world.

‘Leviticus’ marks a turning point in queer horror that simultaneously inspires firsthand fear for its protagonists and loathing for both its supernatural and human monsters, and feels like a minor landmark in terms of representing and reflecting a community that has had a long, vital, and extremely complicated history with scary movies, according to Rolling Stone. That kind of critical framing, combined with the grassroots TikTok energy, positions ‘Leviticus’ as something more than just the next horror entry. It is an event.

To build their chemistry on screen, Bird and Clausen played video games together, went on coffee dates, and simply spent time being around each other, and that effort clearly shows. The two leads have become genuine fan favorites well before the film even opened wide, and having Johnston amplify that to his own massive fanbase now is the kind of cross-pollination that social media was made for.

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