The Vigil (Jewish Horror Movie)

[Cremildo]

Plot: A man providing overnight watch to a deceased member of his former Orthodox Jewish community finds himself opposite a malevolent entity, in writer-director Keith Thomas' electrifying feature debut.

Written and directed by: Keith Thomas

Starring: Dave Davis, Menasche Lustig, Malky Goldman, Lynn Cohen, Fred Melamed, Ronald Cohen

TIFF reactions:

Originally Posted by @pocketwriter

Jesus Christ. Legitimately terrifying. A super intense non-stop ride. A great film to watch if you don’t feel like sleeping, or maybe sleeping with a light on.

Originally Posted by @media_marshall

Will add that THE VIGIL did send several shivers up my spine, including one that jolted me out of nearly succumbing to the weight of a 6-movie day at #TIFF19. So, there's that.

Originally Posted by @legionofmonster

THE VIGIL is undeniably creepy, but even more impressively it manages to recycle exorcism cliches into a fresh spiritual perspective.

Originally Posted by @highlandertn

Love it when a horror movie telegraphs its jump scares yet it still scares you. Tense, creepy, and entertaining throughout.

Originally Posted by @ryanhancock9

My favourite scary movies involve dealing with grief and trauma. This is that and a bag of jump scares. Lots of Jewish theology in this one. Basically 83 minutes of a man, a dead body and a house. The music is great. I dug it, even though I had my eyes closed.

Originally Posted by @chrisvfeil

Well, THE VIGIL is the scariest Midnight Madness movie I’ve seen in the years I’ve been coming here.

Originally Posted by @TurboWasis

If you are looking for a genuinely scary film look no further than THE VIGIL. Lots of tension, haunting visuals and goosebump inducing sound. Creepy stuff

[Steedeel]

Sounds intriguing.

[crutzulee]

I may and try and see this at TIFF..
So much has been wrung out of Christian mythology that the well has run dry when it comes to horror.

Judaism and its traditions are largely untapped in this regard. A story about a SHOMER is a great place to start..

[Cremildo]

The only Judaism-inspired horror movies I've ever seen are The Possession and Demon.

[AaronJ]

This sounds good, looking forward to it.

[crutzulee]

Couldn't make it to tonight's showing..Mother in laws birthday..

I have a rare Sunday off this week. Final showing at TIFF is 4:30. Taking my daughter...

Can't wait.

[crutzulee]

I saw this yesterday on the last day of tiff and enjoyed it.

For the most part it is a very creepy bump in the night kind of movie with well placed jump scares..

I don't see a lot of films in the theater but the guy next to me lost his $hit a couple of times. For me, I think the experience might have been better in my setup at home. I watch many movies alone late at night after everyone goes to sleep. Horror movies in ATMOS just seem more creepy when watched this way. Also, although the credits indicate that the movie was shot digitally, the projected image at the Scotiabank theater was muddy.. this is a dark movie in which you are meant to squint into the darkness and wonder what exactly you are seeing.. all the more to shock you with the jump.. I'm not sure why, but something tells me this movie can and will look better if i get a chance to see it at home..

Where this movie really shines for me, and what sets it apart, is it's setup. I recently watched a documentary about the struggles people who leave the hassidic community face. The opening scene of the movie shows a support group meeting for people in this position and it felt as though the scene could have been ripped straight out of the documentary. That kind of authenticity really had me vested with the main character from the get go.

i grew up in a catholic household in which the machinations of THE EXORCIST existed in the real world. That movie scared the crap out of me as it was intended to for Catholic kids.

I've lived much of my life since then in the Jewish community, I can't crawl back into my childhood and believe in childish things but a movie like this with its authentic premise, goes a long way towards suspending disbelief. My brother in law is orthodox. Ive stayed in his home in a very orthodox community. This movie gets it all right in every aspect.

[Himmel]

Release Date: August, 5th 2020

[Himmel]

http://youtu.be/s7vxgt7Adv0

[crutzulee]

Would love a chance to see this again at home. Any word on a Bluray?

[Dr Lenera]

Saw this in the UK when cinemas were first reopening; it was the only new film on but I'm glad I watched it. I found it genuinely scary in parts and the Jewish environment and folklore gave some freshness to what were mostly variations on familiar tropes. 7/10

[Himmel]

IFC Midnight will release the film on February 26th, 2021.

[HotRats]

Could be a lot better. Good setup, acting, photography and a satisfying conclusion. The big problem is the constant barrage of cheap jump scares.

[Himmel]

https://youtu.be/o1VqO6ptWW8

[Himmel]

[Foggy]

To people in the UK this is already up on Netflix. I’ve got it on my list to catch up on.

[Himmel]

https://youtu.be/YsMcckth7oU

[Beholder]

Does anyone here own any of the European blu-ray editions of this film? (French one has been out for some time, German one releasing today and Spanish version later this month) They are all listed as having an English soundtrack option, but only one option for subtitles (either French, German or Spanish). Can anyone tell if the film has any non-English dialogue where one would benefit from English subtitles, or if these international editions have any forced subtitles in them.

[Foggy]

Can’t tell you about those Blu-Ray releases, but there are large chunks of the film in Yiddish. So it’s definitely something to keep in mind if you’re importing.

[Beholder]

That's good to know. Hopefully one or more of these blu-ray releases comes with burned in English subtitles, but unfortunately I've found that to be somewhat rare in European non-UK releases.