Hulu has announced that October is all about Huluween, with a curated selection of scary movies and TV shows celebrating Halloween. But what’s the scariest movie on Hulu right now? While the recently released Hulu Original no one will save you is an excellent film, our pick for the scariest movie on Hulu is a little-seen The Vigil,
Keith Thomas wrote and directed the film in his directorial debut, starring Dave Davis as Yaakov Ronen, a former member of the Orthodox Jewish community. Because Yakov has to work hard for money, he accepts a night job as a shommer or guardian for recently deceased Holocaust survivor Rubin Litvak (Ronald Cohen). Essentially, Yaakov’s presence is supposed to drive away evil spirits from Rubin’s body.
It did not take long for Yakov to realize that his duties would be more than ceremonial. Rubin encountered a being of pure evil during the cataclysm, and now that spirit is making its presence felt in the present. If you’re looking for some fresh scares this month, here are three reasons why you should check out The Vigil On Hulu in October.
Dave Davis’ acting carries the film
It doesn’t have a lot of characters The Vigil Since most of the film takes place in one location, the focus is more on Davis’s Yaakov Ronan. Because of this, Davis is in almost every scene of the film. Everything depends on his acting, which is a heavy burden for any actor. Thankfully, Davis manages to accomplish this.
The way Davis plays Yakov makes it quite easy to believe that he is haunted by some supernatural force, or possibly losing his mind. What really holds the film together is that it establishes Yaakov as a former believer in Orthodox Judaism. Without the initial suspicions about the myths and folklore of their religion, seeing them come to life in front of Yaakov himself would not have been as impressive.
It has less attitude towards fear and more
The Vigil This seems to be a very low budget film, which could have deviated from the story. However, the film’s premise and execution of the script go a long way in making the film’s limitations work in its favor. Keeping the story within such a close confines adds a sense of claustrophobia to the film. Imagine a haunted house where you don’t have much room to escape, and that’s basically what the filmmakers did.
There is also great benefit to be found in low-tech haunting as the attacking spirit appears to be able to use Yakov’s cell phone as another tool to torment him. Everything from text messages to obscure video recordings pop up on the phone, causing Yakov to question whether he is losing his mind.
Jewish folklore inspires film’s supernatural horror
It appears that Hollywood loves to use Christian religious symbolism in all types of films, including horror. The Vigil One of the few who embraces Jewish folklore. The whole reason for Yaakov’s involvement in the events of the story is that he has been appointed to be the Shomer, whose job it is to watch over the body of a recently deceased person to protect it from evil spirits.
For this film, the evil spirit in question is known as Mazik, an invisible demon. Mazik’s fraught connection to the deceased Rubin Litvak is linked to the Holocaust. Now that Litvak is dead, Mazik is looking for another host, and Yakov has unknowingly volunteered for that suffering. But you’ll have to watch the movie to find out if Yaakov can escape that fate and fulfill his duty as Shomer.
Watch The Vigil On Hulu.