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 vidil, Yakov begins to realize that something is very, very wrong.
The Vigil premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2019. In October 2020, IFC Midnight acquired the film from Blumhouse and set it for a February 26, 2021, release.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92% based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 6.90/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Consistently clever and creepy, The Vigil mines richly atmospheric supernatural horror from a deep well of religious traditions."
The Vigil is presented with the Support of The Austin Jewish Film Festival.
- Year2021
- Runtime90 minutes
- LanguageEnglish
- PremiereTexas
- DirectorKeith Thomas
- ScreenwriterKeith Thomas
- ProducerRaphael Margules, JD Lifshitz, Adam Margules
- Executive ProducerJason Blum
- CastDave Davis, Menashe Lustig, Malky Goldman, Fred Melamed, Nati Rabinowitz, and Lynn Cohen
- CinematographerZach Kuperstein
- EditorBrett W. Bachman
- MusicMichael Yezerski
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 vidil, Yakov begins to realize that something is very, very wrong.
The Vigil premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival in September 2019. In October 2020, IFC Midnight acquired the film from Blumhouse and set it for a February 26, 2021, release.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 92% based on 36 reviews, with an average rating of 6.90/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Consistently clever and creepy, The Vigil mines richly atmospheric supernatural horror from a deep well of religious traditions."
The Vigil is presented with the Support of The Austin Jewish Film Festival.
- Year2021
- Runtime90 minutes
- LanguageEnglish
- PremiereTexas
- DirectorKeith Thomas
- ScreenwriterKeith Thomas
- ProducerRaphael Margules, JD Lifshitz, Adam Margules
- Executive ProducerJason Blum
- CastDave Davis, Menashe Lustig, Malky Goldman, Fred Melamed, Nati Rabinowitz, and Lynn Cohen
- CinematographerZach Kuperstein
- EditorBrett W. Bachman
- MusicMichael Yezerski