Movies
Jewish Values in ‘The Vigil’ (2019)
The Vigil (2019), written and directed by Keith Thomas, is a wonderfully Jewish horror movie. Centering on Yakov, an ex-Orthodox Jew who gets roped into being a shomer, the film provides some genuine scares and raises some complex questions. Perhaps the most complicated idea explored is that of community versus individuality and isolation.
Before we discuss the themes, it will be helpful to explain some details about the plot. As with any religion, Judaism is complex. There are many levels of observance, but the dichotomy presented in The Vigil is between a Hasidic Brooklyn community and a support group for people who have stepped away. The Hasidic Jewish movement was founded by Rabbi Israel ben Eliezer, more often known as the Baal Shem Tov, in Ukraine in the 18th century. Although, at its inception, Hasidism was very modern and progressive, emphasizing the practice of ideas over the study of them, Hasidim are nowadays seen as old-fashioned and conservative. Most Hasidic communities today are in New York and Israel, and they are usually rather insular. As such, The Vigil takes place in a Hasidic part of Brooklyn, and traditions are incredibly important. The protagonist, Yakov, although no longer observant, takes on the night job of being a shomer because he needs money. A shomer is the person who watches and prays over a dead body before it is taken for burial. Since this is an Orthodox community, the use of technology, like cell phones, while carrying out rituals is frowned upon. Yakov may no longer believe in the laws of Hasidism, but he still tries to respect them. We now have a creepy, superstitious setting and multilayered conflict.
Many people who leave strictly religious communities deal with some sort of PTSD. Although Religious Trauma Syndrome isn’t officially recognized by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, it is absolutely a real phenomenon. It should also be mentioned that not all who leave religion experience RTS, and not all religious communities are cult-like or abusive. Going back to The Vigil, Yakov partakes in a support group for ex-Hasidim. In the first scene, a multifaceted question is raised: Are rabbis protecting their communities from outside influence, or are they keeping them from such influence? The insularity of Hasidim makes it difficult to leave, as the secular world is largely alien to them. It is not easy to leave what you know. One detail I appreciated in the movie was that one of the members of the support group still wears his yarmulke. This enforces the idea that there are levels of observance, and they’re all valid; it’s not a black and white matter.
Related to the secluded community in Brooklyn is the fact that it is actually located in a densely populated city. Jews experience antisemitic violence regardless of their location, but it can be harder to avoid when placed in the middle of a largely secular, potentially judgmental environment. Part of the trauma that Yakov experienced is witnessing his younger brother’s death after antisemitic harassment. The brother is accidentally killed by a car after trying to run away from the attackers. Understandably, Yakov has flashbacks to this incident and relies on medication and support from a psychiatrist to function. Another detail I loved was that he is not looked down upon for his mental health. While it does play into the unfolding terrors, the main conflict with it occurs because he gaslights himself. It is primarily an internal struggle.
The body that Yakov watches over is that of a Holocaust survivor from Buchenwald. “Do you know my husband?” his wife asks at one point. “He was broken by memories.” The Holocaust is a fact in the film, but it is not the source from which the horror arises. Instead, the divide between isolation and community is of utmost importance. In a way, The Vigil mirrors William Peter Blatty’s novel The Exorcist and William Friedkin’s movie adaptation of the same name. Religion obviously plays a key role in both stories, but neither shames the secular world (although an argument can be made that The Exorcist was written for that purpose. But authorial intent is irrelevant to perception.)
Engaging in philosophy, providing genuine scares and unnerving body horror, and displaying Jewish culture in an authentic way all make The Vigil a successful movie. The film will not only scare you, but it will also make you question your values. Is the individual or the community more important? How strictly should we follow traditions? When, if ever, is it appropriate to leave? If we must leave, how severely should we sever ties? The Vigil is a terrific addition to the severely lacking subgenre of Jewish horror.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
Tragedy Girls (2017)
A dark, comedic, high school romp about best friends gaining internet clout through murder. It may feel dated due to its use of Twitter rather than X, but it adds charm and reminds us of a simpler internet age. Brianna Hildebrand and Alexandra Shipp deliver devilishly fun performances, and their slasher personas are heavily under-appreciated in the horror community. There are lots of familiar faces here, including Josh Hutcherson, Jack Quaid, Craig Robinson, and not to mention the director, Tyler MacIntyre, who went on to be one of the writers for Five Nights at Freddy’s (2023).
Seance (2021)
This Is Not a Test (2025)
School’s Out (2018)
Graduation Day (1981)
One of my absolute favorite things to do when I’m on vacation is to visit horror filming locations. Wherever you happen to be going, odds are that at least one horror project was filmed there at some point. There’s something magical about seeing the places that helped bring iconic scary stories to life on the big and small screens.
However, some locations are better than others. A lot of them (like the original A Nightmare on Elm Street house, Stu’s house from Scream, and the schoolhouse from The Birds) are private property and aren’t always owned by people who are particularly happy to have horror fans milling around out front. Others (like the schools from Buffy, Elm Street, and many other teen horror titles) are active educational institutions that don’t welcome strange visitors.
But I’m here to deliver a guide to some of the coolest horror filming locations in North America that give you that magical vibe without somebody calling 9-1-1 on you. Because the best things in life are free, so are all the locations on this list.
The Bridge from A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Location: Linnie Canal Ct. Los Angeles, CA 9029, USA
The bridge where Glen (Johnny Depp) and Nancy (Heather Langenkamp) discuss the Balinese method of dreaming is nowhere near the movie’s fictional town of Springwood, Ohio. It’s actually one of the bridges over the human-made canals in Venice, California. Specifically, it’s the bridge over the Eastern canal that connects to Linnie Ct. It’s totally free to visit, and once you’re done taking photos and quoting “I’m into survival” to your heart’s content, you’re still in Venice. Not a bad place to be!
The Movie Theater from Scream 2 (1997)
Location: Rialto Theatre, 1019-1023 Fair Oaks Ave. South Pasadena, CA, 91030 USA
Although the majority of the campus scenes in the college-set slasher sequel Scream 2 were filmed at Agnes Scott College in Georgia, a lot of the school’s surrounding environs were filmed closer to Hollywood, in sunny Pasadena. While the movie theater where poor Phil (Omar Epps) and Maureen (Jada Pinkett Smith) are killed in the movie’s prologue is no longer an operating cinema and you can’t go inside (the building has been taken over by a church), the exterior has been well preserved and looks more or less exactly the way it did in the late 1990s.
This horror filming location is also just an 11 minute drive from the street where the film’s famous car crash sequence was shot, which is part of Green Street between South Los Robles Avenue and Madison Avenue in Pasadena.
The Myers House from Halloween (1978)
Location: 1000 Mission St, South Pasadena, CA 91030, USA
Although the building has been moved from its original location, it was rebuilt to look exactly the way it does when young Michael Myers is stalking his way around it in the iconic opening sequence of Halloween. There is a business operating out of the building, so don’t bother them or try to get inside (the interiors aren’t the same, anyway). But at this point, they’re very used to people doing photo ops out front. If you find yourself in Pasadena on October 31, it’s a can’t-miss destination, as a nonstop torrent of cosplayers swarm the area.
Other free Halloween locations in South Pasadena include the exterior of the hardware store where Michael gets his mask (right around the corner at 966 Mission St – it’s now the Radhika Modern Indian restaurant) and the famous hedge he hides behind when stalking Laurie Strode (just one mile away, at 1019 Montrose Ave S).
Brennan’s Tip: If you do have money to burn, check out the SugarMynt Gallery next door, which is chock full of horror-themed artwork. Also grab a snack at the Heirloom Bakery across the street! They’ve got all kinds of great treats (I even had them do the desserts for my wedding), and you can enjoy them on the outdoor patio with the Myers house looming over you.
The Town Square from Scream (1996)
Location: Healdsburg Town Square, Healdsburg, CA 95448, USA
Scream was filmed in and around Sonoma County, but the core town playing Woodsboro was the real-life wine country borough of Healdsburg. The town square, complete with fountain, is still there, and surrounded by cute shops and restaurants. You can also find the police station exterior where Sidney punches out Gale at Oakville Grocery (124 Matheson Street) nearby, but it has changed enough to be barely recognizable at this point.
Derry from It (2017), It: Chapter Two (2019), and It: Welcome to Derry (2025-)
Location: Port Hope, Ontario L1A 2Y7, Canada
The majority of the important locations in It and Welcome to Derry’s fictional town of Derry, Maine are all located along the main road of Port Hope, including the movie theater (Capitol Theatre on 20 Queen St), the library (Port Hope Town Hall, 56 Queen St), the park with the bandshell, and the alleyway outside the butcher shop, which still has the door painted with the faux sign from the movie.
Brennan’s Tip: Check out the river that runs parallel to the main street. When I went, there were hundreds of fish making their way upstream for spawning. Multiple species do this in Port Hope, in various seasons, so you never know if you’ll get lucky.
The University from Black Christmas (1974)
Location: Soldiers’ Tower at the University of Toronto, Hart House Cir, Toronto, Ontario M5S 3H7, Canada
The college from the 1974 proto-slasher Black Christmas is played by the real-life University of Toronto, with the most notable area being the plaza outside Soldiers’ Tower, where Clare’s dad is seen waiting for his ill-fated daughter.
Brennan’s Tip: If you’re a huge Killer Party (1986) fan like I am, the Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada building (25 Spadina Rd), which plays the haunted frat house, is just a short walk away.
Abe’s Snake Bodega from Scream VI (2023)
Location: Dépanneur St.Ambroise, 5701 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, QC H4A 1W9, Canada
Our next horror filming location is of a more recent vintage, but it’s an instant classic: the “New York City” bodega in which Ghostface hunts down Sam (Melissa Barrera) and Tara Carpenter (Jenna Ortega) in Scream VI. Both the exterior and the interior of the shop were used for filming, though they changed a great deal of the inside to make it look more New York-y. You don’t have to pay to visit, but if you want to do a photo op posing like Ghostface at the end of the row of refrigerator cases, you might as well buy a soda on your way out as a thank you.
Other worthwhile free Scream VI filming locations in the area are the campus of Blackmore University (McGill University at 845 Sherbrooke St W), and “Central Park” (Parc La Fontaine, 3819 Av. Calixa-Lavallée).
Crawford Academy from Happy Birthday to Me (1981)
Location: Concordia University – Loyola Campus, 7141 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, Quebec H4B 1R6, Canada
The fictional high school from this classic Canadian slasher was played by the real-life Concordia University (except for the opening kill scene, which was shot around Douglass Hall at McGill University). It’s a relatively small campus, so you can’t miss the grand brick buildings, which look exactly the same now as they did 45 years ago, though the quad has been relandscaped.
The Steps from The Exorcist (1973)
Location: Corner of Prospect St and 36th St NW, Georgetown, Washington, D.C., 20007, USA
William Friedkin’s landmark classic The Exorcist is home to one of our most iconic horror filming locations yet. The steps that claim the lives of both Burke Dennings (Jack MacGowran) and Father Karras (Jason Miller) are still there more than 50 years later, and you’ll almost certainly find people exercising on them, as if they aren’t worried that Pazuzu is gonna fling another victim toward them when they least expect it.
While the house from The Exorcist is indeed at the top of the steps (at 3600 Prospect Street), it is more set back than the movie implies (the exterior of Reagan’s window was a facade). But it’s still there, as is the Georgetown campus, where other scenes from the movie were filmed.
The Crystal Shop from Obsession (2026)
Location: The Green Man, 824 N Hollywood Way, Burbank, CA 91505, USA
Our tour of some of the greatest free horror filming locations of North America comes full circle now, bringing us back to Southern California with the most recent movie on the list. Curry Barker’s Obsession was entirely shot in and around Burbank, and the metaphysical supply store The Green Man looks almost exactly like the fictional store from the movie, both inside and out. Just don’t go in hoping to find a display of One Wish Willows.
