📑 Table of Contents▼

Semum
Theatrical poster
Directed byHasan Karacadağ
Written byHasan Karacadağ
Produced byHasan Karacadağ
StarringBigkem Karavus
Burak Özçivit
Kurtulus Sakiragaoglu
CinematographySeyhan Bilir
Music byJustin R. Durban
Production
company
Release date
  • 8 February 2008 (2008-02-08)
Running time
116 minutes
CountryTurkey
LanguageTurkish
Budget$1,200,000 (estimated)
Box office$1,827,047

Semum is a 2008 Turkish horror film produced, written and directed by Hasan Karacadağ which reportedly recounts the true story of a woman who lives in İzmir, Turkey.[1]

The story is based on Islamic beliefs about devils (Şeytanlar), who torment their victim. In contrast to Islamic jinn films, the movie focuses on metaphysical evil (Satan or demons) and deals with questions regarding the existence of God in a secular Muslim majority society, instead of social transgressions.[2]

Plot

edit

Twenty-seven-year-old Canan (Ayça İnci) and her husband Volkan (Burak Hakkı) have just moved into a large, new house. Life seems to continue on its routine track in the young couple's new house until one day, when Canan starts feeling that strange things are happening to her although she cannot understand what or why. Canan gradually starts turning into an evil creature as a mysterious and malicious being, called Semum, takes control of her body and actions day after day.

The first part of the movie is about Canan's life being ruined by the mysterious demon. In the second half of the movie, metaphysical questions are discussed from an Islamic perspective, regarding good, evil, God, and the Devil.[3] God is presented by a Hoca, while the demons represent ʿAzāzīl, another name for Satan (Iblīs) in Islamic traditions.[4]

Despite similarities to the Western demon-movie The Exorcist (1973), Hasan Karacadağ claims that his work is an independent work. Although both movies utilize Satan as an element of fear, he based his version on the traditions of Islam.[5]

Cast

edit

Production

edit

Talking about the film in Today's Zaman the director argues that, "he tried to create a model of a Turco-Islamic horror film and that he would make the world recognize this model, of which he sees Semum as the first example."[1] Semum will be compared with The Exorcist and star Ayça İnci will be compared with Linda Blair, the director told Today's Zaman, noting that the Turkish horror films made so far have been far from satisfactory.[1]

Filming

edit

The film was shot on location in Istanbul, Turkey.[6]

Release

edit

The film opened in 142 screens across Turkey on February 8, 2008 (2008-02-08) at number 1 in the box office chart with an opening weekend gross of $441,665.[7]

Reception

edit

Box office

edit

The film was the thirteenth highest grossing Turkish film of 2008 with a total gross of $1,827,047.[7]

Reviews

edit

Todd Brown, writing for Twitch Film, notes that this film, like the director's previous hit Dabbe, "once again draws on Islamic mythology and demons as its inspiration," but that, "he had a better budget to work with this time and the cinematography is a good bit better while also indulging Turkey's traditional campy edge".[8] "Cinematography and design work is dead solid and I do believe I detect notes of both Death Note and Constantine in the demon and hell effects," he adds.[9]

See also

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Kara, Serkan. "Filmmaker Karacadağ presents Turkey's first 'alien' horror flick". Today's Zaman. Archived from the original on 6 October 2010. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  2. ^ Erdağı, D. Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in “Semum”. SN Soc Sci 4, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w
  3. ^ Erdağı, D. Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in “Semum”. SN Soc Sci 4, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w
  4. ^ Erdağı, D. Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in “Semum”. SN Soc Sci 4, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w
  5. ^ Erdağı, D. Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in “Semum”. SN Soc Sci 4, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w
  6. ^ "Filming locations for Semum". IMDB. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Turkey Weekend Box Office for Semum". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  8. ^ Brown, Todd. "D@bbe Director Returns With Semum!". twitch. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
  9. ^ Brown, Todd. "Full Theatrical Trailer For Turkish Horror Semum!". twitch. Retrieved 18 February 2010.
edit

📚 Artikel Terkait di Wikipedia

Shayatin

meteor when they approach. In 2008 Hasan Karacadağ published the movie Semum about one of the shayāṭīn. The shayṭān was released from hell. Jealous of

Iblis

and exclaims: "I am a martyr!". A demon called "Semum", from the eponymous 2008 Turkish horror movie Semum, embodies qualities attributed to both Iblis and

Nar as-samum

(Arabic: نار السموم, meaning "fire of scorching winds"; also spelled Simoom or Semum; from the root س م م s-m-m, سم) is a concept in Islam referring to a type

Satan

Advocate (1997) feature Satan as an antagonist. The Turkish horror film Semum (2008) is based the representation of Satan in Islamic scriptures. Cernunnos

Fallen angel

comfort him, but goes to perdition as a consequence. The Turkish horror film Semum (2008), produced and directed by Hasan Karacadağ, is about a shayṭān who

Demon

Duchesne-Guillemin 1988. Erdağı, D.; Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in “Semum”. SN Soc Sci 4, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w Nixey

Ifrit

Özkan (2024-02-01). "Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in "Semum"". SN Social Sciences. 4 (2). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10

Islamic attitudes towards science

in “Semum”. SN Soc Sci 4, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w Erdağı, D. Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in “Semum”. SN