Baskin (film)

Baskin is a 2015 Turkish surreal horror film directed by Can Evrenol, based on his 2013 short film by the same name.^[1] The plot centers around five police officers who have inadvertently wandered into Hell.

First screened at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2015, the film marks Evrenol's feature film directorial debut. Actors Muharrem Bayrak and Gorkem Kasal, who had performed in the short film version, returned to star in the full-length film, joined by Ergun Kuyucu, Fatih Dokgoz and Sabahattin Yakut as the five police officers that make up the film's main cast of protagonists. First-time actor Mehmet Cerrahoglu has received positive reviews ^[2] for his noteworthy performance as the villain, The Father. Cerrahoglu suffers from an ultra rare skin condition which gives him his unique physical appearance.

The film has been compared to A Nightmare on Elm Street for its themes of childhood and dreams, and its lavish use of violence and gore.^[3]

Plot

Five police officers, Remzi, Arda, Yavuz, Apo, and Seyfi, are dining at a restaurant, during which Yavuz shares he has sex with shemale. Their meal is interrupted when they receive a distress call from Inceagac, a town known for being the focus of strange rumors. During the trip Seyfi has a terrifying vision of a bloody figure and accidentally drives their van into the water. Stranded, the officers eventually make their way to Inceagac, where they find themselves in an abandoned building (back in the Ottoman days, this used to be a police station), captured by cult members and are subjected to a number of increasingly bizarre and surreal scenarios. In the end, they realize they have all inadvertently wandered into Hell.

Cast

• Former Ottoman Police Station as Hell
• Ergun Kuyucu as Boss Remzi
• Muharrem Bayrak as Yavuz
• Gorkem Kasal as Arda
• Fatih Dokgöz as Apo
• Sabahattin Yakut as Seyfi
• Mehmet Cerrahoglu as Baba / The Father
• Sevket Suha Tezel as Master Creep / The Servant
• Fadik Bülbül as Sister Butcher
• Mehmet Akif Budak as Diner Footboy

Production

Baskin is independently financed and shot in Istanbul by MO Film, with a budget around $350,000. It was a 28-night shoot, with no days shots, with a month of pre-production and a post-production stage of 2 months. On an interview with Fangoria, director says: "Our permits were at times iffy, so we were always stressed about the authorities finding out what the hell we were doing in some of our crazy locations. We had naked people on set in the most conservative areas of town. That was a constant stress. Also, the time limitations for certain scenes made them really difficult, and that single underwater shot cost us almost half a shooting night." ^[4]

Release

Baskin is only the 8th Turkish film ever to be released in the US.

It is released by IFC Midnight in U.S. with a limited theatrical screening, as well as VOD and iVOD platforms. Baskin is also released in over 20 countries including Canada, UK, Germany, Russia, China, Italy, Scandinavia via their UK based world sales agent; SALT Company. In its home country, Baskin was released in over 120 theatres, across 45 cities, on Jan 1st, 2016.^[5]

A 2-Disc Limited Collector's Edition (Blu-ray + DVD) is released by Capelight Pictures in Germany on April 29.^[6]

Reception

Critical reception for Baskin has been positive and the film holds a rating of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 31 reviews, with an average rating of 6.4/10.^[7] Shock Till You Drop praised the film and drew comparisons to the work of Italian horror director Lucio Fulci, writing "BASKIN feels like a steroidal version of a vintage early 80’s Fulci film; not a rip-off or an homage by any stretch, but an heir to the same philosophies of filmmaking, the same desire to create an unrelenting, dreamscape of Grand Guignol and emotional response."^[8] Variety wrote a mixed review, stating "Of interest as a rare modern Turkish horror film, Can Evrenol’s debut feature will be a must-see for fans at fantasy fests, but its initial promise dissipates in a muddle of repetitious phantasmagoria and too little narrative or character development."^[9]

Awards

Baskin won the Best New Director award at Fantasticfest, and The Director's Award at Morbido Fest in 2015.^[10]

References

External links

• Official website
• Baskin (2015 film) at the Internet Movie Database
• Baskin (2013 short film) at the Internet Movie Database
• „Ein Schlag ins Gesicht der türkischen Popkultur“ – interview with Can Evrenol about his film (in German)