The Vigil (2020)
Overview
A man providing overnight watch to a deceased member of his former Orthodox Jewish community finds himself opposite a malevolent entity.
Cast
Dave Davis
Yakov Ronen
Lynn Cohen
Mrs. Litvak
Menashe Lustig
Reb Shulem
Malky Goldman
Sarah
Fred Melamed
Dr. Kohlberg
Nati Rabinowitz
Lane
Moshe Lobel
Lazer
Spencer Zender
Eric
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SWITCH.
'The Vigil' explores a dark part of history via some fascinating mythology that is underutilised in modern cinema. It's a shame that an interesting concept for supernatural thriller falls victim to the influence of lazy modern horror filmmaking tropes and clichés.
- Jake Watt
Read Jake's full article...
https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-the-vigil-a-rare-excursion-into-yiddish-horror
CinemaSerf
I will admit to feeling just a little uneasy as I walked back to the car after watching this debut from Keith Thomas at 11pm. Dave Davis is "Yakov" who is a bit down on his luck, on some pretty heavy medication, and struggling to get back on track after a fairly traumatic event from his past. A rabbi asks him if will act as a "Shomer" - a person who sits with the deceased to recite prayers and generally ward off any evil before burial. As he watches over the body, the usual spooky things start to happen - lights flicker; things go bump etc; and on that score it's all a pretty routine horror flick; but as his fears start to build, he begins to confront his own demons as much as he must the predatory "Mazzik" that feeds from his fears. Save for a few short appearances from the widow - Lynn Cohen, it's essentially a single-hander and Davis does an OK job - aided by the drearily-lit room and some suitably tense - if frequently over-the-top musical accompaniment. It's not exactly scary - but it's still a decent effort based on a source of legend rarely exploited by Hollywood. Best seen late at night when it's dark outside, I'd say...
