Could This Be The First Great Jewish Horror Movie?

From its beginnings with great buzz two years ago at the Toronto International Film Festival, the supernatural horror film with Jewish roots known as The Vigil is finally getting released in theaters and on digital. Having been shot on location in Hasidic Brooklyn, the film follows a man who is headed off the derech. He becomes a shomer, watching over a recently deceased person until it can be buried and protecting it from evil spirits. The man’s grief and faith are tested as a demon visits the home where he is stuck with the body and the departed’s wife, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s. With one of the producers being an Orthodox rabbi, the film’s narrative is rooted in Torah Judaism and much of the dialogue is in Yiddish. Both producers, founders of BoulderLight, are observant members of the Modern Orthodox community, and kosher catering and prayer breaks were regular occurrences on set. The production was halted every Friday and Saturday in observance of Shabbos. Read more here.

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