The Vigil
Release Date: July 31, 2020
Release Date: July 31, 2020
This supernatural horror film tells us the story about a young man who is feeling lost in his faith agreeing to be an overnight shomer. While keeping vigil he learns that the house he is in for the night has a dark past and is home to a malevolent spirit.
In the Orthodox Jewish community, a shomer is someone who watches over the body of a recently deceased person. The paranormal entity depicted in the trailer is known as a dybbuk- a spirit in Jewish mythology that is the lost soul of a dead human. Once they achieve their goal in the afterlife, they usually leave. Although, they sometimes need help to do so.
In this film, the spirit has the power to keep the main character trapped in the house- when he tries to escape, he is forced to crawl back.
The film itself premiered in the 2019 Toronto Internation Film Festival and will be available to watch online soon. While The Vigil does not rewrite the standard for an evil spirit film but it does make for a decent thriller.
Many critics of the movie feel that the director utilizes to many jump scares to evoke fear in the audience, instead of relying on his writing. This can feel a little redundant after half the movie, but it still is worth checking it out. Critics have also had issues with the film using Orthodox Jewish culture to create a gory movie.
That aside, the trailer shows that the movie is full of the traditional horror elements you would expect from a film in this genre. It might remind you of other movies where you are always aware of something watching you from the dark, getting ready to pop out at any second.
The movie has received praise for its ability to create creepiness in the one main setting it uses for the entire film.
Director: Keith Thomas
In the Orthodox Jewish community, a shomer is someone who watches over the body of a recently deceased person. The paranormal entity depicted in the trailer is known as a dybbuk- a spirit in Jewish mythology that is the lost soul of a dead human. Once they achieve their goal in the afterlife, they usually leave. Although, they sometimes need help to do so.
In this film, the spirit has the power to keep the main character trapped in the house- when he tries to escape, he is forced to crawl back.
The film itself premiered in the 2019 Toronto Internation Film Festival and will be available to watch online soon. While The Vigil does not rewrite the standard for an evil spirit film but it does make for a decent thriller.
Many critics of the movie feel that the director utilizes to many jump scares to evoke fear in the audience, instead of relying on his writing. This can feel a little redundant after half the movie, but it still is worth checking it out. Critics have also had issues with the film using Orthodox Jewish culture to create a gory movie.
That aside, the trailer shows that the movie is full of the traditional horror elements you would expect from a film in this genre. It might remind you of other movies where you are always aware of something watching you from the dark, getting ready to pop out at any second.
The movie has received praise for its ability to create creepiness in the one main setting it uses for the entire film.
Director: Keith Thomas
Writers: Keith Thomas
Stars: Dave Davis, Menashe Lustig, Malky Goldman
