The Vigil (2019 film)
| The Vigil | |
|---|---|
_international_release_poster.jpg) International release poster | |
| Directed by | Keith Thomas |
| Written by | Keith Thomas |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Zach Kuperstein[1] |
| Edited by | Brett W. Bachman |
| Music by | Michael Yezerski[2] |
Production companies |
|
Release dates | |
| Country | United States |
| Languages |
|
The Vigil is a 2019 American supernatural horror film written and directed by Keith Thomas in his feature directorial debut.[3] It stars Dave Davis, Menashe Lustig, Malky Goldman, Fred Melamed, Nati Rabinowitz and Lynn Cohen, and follows a young man who is tasked with keeping vigil over a deceased member of his former Orthodox Jewish community, only to be targeted by a malevolent spirit known as a dybbuk (Template:Lang-yi).[3][5] The film is executive produced by Jason Blum through his Blumhouse Productions banner.
The Vigil premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival in September 9, 2019.[3]
Cast
- Dave Davis as Yakov Ronen
- Menashe Lustig as Reb Shulem
- Malky Goldman as Sarah
- Fred Melamed as Dr. Kohlberg
- Lynn Cohen as Mrs. Litvak
- Ronald Cohen as Mr. Litvak
- Nati Rabinowitz as Lane
- Moshe Lobel as Lazer
- Lea Kalisch as Adina
- Efraim Miller as Hersch
Release
The Vigil premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2019.[3]
In 2020, the film was acquired by Blumhouse Productions.[4] The film is scheduled to be released theatrically in the United Kingdom and Ireland in July 2020 through Vertigo Releasing,[6][7] and internationally on August 5, 2020.[4]
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 89% based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 6.92/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Consistently clever and creepy, The Vigil mines richly atmospheric supernatural horror from a deep well of religious traditions."[8]
Variety's Dennis Harvey gave the film a mostly positive review, calling it an "effectively creepy, small-scale chiller that does a nice job eking suspense from its simple story and limited setting."[2] Eric Kohn of IndieWire gave the film a grade of "B", praising Davis's performance and writing that, "even as The Vigil settles into a familiar routine, it tackles that task with a polished, at times even elegant approach to a haunted house formula."[1] Jordan Mintzer of The Hollywood Reporter wrote that writer-director Keith Thomas "keeps the tension high throughout most of the movie, even if some of his scare tactics can feel redundant", and that he "transforms Orthodox culture into gory material for a slightly elevated horror flick".[3]
Joe Lipsett of Bloody Disgusting wrote that "The Vigil doesn't exactly break the mould of demonic spirit films, though its sound design, lighting and lead performance certainly make it a solid entry."[5] However, Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave the film a mostly negative review, writing: "Sadly, director Keith Thomas doesn't trust his own themes or visual sense, swallowing his entire film up in abrasive sound design and a reliance on jump scares."[9]
References
- ^ a b Kohn, Eric (September 12, 2019). "The Vigil Review: The Conjuring With an Orthodox Jewish Twist That Could Birth a Franchise". IndieWire. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Harvey, Dennis (September 10, 2019). "Toronto Film Review: The Vigil". Variety. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f Mintzer, Jordan (September 12, 2019). "The Vigil: Film Review | TIFF 2019". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ a b c Miska, Brad (June 17, 2020). "The Vigil Gets a Chilling International Poster". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ a b Lipsett, Joe (September 13, 2019). "[TIFF Review] 'The Vigil' Introduces a New Kind of Jewish Horror". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ Miska, Brad (June 29, 2020). "UK Audiences Can Attend a Haunted 'Vigil' In Theaters This July". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ Squires, John (July 6, 2020). "A Man Spends a Terrifying Night Alone With a Dead Body in Blumhouse's 'The Vigil' [Trailer]". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
- ^ "The Vigil (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ Tallerico, Brian (September 13, 2019). "TIFF 2019: The Vigil, First Love, The Vast of Night". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved July 8, 2020.