Horror Movies and Christianity

“Out of all the women in the world, why did he choose me?” Sydney Sweeney asked earlier this year in the trailer for the horror movie Immaculate with her face peeking out from a nun’s habit. She's wondering why God selected her as the modern Virgin Mary–the one who will bear a child that just might have a more vile purpose than her superiors imply. 

Of course, God saw Sweeney in Euphoria and Anyone But You like the rest of us–not to mention her gig as SNL host last winter that turned her into a darling of the Right. For her to headline a post-Dobbs horror flick with unmistakable abortion connotations seems the type of cultural coup Hollywood’s reproductive rights warriors could only fantasize about, as evidenced by the avalanche of rubber-stamped thinkpieces touting the rise of “pro-choice” genre movies.

The only problem is that Immaculate is much more interested in interrogating the intersections of faith and personal politics than fashioning itself as a one-note rallying cry. And, like the wave of horror fare focusing on Christianity that’s dominated the multiplex for much of the year, it perfectly captures the increasingly ambivalent relationship between Americans and the church during a time of widespread spiritual awakening.

🗳️ Primary Results After a lackluster turnout at the polls, the drama kicked up a notch as primary election results started rolling in last night. One of the most surprising comments came after Kingsport pharmacist Bobby Harshbarger triumphed over incumbent state Senator John Lundberg in the District 4 primary. When former President Trump took to Truth Social to congratulate Harshbarger as, "a fantastic candidate for Tennessee State Senate,” he also used the opportunity to throw some shade in Governor Lee’s direction, calling him “a RINO… whose endorsement meant nothing.” 

Harshbarger's victory was just one of the evening's many primary election upsets across the state. Paired with this year’s vacuum of vacated seats, as is the case with the ongoing race for Rep. Sam Whitson’s state seat in District 65 (which first-time Republican candidate Lee Reeves will be battling over against his Democratic opponent LaRhonda Williams), Tennesseans appear to be reshuffling the General Assembly. 

Here in Davidson County, Representative Andy Ogles beat Councilmember Courtney Johnston in the Republican primary for the 5th Congressional District. Last night, as Ogles celebrated his advancement to the general to face Democratic candidate Maryam Abolfazli, Johnston received a chilly reception from fellow Councilmember Sandra Sepulveda. “Someone has to go back to showing up and working with her colleagues for the next couple of years after spewing hate,” she posted on X.

Meanwhile, Gloria Johnson prevailed over her three opponents in a heated US Senate Democratic primary and will face off against Senator Marsha Blackburn in November. As for the rest of Davidson County’s federal races, Republican Representative John Rose will take on Democratic primary winner Lore Bergman in US House District 6, and—as anticipated—Representative Mark Green will go up against the former mayor of Nashville, Megan Barry, in the US House District 7 race. 

Lastly, on the mid-state level, the evening saw a landslide victory for Chad Bobo, who got the Republican nod for the Tennessee House District 60 seat and will face off against his Democratic opponent, Shaundelle Brooks, in the fall. Check out the full results from yesterday’s primary election here. MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

🚌 Transit Referendum Gets the Green Light This morning, an elated O’Connell confirmed the Davidson County Election Commission’s decision to put his Choose How You Move plan on the ballot. “On November 5th, voters will be able to choose whether we continue to do nothing, or build a future with more green lights, more sidewalks, better transit, and safer streets.”

During last night’s meeting, after hearing a few public comments pushing back against the language in the referendum, the DCEC weighed in. “After considering the legal opinions of both the state election coordinator and the Metro Legal department, the election commission voted unanimously on a bipartisan basis to place the transit referendum on the ballot for a vote of the people." committee chairman Jim DeLanis told the Tennessean as the meeting came to a close. MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

🍃 Not In My Backyard Residents of North Nashville can breathe easy: those massive piles of stadium dirt won't be heading their way. Mayor O' Connell explained that the city is walking back their plan to dump mounds of excavated earth in the former Bordeaux landfill, and will work closely with area Councilmember Joy Kimbrough. "We share her frustration about some of the ways that this was handled in the community," O'Connell told the press. "And so we are working with her to make sure...we are transparent and not putting any pressure on the way the landfill is managed." MEGAN PODSIEDLIK

🗺️ By the Numbers Two tourism data points that caught my eye: first, the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development announced that visitor spending reached a record-breaking $30.6 billion in 2023, a 6.2 percent increase from 2022, bringing in a total of ​​$3.2 billion in direct state and local tax revenues.

Similarly, the Nashville airport broke yet another record. For the 2023-2024 fiscal year ending June 30th, BNA ferried 23.7 million into and out of the Middle Tennessee area—an 8.4 percent increase from the year prior. Officials predict that 2024-2025 will see that number rise to over 25 million

DEVELOPMENT

• The Hottest New Restaurants in Nashville, August 2024 (Eater)
• Atlanta-based private golf and social club expands to Nashville (NBJ)
• South Nashville sausage production facility sells for $30.14M (Post)
• Project could yield one of area’s largest apartment complexes (Post)
• Beer-centric restaurant eyed for Gulch (Post)

THINGS TO DO

View our calendar for the week here and our weekly film rundown here.

📅 Visit our On The Radar list to find upcoming events around Nashville.

🎧 On Spotify: Pamphleteer's Picks, a playlist of our favorite bands in town this week.

👨🏻‍🌾 Check out our Nashville farmer's market guide and yearly festival guide.

TONIGHT

🎸 Redd Kross @ The Blue Room, 7p, $32.36, Info

🎸 Jessica Pratt @ The Basement East, 8p, $32.87, Info

🎸 Vince Gill @ Ryman Auditorium, 8p, $65+, Info

🎙️ Boyz II Men @ Ascend Amphitheater, 8p, $21+, Info

🎸 Shawn Lane & Richard Bennett @ Station Inn, 8p, $25, Info

🎸 First Fridays @ The Underdog, 6p, $5, Info

🪕 The Cowpokes @ Acme Feed & Seed, 12p, Free, Info

🍀 Live Irish Music @ McNamara’s Irish Pub, 6p, Free, Info

🎸 Kelley’s Heroes @ Robert’s Western World, 6:30p, Free, Info

✹ WEEKLY FILM RUNDOWN: August 2-8

The latest releases and special screenings hitting Music City this week. For a complete list of upcoming releases, check out our 2024 Film Guide.

Trap M. Night Shyamalan’s latest is, as always, shrouded in secrecy, but we know it stars Josh Hartnett as a dad taking his daughter to a Taylor Swiftish arena concert who also happens to the serial killer that the FBI orchestrated the show to catch. No telling whether it’ll be the next The Sixth Sense or The Happening, but reviews look like a crisis is averted. Now playing in theaters.

Kneecap The members of the titular Belfast hip hop group play themselves in this anarchic biopic about their rise to infamy for performing in their native tongue and championing the cause of Irish Republicanism. With Michael Fassbender as the band’s political prisoner turned manager. Now playing in theaters. 

Coup! No, it’s not an urgent cinematic retelling of Kamala Harris’s rise among the ranks but a class satire about a grifter (Peter Sarsgaard) posing as a chef who takes over a seaside estate by fomenting a rebellion of the help. Now playing at AMC Thoroughbred 20, AMC Murfreesboro 16, and Regal Hollywood 27. 

Cat Video Fest The Belcourt brings this nationwide fundraiser for animal shelters to Nashville so locals can enjoy the year’s best cat videos. Insert childless cat ladies jokes here.

📰 Check out the full newsletter archive here.

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