The Vigil (2019): A Haunting Confrontation with Faith and Trauma
The Vigil, the debut feature by Keith Thomas, is a unique and chilling entry in the horror genre—rooted not in Western folklore, but in Jewish mysticism and cultural trauma. Set over the course of a single night in Brooklyn’s Hasidic community, the film explores grief, guilt, and faith through the eyes of a man who must keep watch over the dead.
Yakov, a young man estranged from his ultra-Orthodox upbringing, is hired to serve as a shomer—someone who watches over a deceased person to protect their soul until burial. The job seems simple, if uncomfortable. But as the night unfolds in the shadowy house of the recently deceased Holocaust survivor, it becomes clear that something deeply malevolent is present. A mazzik—a demonic spirit—lurks, feeding off pain and unresolved trauma.
Dave Davis gives a powerful and emotionally raw performance as Yakov, a man grappling not only with supernatural horror, but with the emotional scars of his past. As he is forced to confront the ghost of a history he tried to leave behind, The Vigil becomes as much a psychological thriller as it is a supernatural one.
What sets The Vigil apart is its cultural specificity. By grounding its terror in Jewish tradition and post-traumatic memory, it offers a fresh lens on horror while remaining deeply personal. The film’s atmosphere is dense with silence, shadows, and dread, building tension not with spectacle, but with suggestion and belief.
More than just a ghost story, The Vigil is about the weight of the past—how we carry it, and how it can consume us if left unacknowledged. It’s a somber, intimate film that proves the scariest hauntings are often the ones within ourselves.
