Keith Thomas on Writing and Directing The Vigil, and Remaking Stephen King's Firestarter

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