‘The Vigil’: A Strong Argument For A New Wave Of Jewish Horror [Review]
Who knew that you could give arthouse horror a kick in the pants by substituting ominous Christian iconography for ominous Jewish iconography? Crosses, crucifixes, crowns of thorns, tormented priests and the like have been staples of the horror genre as far back as the beginning of cinema, if not, at least, Mario Bava’s “Black Sunday” and “The Exorcist,” and have remained in vogue in the form of everything from the uber-popular “Conjuring” franchise to the recent, terrific “Saint Maud.” READ MORE: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2021 The occasional downside of leaning too hard on Christian symbolism for shocks is that it can feel like an affectation or, worse, a trope.