The Vigil

Le début prometteur de ce film d’horreur et de son milieu juif peu banal laisse malheureusement très vite place à un scénario extrêmement plat et conventionnel manquant d’idées originales et, surtout, d’ambiance. La tentative visant à rattraper la sauce avec des surprises inspirées du cinéma d'horreur mainstream est vraiment craignos, notamment quand un effet sonore non subtil souligne que quelque chose a bougé dans l’obscurité, alors que le héros n'est en réalité pas du tout menacé. Keith Thomas a choisi de faire avancer l’intrigue avec des moyens ordinaires et laisse le final tourner complètement à vide. Une histoire fade et insatisfaisante. [Sitges 2019] (11/10/2019)

Un classique de l'horreur avec une maison hantée, des fantômes et un démon, dans lequel le héros principal - un jeune homme, tourmenté par un traumatisme du passé et des problèmes financiers - accepte un emploi ponctuel de gardien d'un membre décédé de la communauté juive (ce qui fait partie de la tradition), sans se douter du mal qui tentera de sauter sur lui depuis le corps mort. Le film, après une exposition solide, glisse rapidement dans la routine de l'horreur et d'une série de clichés standards, n'utilisant que sporadiquement et superficiellement les éléments juifs, préférant s'appuyer sur des clichés bon marché. La tension est construite de manière assez dense (bien que seulement au sein de chaque scène individuelle), certaines séquences sont effrayantes et la caméra fait un bon travail avec l'obscurité. Cependant, cela ne permet d'atteindre qu'une qualité légèrement au-dessus de la moyenne, contrairement à un sujet prometteur, et le film devient étonnamment formaté avec une fin précipitée. (12/10/2019)

Well, to say it euphemistically, I didn’t have fun. There were actually moments when I was pretty bored, I can’t say The Vigil is a fountain of entertainment. However, I think two stars would be too harsh, the film is well made and it keeps an almost constant atmosphere, but the script would need something to liven up that single room boredom. The ending, on the other hand, it was almost funny how fast it blows over. (29/11/2020)

A fairly promising and creatively innovative piece, but in the end, it is a dull borefest where almost nothing works. The film draws on Jewish traditions, where the main character is asked to be a "Shomer" – that is, to take a night watch in a house and guard the deceased from the Jewish community. It is quite an original idea, but unfortunately it was not exploited at all. The film is minimalist, set in a house with a minimum of characters, but the director avoids any scares like the plague, there are only two jump scares and unfortunately neither of them worked. The demon doesn't even properly appear, the atmosphere is more uninspiring than dense, and unfortunately the main character is also uninteresting. I was bored and I do not recommend it. Story***, Action>No, Humor>No, Violence>No, Entertainment**, Music**, Visuals**, Atmosphere***, Tension**. 4/10. (28/11/2020)

It seemed that The Vigil could finally be the first decent horror based on Jewish traditions, myths, and beliefs. In the end, it's just another uninspired demon possession horror that completely squanders its potential. The beginning seemed promising - the first third is quite successful and manages to draw the viewer in and evoke anticipation of fear for what will soon happen. However, once something actually starts happening, the whole movie unfortunately fails and falls into complete mediocrity. Tension and atmosphere are sometimes built fairly well, but it quickly fizzles out almost every time. It never really managed to grab me by the balls and surprise me with something unprecedented. All possible clichés that can be expected in a similar horror are present here - whether it's various plot devices, boring jump scares, or the hero's struggle with their own trauma. No creative playfulness, no innovative way of scaring, simply nothing. It could have been much worse, but it's definitely not a dazzling gem. At best, it's just a purely average affair, but I won't give it that third star because I'm really annoyed by the wasted potential for a gripping atmospheric blast with a Jewish demon. (11/10/2019)