The Vigil

Play trailer

1:52

The Vigil

PG-13

2021

1h 30m

Horror

Mystery & Thriller

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

90%

Tomatometer

118 Reviews

56%

Popcornmeter

250+ Ratings

Steeped in ancient Jewish lore and demonology, THE VIGIL is a supernatural horror film set over the course of a single evening in Brooklyn's Hasidic Borough Park neighborhood. Low on funds and having recently left his insular religious community, Yakov reluctantly accepts an offer from his former rabbi and confidante to take on the responsibility of an overnight "shomer," fulfilling the Jewish practice of watching over the body of a deceased community member. Shortly after arriving at the recently departed's dilapidated house to sit the vigil, Yakov begins to realize that something is very, very wrong.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Consistently clever and creepy, The Vigil mines richly atmospheric supernatural horror from a deep well of religious traditions.

Read Critics Reviews

Udita Jhunjhunwala

Scroll.in

05/01/2021

A quintessential low-budget supernatural horror, The Vigil mines Jewish folklore and rituals to create an effective sub-genre experience.

Go to Full Review

Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

03/30/2021

B+

This is a really damn good horror film made on a tight budget with almost one location only, and it never drags. They find really exciting ways to use this location to their advantage.

Go to Full Review

Christy Lemire

FilmWeek (LAist)

03/10/2021

They accomplish so much here with what is clearly a low budget and basically one location. It's terrifying.

Go to Full Review

Eddie Harrison

film-authority.com

Jul 28

4/5

This is the one-man-in-a-room film that so many directors have tried, and few have succeeded... The Vigil just about gets over the line, offering up atmosphere, jump scares and just enough social commentary to keep your eyes glued to the screen...

Go to Full Review

Lindsey Romain

Nerdist

02/14/2024

3.5/5

Writer and director Keith Thomas knows how to keep us invested, and cinematographer Zach Kuperstein makes excellent use of the dark setting.

Go to Full Review

Ezequiel Boetti

Otroscines.com

07/27/2023

2.5/5

The [horror] mechanics employed throughout the movie become a bit repetitive and on-the-nose, making the audience a mere witness to an atonement. [Full review in Spanish]

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Peter C

@RT59700763 Mar 16

Easily one of the worst movies I've watched. It might have more meaning if you are apart of said religious group, but otherwise it's a man watching over a dead body for 5 hours with a grandma making noises upstairs, gets paid. The End.

See more

Misti H.

@MisticMist Feb 23

I actually enjoyed this movie. Although, I am not a Jew and cannot speak on that aspect of it. It spoke alot about mental health to me. Its a great reminder to release those bonds that hold you back.

See more

Fire T.

@3fireterrell Oct 18

The ending made this movie a hundred times worse. Screw this movie!

See more

Jacob B

@RT48293763 Sep 16

Dark, atmospheric and well acted. It only suffers from what at lot of horror films suffer from as of late: a climax that doesn’t equal the buildup. I’d still recommend it as a great watch on a cold Fall night.

See more

Eswaran W

@Eswaran75 Aug 4

A really good watch, but it had so much more potential. The battle between good and evil was a bit meh...

See more

Paul M

@RT85301401 May 10

A hidden gem that put a relatively fresh spin on an old horror movie concept. A slow burn with tons of atmosphere and solid acting, cinematography and sound design. It’s got everything you need to make a solid, above average haunted house movie

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Keith Thomas

Director

Dave Davis

Yakov Ronen

Fred Melamed

Dr. Kohlberg

Menashe Lustig

Reb Shulem

Malky Goldman

Sarah

Lynn Cohen

Mrs. Litvak

Sweetheart

95%

51%

Sweetheart

Watchlist

Prey

13%

20%

Prey

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Prey

Insidious: The Last Key

34%

49%

Insidious: The Last Key

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Insidious: The Last Key

Blumhouse's Truth or Dare

16%

23%

Blumhouse's Truth or Dare

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Blumhouse's Truth or Dare

The Darkness

3%

19%

The Darkness

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Darkness

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

The Vigil: Trailer 1

1:52

The Vigil: Teaser Trailer

1:04

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Steeped in ancient Jewish lore and demonology, THE VIGIL is a supernatural horror film set over the course of a single evening in Brooklyn's Hasidic Borough Park neighborhood. Low on funds and having recently left his insular religious community, Yakov reluctantly accepts an offer from his former rabbi and confidante to take on the responsibility of an overnight "shomer," fulfilling the Jewish practice of watching over the body of a deceased community member. Shortly after arriving at the recently departed's dilapidated house to sit the vigil, Yakov begins to realize that something is very, very wrong.

Director: Keith Thomas
Producer: J.D. Lifshitz, Adam Margules, Raphael Margules
Screenwriter: Keith Thomas
Distributor: IFC Midnight
Production Co: Blumhouse Productions, BoulderLight Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Some Disturbing/Violent Images|Brief Strong Language|Terror|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Horror, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 26, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 26, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $50.3K
Runtime: 1h 30m
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now