Weaponising homophobia, this Aussie horror is terrifying

Naim (Joe Bird) falls hard for Ryan (Stacy Clausen) in Leviticus. (Supplied: Maslow Entertainment)

When Wolfram actor Joe Bird experiences déjà vu, it's next level. The last time he travelled to the Sundance Film Festival, a bidding war broke out over the Philippou brothers' hot-ticket horror, Talk to Me.

What: The latest buzzy Australian horror movie going off internationally

Returning to Park City earlier this year, Bird took it in his stride when it happened again, this time with Melbourne filmmaker Adrian Chiarella's frighteningly good debut feature, Leviticus.

"I knew, just from reading his amazing script, 'This is so Sundance'. You've gotta have belief and manifest it."

We're sitting with Chiarella in a cavernous hall at Australian Theatre for Young People's wharf-side home during Sydney Film Festival, a few hours before the competition film's Australian debut.

"I didn't ever imagine that my first feature would go to Sundance, so it was quite a shock when we got in," Chiarella says.

"We weren't finished, so we had to get the film done in time."

Bird plays Naim, a closeted high-schooler in a country town with a fervent religious community. Unsurprisingly, he's keeping his head down, with his mum, played by Mia Wasikowska, none the wiser.

She presents an intriguingly ambiguous character, underlining Leviticus's nuanced depiction of the small-town stresses often faced by queer kids.

Naim has a tenuous relationship with his ultra-religious mother (Mia Wasikowska). (Supplied: Maslow Entertainment)

"There were points where I thought maybe she's like one of those horror mums, like Piper Laurie in Carrie," Chiarella says.

"But when Mia came on board, I knew that what would be truly terrifying about this character is how much you underestimate her, who she really is underneath."

Plus romance blossoms on a Brisbane bus, Russell T Davies delivers a devastating drama, and more shows lighting up TV this month.

"The villainy in those sorts of communities often presents as something quite friendly and nice, and that's what's so scary."

"It's such an interesting dynamic," he says. "These characters only have each other, to begin with, so losing that is a very prevalent theme in the queer community."

Stacy Clausen's jock, Ryan, takes an interest in Naim, who promptly falls hard for the more confident lad.

But Ryan's also mucking around with their classmate, Hunter (Jeremy Blewitt). Naim's jealousy erupts, leading to a foolish decision to out both boys.

"It's human; it's real, and Naim's guilt is carried forward in the film."

When Hunter's dad, th