A contemplative religious horror film from a rather refreshing and unique perspective of Hasidism, steeped in heavy Jewish lore and mysticism. The movie centers around a crisis of faith from one who has left this extremely insular community, and a dark night testing faith, conviction, and sanity. This is a proudly low-budget film, wielding limitation as strength through quality direction and writing. Mostly confined to a single location and actor, the movie excels at creating an unnerving atmosphere through effective sound, set and lighting. The character perspective is also unique as the mental state of the protagonist is highly questionable, leading to fascinating instances where reality and delusion blur. The movie is a slow burn, quiet and intimate throughout much of the first act before the terrors begin to manifest. Once the scares begin, the intensity escalates nicely, barely relenting through the duration. Many of the usual tropes and scares are lifted from similar demonic films, sometimes too reliant upon jump scares and shock tactics, but everything is given a refreshing folk overhaul that makes up for familiar ground. Unfortunately, some of this wears by the last act and retreads some of its earlier scarees, before ending on a quiet and without much impact. Despite its flaws, this is an extremely impressive directing debut by Kieth Thomas, and I will be quite interested to see any future films he crafts
The Vigil (2019)