Feb 26, 2021
Keith Thomas is Denver-based a screenwriter and director whose horror feature, The Vigil, was released on February 26 by IFC Midnight. Starring Dave Davis, The Vigil is about a man providing overnight watch to a deceased member of his former Orthodox Jewish community, who encounters a malevolent entity. After Stephen King saw The Vigil, he approved Keith to direct a remake of King’s 1984 horror film, Firestarter, which will begin shooting this year.
What you will learn:
- What inspired Keith to write The Vigil.
- How his previous career as a medical researcher in nursing homes informed his narratives in both his short film, Arkane, and The Vigil.
- How witnessing a hate crime in real life inspired Keith to write a particular scene in The Vigil.
- How a very specific world or community with a defined set of rules (like the Hasidic Jewish community in Brooklyn, where this movie is set), can make for a compelling setting in a horror movie.
- Why Keith rejected an offer to buy the screenplay for The Vigil, instead choosing to direct it on his own.
- Why he cast Dave Davis as the lead and what previous roles Davis played that convinced Keith he was right for the part.
- How making his short film Arkane, which is still available on YouTube, opened the door to making The Vigil.
- How aspiring filmmakers can make short films to open similar opportunities.
- Why aspiring filmmakers should not take the path taken by Keith into film.
- Why a remake of Stephen King’s Firestarter is the perfect classic horror film for him to direct.
Resources:
- Keith Thomas’ IMDB
- IFC Midnight Website for The Vigil
- Arkane short