Baskin

IFC Midnight | Release Date: March 25, 2016

6.2	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 25 Ratings

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horcrux2007Apr 17, 2016

The market for international artsy horror flicks has been surprisingly lucrative in the past few years, with acclaimed films like The Babadook and Goodnight Mommy and even the American productions It Follows and The Witch. But probably theThe market for international artsy horror flicks has been surprisingly lucrative in the past few years, with acclaimed films like The Babadook and Goodnight Mommy and even the American productions It Follows and The Witch. But probably the most imaginative and gory one of them all is the Turkish export, Baskin, an ultra-violent and bizarre descent into Hell with a capital "H." In Baskin, a police squad is called to an abandoned building in a neighborhood surrounded by rumors and hearsay. When they enter the building, they unwittingly stumble upon a black mass intent on sending the lawmakers straight to Hell. The narrative of Baskin is a bit of a mess. At times, it's difficult to figure out how certain things connect to each other or what they represent, and I saw the ending coming from a mile away. However, the blurring between reality and fantasy is one of my favorite staples of the horror genre. I love horror movies where you're not completely sure what's real and what's not, and this one illustrated the descent into Hell in a beautifully brutal fashion. The visual aspect of Baskin certainly gives the movie an art-film quality. Director Can Evrenol makes everything from a car crash to a man's intestines being ripped out look stunning. Even if the film's internal logic is difficult to follow and the ending is predictable, Baskin is a nightmarish and inventive Turkish horror film that will give gorehounds a more cerebral torture fest than most.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

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DirigiblePulpDec 8, 2016

Baskin is a surreal hear-trip invitation to a black mass. What
starts as an atmospheric cop thriller, set in some backwoods Turkish
town most definitely doesn't end that way. I couldn't tell you what exactly this movie was on about; itBaskin is a surreal hear-trip invitation to a black mass. What
starts as an atmospheric cop thriller, set in some backwoods Turkish
town most definitely doesn't end that way. I couldn't tell you what
exactly this movie was on about; it becomes a back and forth between two different plot strands that incoherently come together to signify nothing, not just in terms of meaning but also in tension, drama or audience engagement.

But it doesn't matter as much as you may think. This film has its own unique aura, one that can't be denied, and it makes you feel you've witnessed something that you shouldn't have. There is some truly twisted stuff in this film, some of it probably a tad too much (not in terms of good taste but in a comical form of one-upmanship with itself).

Mad props to the best horror heavy of the year, motherf***ing Mehmet Cerrahoglu as Baba. May he haunt every child's nightmares for the entirety of their formative lives.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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JLuis_001Nov 5, 2017

If this movie had put more effort and strength into the script and into the atmosphere instead of the gore, this film could have become a masterpiece of the genre. The wasted potential is terrible.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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S1r-R34lApr 10, 2017

I have no idea why this film was made. It's not very entertaining and the characters are not too relatable or easy to empathise with. It's like a very dark faerie tale but without the morality. The main characters are policemen and loveI have no idea why this film was made. It's not very entertaining and the characters are not too relatable or easy to empathise with. It's like a very dark faerie tale but without the morality. The main characters are policemen and love nothing better than abusing their power and tormenting and torturing people. They find a stairway into the bowels of the Earth, where a black mass is being held. There are some really disturbing scenes here and the unevenness of the direction makes them more so. However, it's the lack of story and characterisations that plummet this film into the depths of "Why did I watch this" I would recommend staying away if you like a story to your films.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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SpangleSep 25, 2016

Baskin is a film so hellish in design and in feeling that it - clichely enough - feels like something we should not be seeing. It is a film with an atmosphere so frightening, it made me feel as though I needed to confess my sins and repentBaskin is a film so hellish in design and in feeling that it - clichely enough - feels like something we should not be seeing. It is a film with an atmosphere so frightening, it made me feel as though I needed to confess my sins and repent immediately to God in order to avoid winding up in any place remotely similar to the one presented in Baskin. The atmosphere crafted by director Can Evrenol is simply that good. Now, he achieves largely through torture porn-esque method, but damn are they ever effective here. The film can be over-the-top gory, yet it feels so horrific and horrifying, it is impossible to look away even for a weakling like myself.

Bathed in neon and blessed with a synth score, Baskin often feels like a film by Nicolas Winding Refn if he made is a straight horror film. Thoroughly style over substance, Baskin's plot is all over the place with dream sequences, flashbacks, flash forwards, and a thoroughly mindbending ending. This arthouse horror film from Turkey is one infused with style in large due to the aforementioned score that keeps on edge, but also the camera work. The film, often flush with neon highlights, is lavishly shot and the camera just seems to glide effortlessly and angelically through this hell local, allowing us to soak up every gruesome detail of Hell (located in an abandoned police station).

Often quite hard to watch due to the violence that ensues, the most violent moments still remain ever watchable in large due to the acting performance of Mehmet Cerrahoglu. A mesmerizing sadistic and thoroughly evil performance, his role as "The Father" features some of the most chilling dialogue the film has to offer, along with some of the best delivery. In a film packed with solid performances, Cerrahoglu absolutely steals centerstage as the short, yet towering figure who is worshipped as a God in this hellish landscape. His power and presence is unrivaled in the film and makes the sequences that much scarier.

Incredibly cerebral, Baskin is a true blend of gore and mindbending psychological thrillers. I have no idea what Baskin was trying to say, but it was a thoroughly confusing affair that (obviously) had some religious ticks, but was also completely focused on the ideas of fate and destiny. For those in the film, it was fate that they wound up in Hell and they had a purpose for being there. They had an importance and a purpose, which required them to wind up in this situation. However, even then, they had a fate that could not be avoided, which is showcased at the very end.

A truly hypnotic viewing experience, Baskin is a chilling and horrifying horror film from director Can Evrenol that certainly makes him a man worth keeping an eye on. Mindbending, thought-provoking, and lavishly shot, Baskin is such a pretty looking film, it is often hard to look away even when things get really gory. That said, it does get really gory. Though I am not a fan of gore, it certainly feels entirely secondary to Evrenol's philosophical musings and beautifully gliding camera work.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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gt1967Nov 13, 2020

Slow in the build up, powerful in the delivery of terror once the action begins. The story is not exactly original and the ending is oh so predictable. However the depiction of what can only be described as hell and the truly grotesqueSlow in the build up, powerful in the delivery of terror once the action begins. The story is not exactly original and the ending is oh so predictable. However the depiction of what can only be described as hell and the truly grotesque characters depicted and their actions, make this film a must watch for horror fans. Sick and twisted is the only way to describe what unfolds before your eyes.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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