Synopsis: Five cops stumble upon the blood-spattered bowels of Hell, where dark rituals and unspeakable horrors await in this head-spinning freakout.
Baskin begins in a diner, where 4 hardened officers and a rookie are beginning their night, gathered around a table trading war stories. Soon after, they get a call requesting backup in a small town on the outskirts of the city. While en route they encounter some strange occurrences on the road that cause them to wreck, stranding them in the middle of nowhere. Somehow they just so happen to arrive at their intended destination by wandering down the road. After being greeted by the strange locals they stumble upon a desiccated police station where the call for help originated. This is where things start going off the rails. Talismans, blood-soaked bundles of viscera and orgy-like piles of filthy writhing bodies. They’ve managed to find themselves in the midst of a Black Mass at the gates of Hell. For real, this film feels like Hellraiser and Eyes Wide Shut’s aborted lovechild. It’s a strange acid trip of a flick that throws everything at you and expects you to sort out the pieces.
The director’s choice of telling the story while shifting back and forth between the diner and smack dab in the middle of a ritual kept me completely disoriented. Let me preface by saying, I’m no expert in Turkish horror but I’m pretty sure that was the intention. I’m honestly not entirely sure what I watched. It seemed like they had a bunch of creative scenes filled with extreme visuals and gore but haphazardly threw them together in an attempt to make something out of a very flimsy narrative. It did that well but having great practical effects and attention-grabbing scenes does not make a great movie.
I vaguely remember when the trailer was released for this and I wanted to see it, but it fell through the cracks. I’m always interested in horror from outside the US. I enjoy digging into folklore from other countries. This one, although creative, was one that missed the mark for me. Like I said, the practical effects were well done and some of the scenes worked great as standalone vignettes but strung together it was just a confusing 97 minute ride.
I can’t really recommend Baskin in good faith but I’m fairly certain it has its audience out there. It honestly might be worth the watch just for the visuals and strange imagery alone. I can tell you with certainty though that once was enough for me.
Join me again tomorrow as we continue this strange little trip down the horror rabbit hole.
