The Vigil

It is smart enough, scary enough and unique enough to be worth a watch both for horror fans and for people who want to see more Jewish culture represented on the screen.

It dares to look forward, finding a future for Yakov that merges his two identities - religious and secular - and suggests a path back into the light.

Keith Thomas's slim but effective "The Vigil" milks terror from a minimalistic setup, relying on the shapes we make out with squinted eyes in the shadows.

No split pea soup spews forth, yet Keith Thomas' demonic Jewish horror freak-out summons the spectre of "The Exorcist" and its catastrophic jump scares.

Keith Thomas's film hums with uncanny dread, milking the close juxtaposition of living and dead for all its worth.

This excellent first feature from novelist turned writer-director Keith Thomas is a nifty, textured horror (mostly), thriftily set in one creepy house.

Jewish roots deliver genuine frights in Keith Thomas' debut feature. Scary as hell.

Director Keith Thomas delivers a modern, innovative spin on classic demonic storytelling, with a deep respect for Jewish culture. The Vigil is this year's first must-see horror film.

[T]he film gives an unnerving sense of pain lingering through this life and beyond.

Thomas creates not just the solemn aura of being in the deceased's presence, but of having crossed a threshold where there is no return. It's a satisfying work of suspense and mystery with well-executed jump scares.