Sundance 2026: Leviticus Delivers a Haunting, Emotionally Charged World Premiere

Up Your Geek was on the ground in Park City for the 2026 Sundance Film Festival world premiere of Leviticus, a powerful and deeply unsettling coming-of-age horror film written and directed by Adrian Chiarella.

Set within an isolated Australian town, Leviticus weaves supernatural terror with profoundly human emotion, following two teenage boys whose love becomes both their sanctuary and their greatest threat. As an unseen violent entity begins to manifest in the form of the person each desires most, the film transforms intimacy itself into something frightening — and heartbreakingly vulnerable.

Rather than leaning on traditional horror mechanics, Leviticus thrives in restraint. The film builds dread through atmosphere, silence, and emotional tension, allowing fear to emerge gradually and organically. Its horror is not just external, but internal — rooted in shame, repression, faith, and the consequences of being told who you are is something to fear.

At its core, Leviticus is a story about identity — particularly queer identity — and the psychological damage inflicted when love and self-expression are met with condemnation. The film’s religious undertones are not used for shock value, but as a means of examining how belief systems can be weaponized, especially against young people searching for safety and belonging.

The performances across the cast are deeply affecting. Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen bring emotional authenticity to the film’s central relationship, portraying desire and fear as two sides of the same coin. Mia Wasikowska, Jeremy Blewitt, and Davida McKenzie further enrich the narrative, grounding the film’s supernatural elements in emotional realism and lived experience. Each performance contributes to a sense that Leviticus is less about monsters in the dark — and more about the ones we’re taught to carry inside ourselves.

During the Sundance press line ahead of the premiere, cast and creatives spoke candidly about the film’s emotional weight, its exploration of queer adolescence, and the importance of creating genre stories that allow marginalized voices to exist at the center — not the margins. Those conversations only reinforced what becomes clear on screen: Leviticus is horror with intention, empathy, and urgency.

As a Midnight selection, the film stands apart not through excess, but through emotional precision. It is at times sensual, at times harrowing, and often heartbreaking — a rare genre piece that invites audiences to feel as much as they fear.

With Leviticus, Adrian Chiarella delivers an assured and striking feature debut — one that signals the arrival of a filmmaker unafraid to confront darkness with compassion. It’s the kind of film that doesn’t fade once the lights come up, lingering instead as a quiet ache long after the final frame.

Leviticus emerges as one of Sundance 2026’s most memorable premieres — a haunting reminder that some of the most terrifying stories are also the most honest.