Good news for music fans everywhere. On October 17, the Austin City Council declared the downtown area around Red River Street an official cultural district.
Home to such famed music venues as Stubbs, Mohawk, Beerland, Red Eyed Fly and, until this weekend, Club Deville, plus new comers like Holy Mountain and Empire Control Room (just to name a few), the new district runs along Red River between the 600 and 800 blocks.
Austin Music People, who hosted United We Jam in August in part to support the efforts of protecting the heart of Austin's local music scene, said in a press release, "It takes a village, and Austin's music village made this win happen." AMP also pointed out the instrumental role that bars and music venues on East Sixth Street had in lobbying to protect the area.
While there is some indication that this announcement may curb development around Red River, it won't entirely prevent it.
The official Red River Cultural District ribbon cutting ceremony isn't until November, but if you're feeling celebratory, head to Mohawk tonight, October 17 to celebrate with drink specials starting at 5 pm.
One of the most well-known horror tropes of the 1980s was that anyone who had sex in a particular film would inevitably be killed shortly thereafter. The new horror film Leviticusupdates that trope for the 21st century, with the added bonus of pointed commentary that unfortunately remains as relevant as ever.
Naim (Joe Bird) and his mother (Mia Wasikowska) have recently moved to a new town in Australia. Naim hasn’t made many new friends except for Ryan (Stacy Clausen), with whom he is exploring a rundown factory as the film begins. The teenage boys discover an attraction toward each other, something they try to keep hidden since the church they both attend abhors homosexuality.
When Naim sees Ryan kissing another boy, he rashly tells a church elder about it, leading to the church forcing Ryan and the other boy — and eventually Naim — to go through a conversion ceremony. But instead of making them believe they’re not gay, the rite conjures a demon, invisible to anyone but them, that takes the form of the person to whom they’re attracted.
Written and directed by first-time feature filmmaker Adrian Chiarella, the film is the latest example of Australia being a hotbed for horror movies. Referencing the same-named Bible chapter that some interpret as forbidding homosexuality, it turns into an intense and clever journey into paranoia. Ryan and Naim still see each other all the time, but they can never trust that the person in front of them is real.
Chiarella makes the most of his limited resources, utilizing dark scenes and dirty locations to complement the already-creepy vibe. But what makes the story hit the hardest is the understanding that boys like Naim and Ryan are almost literally trapped in their small town, unable to find a safe space to be who they are. An unseen demon trying to kill them is one thing, but the unsympathetic people around them feel almost as malevolent.
While the 90-minute film maintains its momentum for the most part, there are times when Chiarella loses the thread on his story logic. At first, it seems as if the demon only attacks when one of the boys gives in to temptation. But as the film progresses, the filmmaker plays a little fast and loose with that reasoning. Certain decisions by the characters also strain credulity, lessening the impact of the story to a degree.
Both Bird (Talk to Me) and Clausen give naturalistic performances that rarely feel as if they’re acting. Wasikowska, who was the “It girl” for a while after starring in two Alice in Wonderland movies, is the only face American audiences will likely know. She does well, especially considering it’s difficult to believe she’s already old enough to credibly play a mother of a teenager.
With a timely theme about the harmful effects of conversion therapy on gay people and a twist on a tired horror trope, Leviticus is another notch in the belt for 2026 as a great horror movie year. With more experience under his belt, Chiarella will likely be able to figure out how to smooth over the bumps in the storytelling he showed this time around.
