Well-crafted horror with Jewish motifs

Modern Hollywood horror films have one critical flaw: They are all somehow centred on Christian-themed horror and demons, often with unnervingly similar plots. Keeping this monotony in mind, The Vigil, which uses Jewish themes and demons, is a breath of fresh air.

For his directorial debut, Keith Thomas has crafted an effective film, which succeeds at creating a personal connection between the haunted and the haunting.

The Vigil follows Yakov Ronen, a Jew with depression and hallucinations, being called upon to watch as a Shomer for a recently deceased Holocaust survivor, Litvak. Not even 15 minutes into the film, The Vigil crafts a meticulous introduction for both the characters, of which one is not even alive.

As the night deepens, Yakov, who actually takes up the job reluctantly, learns that something might actually be haunting the house, despite his apprehensions that he is just hallucinating. Of course, nothing in a horror movie is that simple, and things quickly take a downward slope for Yakov as his past is slowly dragged out by the demon — a Mazzik —in its twisted attempts to torment him.

The Vigil relies greatly on jump scares and blaring music, which tends to mar some of the earlier mischief of the Mazzik, but around half time, it really comes into its own with a highly effective use of third-person exposition from the deceased. From there, the film is a well-crafted mix of pure horror and disquiet, adding to the overall effectiveness of its gloomy and creepy atmosphere.