Across the domestic and international box office, horror is having a pretty exceptional year, even with its already high standards. Within the pool of critical success comes an Australian independent horror film: Adrian Chiarella’s Leviticus.

For those unaware, the film follows “two teenage boys [who] must escape a violent entity that takes the form of the person they desire most — each other.” The two boys are played by Joe Bird (Talk to Me, Wolfram), who takes on the role of Naim Reid, and Stacy Clausen (Thrash, True Spirit), who takes on the part of Ryan Whelan. The film also stars Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland, Crimson Peak) as Naim’s mother, Arlene. 

Read more of our interview coverage here

In the interview below, director Adrian Chiarella started by saying that he “always saw this as the kind of film that was tapping into the history of Australian filmmaking. I really wanted it to feel like it belonged to that canon of horror movies like The Babadook, but also dramas like Snowtown. I wanted to have that feel and that aesthetic and that vibe to it, so I didn’t want to shy away from that at all.”

This decade has seen Australian horror films like Talk to Me really take off internationally; star of Leviticus, Joe Bird, who also starred in the hit Philippou Brothers’ film, said, “I’m Australian, and everyone is Australian on this job. I think we want to prove to the world that Australians can make good movies; there’s lots of talent in Australia.”

You can watch the full interview here:

Leviticus releases in UK cinemas on September 2nd.

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