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

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Feb 14, 2024

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]

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Jul 27, 2023

It seems there's been a curse on horror movies of recent decades, few productions are capable of ending at the same level in which they began. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 7/10 | Jul 27, 2023

Albeit its uninspired ending, The Vigil is scary and vindicates the genre with honest resources and the weight of its story. [Full review in Spanish]

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 27, 2023

The Vigil has an intriguing plot and insight into religious traditions that aren't always the subject of most horror films.

| Oct 28, 2022

A crafty theme-conscious horror film with an interesting cultural perspective and mostly good instincts when it comes keeping its audience squirming.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | Aug 17, 2022

Production Designer Liz Toonkel does interesting work turning the suburban mundane into the creepy, aided by Michael Yezerski's deliberately provoking score.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 15, 2022

Like a great short story, The Vigil keeps the stakes low and the atmosphere high, creating a mood that elevates everything even when the plot goes a bit too far.

| Original Score: 7/10 | May 10, 2022

Well-crafted and strong on the psychological elements -- thanks as much to Thomas' writing as Davis' portrayal -- this is a solid horror with some interesting subtext.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Jul 14, 2021

To conjure claustrophobia, director Keith Thomas relies less on the haunted house setting and more on the inherent discomfort of being born inside a fringe group.

| Jul 9, 2021

Director/writer Keith Thomas creates a wonderful sense of dark, claustrophobic environment.

| Original Score: B | Jun 17, 2021

Even if his execution of the concept can be banal in places, it's easy to forgive Thomas his cliches - The Vigil has brought something new and exciting.

| Jun 6, 2021

It's very creepy and very limited space... It's an effective movie.

| Original Score: 3/4 | May 22, 2021

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

| May 1, 2021

Determining what is real or imagined is often a challenge in horror and filmmaker Keith Thomas is adroit at manipulating this.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 29, 2021

[Director] Keith Thomas does what he can to elicit some genuine scares and suspenseful moments with his clever use of camerawork, sound effects and dark environment.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 5, 2021

The Vigil (written and directed by Keith Thomas) takes an effective 'less is more' approach by keeping the story simple while still delivering on some genuinely creepy scares.

| Apr 4, 2021

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.

| Original Score: B+ | Mar 30, 2021

The hook, the cultural aspect, the concept, the unsettling imagery and especially the acting elevate 'The Vigil' above being just another modestly budgeted haunted house movie.

| Original Score: 2.5/4 | Mar 11, 2021

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

| Mar 10, 2021