The Vigil

Play trailer

1:52

The Vigil

PG-13

Released Feb 26, 2021

1h 30m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

117 Reviews

55%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

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.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

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

Read Critics Reviews

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

Read all reviews

Jay A

Creepy, but the "battle" was very weak. - Jewish demon, watching over a dead body was creepy enough of a story. Had tremendous potential

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

10/29/24

Full Review

Goran G

Very unsettling and disturbing movie. Eerie and chilling. Would consider it a great one if it wasn't for that lame and unsatisfying ending. Still, that shouldn't stop anyone from watching it, the rest of it is worthy! Definitely a must see for the fans of psychological supernatural horror.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/23/24

Full Review

David P

L’univers dans lequel nous mène le réalisateur est complètement fascinant. Son humanisme nous donne le courage de surpasser la peur par une quête intérieure bienveillante. J’ai rarement ressenti autant d’émotions contradictoires en visionnant un film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/21/24

Full Review

Udhessi U

Quite a clever film about PTSD, disguised as a horror flick. Good performances and photography. The ambiance of the house durign the vigil is great.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

08/16/24

Full Review

Ciara Naomh N

The best scary film that i’ve seen in years! Super cool to see this genre centred around something other than Christianity! I would genuinely watch it again.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/07/24

Full Review

Chade B

Pretty darn good give it a try

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

07/22/24

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

Keith Thomas

Director

Dave Davis

Yakov Ronen

Fred Melamed

Dr. Kohlberg

Menashe Lustig

Reb Shulem

Malky Goldman

Sarah

Lynn Cohen

Mrs. Litvak

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Sweetheart

95%

50%

Sweetheart

Watchlist

Prey

13%

19%

Prey

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Prey

Insidious: The Last Key

34%

49%

Insidious: The Last Key

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Insidious: The Last Key

Blumhouse's Truth or Dare

15%

23%

Blumhouse's Truth or Dare

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Blumhouse's Truth or Dare

The Darkness

3%

19%

The Darkness

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Darkness

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

10 Horror, Sci-Fi, and Genre Films That Blew Minds at TIFF – And Will Be Coming to You Soon

The Vigil: Trailer 1

1:52

The Vigil: Teaser Trailer

1:04

View more videos

View more photos

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
Producer: J.D. Lifshitz, Adam Margules, Raphael Margules
Screenwriter: Keith Thomas
Distributor: IFC Midnight
Production Co: Blumhouse Productions, BoulderLight Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Some Disturbing/Violent Images|Brief Strong Language|Terror|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)

Most Popular at Home Now