Director: Alper Mestçi
Year: 2014
Country: Turkey
Alternate Titles: N/A
Genre: Supernatural
Plot:
Madly in love with her cousin, a woman is finally forced to turn to a practitioner of black magic in a last-ditch effort to make him love her, but when the spell goes awry, she races to stop the malevolent forces at work as he attempts to do the same thing with a spiritual healer to save himself.
Review:
This was a highly enjoyable effort. Among the better elements here are the series of intertwined storylines that serve to get the film going. As we get an immediate introduction to the ongoing love affair between the two which is completely one-sided on her part by the events at work when she breaks in to confront him only for a physical confrontation to result in a miscarriage that ends their relationship, this setup goes along nicely with his family strife involving guilt over his daughter’s blindness and the family’s relationship with the invalid mother living with them cause this part of the film to be incredibly strong and well-developed.
From here, the turn toward the supernatural, involving her quest to continue visiting the black magic practitioner to carry out spells against her wife, lends itself to a lot to like. The atmosphere here is quite dark and moody, with the gathering of the different artifacts needed for the spell requiring both parties to engage in duplicitous behavior that sets up the highly creepy and enjoyable ritual to carry out her plans. This is an impressive scene, marked by the blasphemous acts spoken and carried out, as well as the waiting game that must be played before they know if the curse has taken hold or not, which effectively conveys its power and danger.
That becomes apparent in the film’s second half, where the spell starts turning up the tension here considerably. Effectively offering slick, glossy jump scares involving objects falling from the ceiling, unrecognizable shapes darting in front of others, or ghastly, deformed beings appearing unexpectedly, this one generates a massively entertaining series of scenes that offer some incredibly brutal imagery and ideas that continually emerge as the demon makes its way through the family. As this generates a genuinely ferocious tone leading into the wild finale featuring demonic possession, ritualistic exorcism, and ghostly encounters that provide a thrilling and satisfying time, these are the positive points.
There isn’t much to dislike about this one, but there are some issues. The main drawback to the film is the rather bland and unappealing manner in which it treats the romance angle between the two parties. Since it is the main selling point, this should be a big deal, but he’s not that much of a catch since he’s an open cheater, has no use for religion, and doesn’t seem like he wants her, making the quest to win him seem ridiculous when a better use would be the marriage, keeping them together. The other issue is a rushed ending that offers a fantastic twist, only to then almost immediately cut away with no real resolution to what it brings up. These are what keep this one back overall.
Overview: ****/5
A generally fun and enjoyable romp featuring a lot of enjoyable supernatural antics alongside a few minor drawbacks, this one features a lot to like and is a fantastic entry point for the country’s genre output. Those who are indeed curious about the country’s fare or fanatics of the style overall will have a lot to like here, while only those turned off by the film’s approach should take care with this one.
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