Movie Review: The Vigil

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Director: Keith Thomas

Screenplay: Keith Thomas

Cast: Dave Davis, Malky Goldman, Menashe Lustig and Lynn Cohen

Studio: IFC Midnight

Runtime: 88 min

Release Date: February 26, 2021 (In Select Theaters, Digital Platforms and VOD)

Rated: PG-13

Reviewer’s Rating ★★★★★

Written and directed by Keith Thomas, The Vigil brings us to Yakov Ronen (Dave Davis), a Jewish man who has left his Orthodox Jewish community, but still finds himself acting as a shomer for Mr. Rubin Litvak (Ronald Cohen), a member who has recently died. As the night wears on, it becomes clear there is something evil lurks in the house. For those of you who do not know, a shomer is a guardian of the dead—someone who protects and comforts the soul of the deceased throughout the night.

One of the very first things I noticed about this film is the choice in score. Whether it’s the music Yakov is listening to or the crescendo of impending doom, the music doesn’t conform to the boring, overused sounds we’re used to in horror films. Yet it all makes perfect sense and does its intended job. The score is the only thing to accomplish this and, unfortunately, it takes more than great music to make a great film.

The trailer sold The Vigil as something different than other horror films that flood the market, but alas, it’s not. Most of film is set in a single house and, aside from jump scares, there isn’t really anything frightening about it. Perhaps having a horror film set in a single location makes it more difficult to be imaginative. So much has already been done in that kind of setting; however, Netflix’s His House exists; it’s recent and is actually terrifying. The latter is a great example that it’s possible to write a horror story set in a singular house and not be like every other horror flick in the same setting that has been released in the last 15 to 20 years.

The Vigil also lacks cultural relevance. With access to Jewish lore, this film had opportunity to set up something truly terrifying, yet it falls short because it opts to focus more on symbology rather than fables with built in lessons that already exist. Being a film about Jewish culture, you might also imagine which historical events it calls back to,  but the film’s direction fails to exhibit it in a meaningful way.

Even the main creature isn’t all that ghastly, especially with the reveal of what it all means at the end, it loses whatever potency it had. It didn’t feel like I went through anything harrowing with Yakov. I did feel uneasy whenever Mrs. Litvak (Lynn Cohen) entered the room. She personifies spooky in both words and demeanor making the whole mood of the film change whenever she’s around.

While Lynn Cohen is a force in her own right, Dave Davis doesn’t carry his own weight. His inability to shed real tears in scenes where he supposed to be crying, he instead opts to act with facial expressions. This drains the story of impact, feeling false and without merit. All the encounters in the beginning of the film involving Davis and other characters feel forced and stiff.

The last thing to bring up is direction. The cinematography isn’t anything special. It’s not bad, just not memorable. The pacing is slow. It feels as though it took quite a long time to finally get going so that when I did get to a point of maybe becoming scared, the resolution came quick and we are at the end of the film. The Vigil comes across as a high production pre-graduate student film rather than something a serious production company wanted to bring to an audience.

I know there is an audience out there for this sort of film. I think they’re from a generation that sadly missed out on the practical effects that I grew up with. If you fall into the category of people who like the modern day take on horror, maybe you will like this. I didn’t enjoy it, and I’m doubtful this film will be widely sought out after its release.

The Vigil – Official Trailer – IFC Midnight

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