The Vigil Trailer Previews a Jewish Supernatural Horror Film

July 7, 2020

The Vigil trailer previews a Jewish supernatural horror film

The official trailer for Vertigo Releasing’s forthcoming supernatural horror film titled The Vigil has been released, featuring Yakov as he gets enlisted for an overnight shomer which is a Jewish tradition where someone watches the body of a recently deceased community member. Last year, Blumhouse acquired the North American distribution rights for the film but the studio hasn’t yet announced a release date. However, The Vigil is scheduled to be released in UK theaters next week on July 17. Check out the video in the player below!

The Vigil is written and directed by Keith Thomas. It stars Dave Davis (The Walking Dead) as Yakov, Menashe Lustig (Menashe) as Reb Shulem, Malky Goldman (Unorthodox) as Sarah, Lynn Cohen (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire) as Mrs. Litvak, and Fred Melamed.

The film had its world premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival’s Midnight Madness. Its official synopsis described by TIFF reads: “Set over the course of a single evening in Brooklyn’s Hassidic “Boro” Park neighborhood, The Vigil follows Yakov, a former Hassid, as he accepts a position as a shomer, hired to “sit the vigil” and watch over the body of a deceased community member. Having lost his faith, Yakov isn’t eager to go back to the insular religious community he only recently fled. But when Reb Shulem, a rabbi and confidante, approaches Yakov after a support group meeting and offers to pay Yakov to be the shomer for a recently deceased Holocaust survivor, he reluctantly accepts the job. Shortly after arriving at the dilapidated house, Yakov realizes that something is very, very wrong. This will not be a quiet vigil.”