This Week in Movies

What to watch: Evil children and haunted hotels on Austin screens

Genre films rule the screens this weekend both from big studios and independent labels. While sifting through your entertainment options, be sure to consider a horrific tale of parenthood and a haunted hotel story.

This Weekend at the Drafthouse

Anticipation for a regular run of the dramatic thriller We Need to Talk About Kevin has been high since its Austin debut at Fantastic Fest last September. Any detailed logline about the film would give away its best moments but at its very core it's the story of a mother. Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton) is dealing with a difficult child. Receiving little-to-no help from her clueless husband (John C. Reilly), Eva raises the incessantly-crying baby into a hate-filled toddler and eventually into what appears to be a purely evil teenager.

With Kevin (played as a teen by Ezra Miller, Afterschool) heading on a path towards acting out on his nefarious roots, Lynne Ramsay's film becomes a hyperbolic examination of unchecked human development. Based on Lionel Shriver's book of the same name, We Need to Talk About Kevin is horror derived from the familial unit itself, a unnerving experience waiting on Austin screens this weekend for anyone brave enough to see what it is about Kevin that really need to be discussed. (We Need to Talk About Kevin also opens at Regal Arbor Cinemas Friday)

Ti West (The House of the Devil) is no stranger to Austin. He and his films have been part of several Austin festivals and special screenings and his latest, The Innkeepers, world premiered at SXSW in 2011 and went on to play Fantastic Fest. It's been available on some video on demand services, but the best way to experience West's new haunted hotel story is on the big screen.

Claire (Sara Paxton) and Luke (Pat Healy) are hotel employees tasked with tending to the few remaining guests on the last weekend of the hotel's operations. Luke has aspirations of recording proof of paranormal activity and bored Claire is happy to help; they take turns exploring the darkest corners of the old hotel with sometimes scary results. The Innkeepers is actually rather light on horror, at first, but high on character development. Claire and Luke make for an endlessly watchable duo, their banter true and truly interesting.

That's not to say there aren't some terrifying moments: West takes time to build a sense of impending dread, keeping it just out of the reach of the audience who are busy enjoying the company of Claire and Luke, until he can pull the rug out from everyone. It's a solid horror effort that benefits greatly from a dark room, a big screen and an excellent sound system.

Beyond the Weekend

The Alamo Drafthouse's signature series Zzang!!! (which celebrates all things awesome in the 80s) will present two screenings of Eddie Murphy's classic Coming to America. You can catch the film Sunday (1/5) or Monday (1/6) at the Ritz location.

unspecified

Party Is Over

Half of Austin's Party City locations close in national 'winddown'

Party City

A chain of stores where the party is always going on is closing down: Party City will close its stores and has initiated layoffs, effective immediately. According to CNN, CEO Barry Litwin told corporate employees that Party City had to “commence a winddown process immediately,” and that Friday, December 20, would be their last day of work for the company.

However, the actual store locations will be open until February 28, and some of Austin's are staying open indefinitely — but with some significant changes. As KVUE and KXAN separately report, two Austin locations at Balcones Woods and Sunset Valley Village are locally owned, so they won't be closing.

As San Antonio's KENS5 explains regarding the area's four local stores, as independent franchises they were not fully controlled by the Party City corporation, even though they bear its name. MySA got insight from San Antonio store owner Don Lasseter, who will transition his locations into independent party stores rather than Party City franchises.

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, Party City is largest party goods retailer in the U.S. — the go-to destination for every type of celebration, with more than 700 company-owned and franchise store locations across North America selling home decor, candles, balloons, wrapping paper, tableware, bulk candy, baking supplies, and more.

A typical Party City store ranges in size from 10,000 to 12,000 square feet and carries approximately 30,000 items. Halloween accounts for as much as one-quarter of yearly sales, but they celebrate all seasonal holidays, from New Year's Eve to the Fourth of July to Father's Day to Super Bowl Sunday, and offer a wide array of merchandise for birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, wedding and bridal showers, and baby showers.

Party and costume merchandise has become more competitive in recent years, with companies like the budget-focused Spirit Halloween expanding beyond its Halloween pop-ups into “Spirit Christmas” stores, as well as competition from Amazon and other online retailers.

In 2023, the chain filed for bankruptcy, then emerged with a plan that included transitioning into a privately held company and canceling nearly $1 billion in debt. At that time, there were approximately 800 U.S. stores.

There are 64 stores in Texas, with four in the Austin area, as follows:

Capital Plaza — closing
Southpark Meadows — closing
Balcones Woods — independent
Sunset Valley Village — independent

holidays closings