The Vigil

PG-13

Released Feb 26, 2021

1h 30m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

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List

90%

119 Reviews

Tomatometer

54%

100+ Ratings

Audience Score

Steeped in ancient Jewish lore and demonology, THE VIGIL is a supernatural horror film set over the course of a single evening in Brooklyn's Hasidic Borough Park neighborhood. Low on funds and having recently left his insular religious community, Yakov reluctantly accepts an offer from his former rabbi and confidante to take on the responsibility of an overnight "shomer," fulfilling the Jewish practice of watching over the body of a deceased community member. Shortly after arriving at the recently departed's dilapidated house to sit the vigil, Yakov begins to realize that something is very, very wrong.

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Critics Consensus

Consistently clever and creepy, The Vigil mines richly atmospheric supernatural horror from a deep well of religious traditions.

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Alec B

It is good to see a supernatural horror film constructed around something other than Christian conceptions of evil, however the movie is still fairly predictable with jump scares in all of the places you would expect.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

01/10/24

Full Review

Kyle M

May not quite be an eventful haunting, the expected surveillance pleasantly diverts and dives into a particular spiritual lore with genuinely clever manifestations tuning up the chills, also benefiting from the committed performances. (B+)

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/22/23

Full Review

Lane W

Great movie, not sure why such low score from audience it has some spiritual depth and good messages with a solid resolution. Unique setting as well with a reliance on pure horror instead of jump scares.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/22/23

Full Review

Thomas R

"The Vigil" is neither good nor bad. The cinematography is claustrophobic, the editing is precise, and the soundtrack builds momentum. But the mazzik or monster – weak and underwhelming – doesn't match the protagonist's intensity and vulnerability. Dave Davis gives a strong performance as Yakov who house-sits for a corpse for five hours as a "shomer" while the underutilized creepy widow fades in-&-out of the story.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/17/23

Full Review

Reuben M

I really liked THE VIGIL, and it isn't because of any amazing plot or ground-breaking filmmaking. What I liked (at least, after it was over) was that the film was amazingly creepy and tense. I felt stress through almost the entire movie. Sustained, unrelieved tension. And when it was over (and I smiled as the tension finally released itself), I immediately realized what a rare experience I'd had. When I watch a "horror" movie, I look for either a gripping story with engaging characters, or at best, I hope to be "scared." THE VIGIL was scary. Fun! This is a short film, and it gets down to business quickly. We meet a young man named Yakov (the really tremendous Dave Davis), who is spending time with a support group for adults who have "escaped" their oppressive Hasidic community. He's clearly still struggling with living in the real world. A girl is interested in him, and just his complete inability to relate to her shows us just how "stunted" he is (at least as it relates to the broader world; I am not going to cast judgement on the Hasidic Jewish community, since I know very little). And he's struggling to make a living. So when one of his old rabbi's stops him on the street with an offer to make some money, he finds himself drawn in. He's being paid to sit Vigil for a recently deceased old man. In Jewish/Hasidic tradition, the deceased needs to be watched over for a day, and usually this is done by family and friends. But it's not unheard of to pay for the service, and Yakov strikes a bargain to spend the night with this old man, alone in the house, except for the old man's dementia ridden widow. One thing great about the film is that writer/director Keith Thomas (an amazing feature film debut!) doesn't mess around. These establishing scenes happen pretty quickly, just enough to help us know Yakov enough to have sympathy for him; to be ready to root for him. Within moments of his arrival, on a dark night in a dark house, weird stuff starts happening. I don't want to share too many details. Suffice it to say that the old man had some pretty big secrets, that his wife isn't quite as far-gone as originally presented, and that Yakov is in for a helluva a night in the company of some pretty deep malevolence. The plot is simple. The secrets revealed come in small doses, but it's easy to put the pieces together. You don't say "what was that" at the end. It's pretty clear. It's just tense and creepy and, yes, scary for almost its entire duration. Davis gives a tremendous performance; much of the success of the film hinges on him. He brings decency to his role, and we can almost palpably feel his fear and his courage. It's a movie about redemption, and it's simply very, very good. If you like your horror low-key but creepy, look no further than this little gem.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

11/20/23

Full Review

Rue & Lauren S

A well-produced Horror flick with real heart that has the scary/creepy things in the best ways.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/15/23

Full Review

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Keith Thomas

Director

Dave Davis

Yakov Ronen

Fred Melamed

Dr. Kohlberg

Menashe Lustig

Reb Shulem

Malky Goldman

Sarah

Lynn Cohen

Mrs. Litvak

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The Vigil: Trailer 1

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The Vigil: Teaser Trailer

1:04

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Udita Jhunjhunwala

Scroll.in

A quintessential low-budget supernatural horror, The Vigil mines Jewish folklore and rituals to create an effective sub-genre experience.

May 1, 2021

Full Review

Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

This is a really damn good horror film made on a tight budget with almost one location only, and it never drags. They find really exciting ways to use this location to their advantage.

Rated: B+

Mar 30, 2021

Full Review

Christy Lemire

FilmWeek (KPCC - NPR Los Angeles)

They accomplish so much here with what is clearly a low budget and basically one location. It's terrifying.

Mar 10, 2021

Full Review

Lindsey Romain

Nerdist

Writer and director Keith Thomas knows how to keep us invested, and cinematographer Zach Kuperstein makes excellent use of the dark setting.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 14, 2024

Full Review

Ezequiel Boetti

Otroscines.com

The [horror] mechanics employed throughout the movie become a bit repetitive and on-the-nose, making the audience a mere witness to an atonement. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 2.5/5

Jul 27, 2023

Full Review

Miguel Calabria

EscribiendoCine

It seems there's been a curse on horror movies of recent decades, few productions are capable of ending at the same level in which they began. [Full review in Spanish]

Rated: 7/10

Jul 27, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

Steeped in ancient Jewish lore and demonology, THE VIGIL is a supernatural horror film set over the course of a single evening in Brooklyn's Hasidic Borough Park neighborhood. Low on funds and having recently left his insular religious community, Yakov reluctantly accepts an offer from his former rabbi and confidante to take on the responsibility of an overnight "shomer," fulfilling the Jewish practice of watching over the body of a deceased community member. Shortly after arriving at the recently departed's dilapidated house to sit the vigil, Yakov begins to realize that something is very, very wrong.

Director: Keith Thomas
Screenwriter: Keith Thomas
Distributor: IFC Midnight
Production Co: Blumhouse Productions, BoulderLight Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Terror|Some Disturbing/Violent Images|Brief Strong Language|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 26, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 26, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $50.3K
Runtime: 1h 30m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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