Leviticus (2026)

Leviticus

• This film means something to me, man. More so than any other film this year (so far). Though I can’t see another one passing by this one in terms of personal connection. I remember when it was announced that this was in production, with Joe Bird (the ‘Talk to Me’ legend) set to star. Knowing it was a queer horror centered around the effects of conversion therapy, I was immediately locked in. I’m quite thankful to have never had to experience conversion therapy, but I have an extremely good idea of how it can affect one’s mental (and physical) wellbeing. After saying all that, the bottom line is that this is one of the best representations of the queer experience when it comes to internal/external homophobia and dealing with your community and family. Yes, it might be a divisive film because if you can’t relate to it, it might seem a bit on the lame side and something that’s a bit too quick and dry. But coming from a queer person, I will defend this film with my LIFE. It’s so written so tragically beautiful, dipping into the very real horrors that queer people go through. It’s a refreshingly grounded horror film, despite the whole “demon tries to kill you” thing. Which of course, is just a metaphor for real life. Either way, there’s nothing this film accentuates that isn’t based on some sort of true feeling or event, especially the visual representation of homophobia, and the gay yearning. Every single scene and character serves a crucial part in telling the story. Even though the runtime is just 90 minutes, you still receive a complete, detail packed plot that delivers an astounding message. Plus, it’s a perfect balance of psychological and physical horror. It has some good jumpscares and fun gore, but it also gets deep in your brain and mentally shakes you. I’m serious when I say that this captures the queer experience better than almost any other queer film I’ve seen, at least from my perspective. Joe Bird and Stacey Clausen’s performances are next level, and even though I know they won’t be up for any major awards, they absolutely should be. Words can’t describe how good the two of them are together. The amount of emotion that they beam from their eyes and the way they touch each other completely had me dialed in, but not in a “ooooh they’re so hot I love watching men kiss each other” kind of way (though I don’t object to that). I was enamored by them because I saw so much of myself in them, both the positive and negative traits. I just can’t get past them. Visually, the film is dark and brooding, but you get the occasional splash of color to help balance out the tone. The cinematography is very representative of the subject matter. The score and sound aren’t anything crazy but still very prominent when needed. But above all, the performances are stellar, and the queer experience being told as a horror story is absolutely genius and done better than I possibly could’ve imagined. I would recommend this to everyone ever, no matter queer or straight. It’s such a deep, authentic story, and everyone can learn from it. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go see it now!