Keith Thomas’ directorial debut is available in theatres and on VOD in the states. The Vigil first aired at TIFF in 2019, where our own Joe Lipsett reviewed the film and praised it for its “sound design, lighting, and lead performance.” To celebrate The Vigil’s domestic release, Thomas joins Bloody Disgusting’s Nightmare on Film Street podcast to talk about the film’s creation.
Thomas even opens up about his next project, Blumhouse’s upcoming remake of Stephen King’s Firestarter!
The Vigil follows a young man, Yakov, who takes up a job as a paid shomer. Yakov’s duty is to watch a dead body overnight and guard it against evil spirits. Of course, it doesn’t take long for things to go terribly wrong.
Thomas brought his own life experience into The Vigil, from his Jewish upbringing to his background in healthcare. Personal experience combined with terrifying sounds makes for a wholly horrifying film. Thomas started off the show by discussing his film’s strong sound design, explaining that he had written in sound cues into even the earliest versions of the script, saying “You can show darkness at the top of the stairs, but to hear something up there? The mind starts to conjure stuff!”
The Vigil’s sound design isn’t the only thing setting it apart from other horror films. For instance, Thomas says several scenes are inspired by nightmares he had throughout life. Thomas details one dream where he was “… very upset about something, and I called a girlfriend… I poured my heart out to her. She was answering all these questions and talking, then I realized, looking at my phone, that I had the wrong number… This person was responding as if they knew me.” After that, the dream worked into The Vigil to create one of the film’s chilling scenes.
The Vigil is an atmospheric horror movie that uses its basis in Jewish beliefs to great effect. You can listen to Nightmare on Film Street’s full interview with Keith Thomas below.
