The Vigil – Die Totenwache (2019)

The Vigil – Die Totenwache: Directed by Keith Thomas. With Dave Davis, Menashe Lustig, Malky Goldman, Lynn Cohen. A man providing overnight watch to a deceased member of his former Orthodox Jewish community finds himself opposite a malevolent entity, in writer-director Keith Thomas’ electrifying feature debut.

“I will admit to feeling just a little uneasy as I walked back to the car after watching this debut from Keith Thomas at 11pm. Dave Davis is u0026quot;Yakovu0026quot; who is a bit down on his luck, on some pretty heavy medication, and struggling to get back on track after a fairly traumatic event from his past. A rabbi asks him if will act as a u0026quot;Shomeru0026quot; – a person who sits with the deceased to recite prayers and generally ward off any evil before burial. As he watches over the body, the usual spooky things start to happen – lights flicker; things go bump etc; and on that score itu0026#39;s all a pretty routine horror flick; but as his fears start to build, he begins to confront his own demons as much as he must the predatory u0026quot;Mazziku0026quot; that feeds from his fears. Save for a few short appearances from the widow – Lynn Cohen, itu0026#39;s essentially a single-hander and Davis does an OK job – aided by the drearily-lit room and some suitably tense – if frequently over-the-top musical accompaniment. Itu0026#39;s not exactly scary – but itu0026#39;s still a decent effort based on a source of legend rarely exploited by Hollywood. Best seen late at night when itu0026#39;s dark outside, Iu0026#39;d say…”