THE VIGIL is set over the course of a long, dark night in Brooklyn’s Hassidic “Boro” Park neighbourhood, following Yakov (Dave Davis, True Detective), a former Hassid, who has lost his faith, and isn’t eager to go back to the insular religious community he only recently fled. But when Reb Shulem (Menashe Lustig), a rabbi and confidante, approaches Yakov and offers to pay him to be the shomer (watching over the dead body of a community member) for a recently deceased Holocaust survivor, he reluctantly accepts the job. Shortly after arriving at the dilapidated house, Yakov realises that something is very, very wrong. This will not be a quiet vigil.
Described by Bloody Disgusting as “a fresh take on the religious/demon possession horror film”, THE VIGIL is the startling debut feature from Keith Thomas. With an unusual and evocative setting, it’s beautifully crafted, packed with fingernail-shredding scares (including a mysterious video message that’ll stand your hair on end), an ominous and eerie score, and features a standout performance from Davis as a man confronting evil. The words “You want some tea?” will never sound the same again.
This July, cinema audiences will be suitably spooked by supernatural Blumhouse horror (Halloween, Insidious) THE VIGIL, when it’s released on 31st July 2020 in the UK and Ireland.
