Şeytan (1974), commonly referred to as the “Turkish Exorcist,” is a blatant, often cringeworthy rip-off of William Friedkin’s 1973 horror classic The Exorcist. Directed by Metin Erksan, this low-budget horror film does little more than mimic its American predecessor, with few original ideas and even fewer genuinely scary moments. While it may have earned some notoriety for its close similarities to The Exorcist, Şeytan struggles to stand out as anything more than a cheap imitation that fails to live up to the horror genre’s potential.
The plot is a near shot-for-shot copy of The Exorcist, but set within a Turkish cultural framework. The story revolves around Gül, a young girl who starts exhibiting strange behaviors after her parents’ tumultuous relationship starts to deteriorate. While The Exorcist focused on the emotional and psychological torment of Regan MacNeil and the religious conflict surrounding her exorcism, Şeytan flounders in its attempt to replicate these themes, feeling like a disconnected string of horror clichés rather than a meaningful exploration of possession. Instead of offering a fresh take or unique elements, the film simply runs through the motions, recycling scenes and ideas without the style or sophistication of its source material.
The movie’s low budget is immediately apparent, and it’s hard to ignore the grainy, poor-quality image throughout. While this could be forgiven in a lower-budget exploitation film, it detracts from Şeytan‘s ability to create any sort of atmosphere. The lack of polish makes it difficult to immerse oneself in the supposed horror, and many of the film’s attempts at shock simply fall flat. Instead of feeling tense or eerie, it often feels like you’re watching an underfunded, poorly executed stage production, with cheap props, shaky performances, and a lack of visual appeal.
The performances from the cast, while not abysmal, are largely uninspired. Gül’s portrayal as the possessed child is less haunting and more awkward. While the film attempts to mirror the slow descent into horror that The Exorcist captured so well, Gül’s transformation feels rushed and unconvincing. The supporting characters, including the imam and Tuğrul Bilge who are tasked with the exorcism, are simply there to move the plot along, without much in the way of meaningful character development. The attempt at depicting the psychological torment of Gül’s family is weak and feels like an afterthought compared to the intense familial conflict in The Exorcist. It’s a film that spends more time mimicking The Exorcist’s visual style than it does investing in character or plot.
The special effects are subpar, with the exorcism sequences in particular feeling more laughable than terrifying. The film fails to build the kind of dread or shock that The Exorcist achieved with its infamous scenes, instead delivering moments that are unintentionally comical. The possession is never fully realized in a way that could scare the audience or generate sympathy for the characters involved. The possession plot is not so much a tool for emotional depth or philosophical exploration here as it is just another device to check off the boxes of the “horror” genre.
Furthermore, the movie’s climax, which features Tuğrul Bilge’s desperate struggle with the demon, lacks the emotional punch needed to make it impactful. The ultimate fate of the characters is far less satisfying than the terrifying conclusion of The Exorcist, and you can’t help but feel that Şeytan’s attempt at emulating this iconic ending is nothing more than a pale imitation. The demon’s final possession of Tuğrul Bilge’s body and his subsequent death is anticlimactic and undermines the potential for a truly chilling resolution.
The film’s pacing also suffers. While The Exorcist allowed its slow-burn build-up to create tension and horror, Şeytan is more like a checklist of horror tropes. It lingers on the predictable, meandering through unnecessary scenes without ever really earning its moments of supposed terror. The overall sense of dread is missing, and you’re left wondering why it’s taking so long for the inevitable exorcism scenes to unfold.
The music, which should be a key element in setting the mood, is forgettable at best. Without the haunting, iconic score of The Exorcist, the film’s atmosphere feels even more hollow. The lack of a truly disturbing soundscape to accompany the visuals leaves Şeytan feeling flat, even when it’s attempting to create moments of horror.
While some might view Şeytan as a cult curiosity or an amusing example of international cinema’s attempts to cash in on a Hollywood hit, it fails to hold up as an actual horror film. It is neither a unique cultural interpretation nor a worthy homage to The Exorcist. Instead, it is a cheap imitation that never captures the terror, depth, or resonance of its inspiration.
In conclusion, Şeytan is a lackluster attempt at recreating the magic of The Exorcist, and it ultimately falls short in every area that made Friedkin’s film so effective. It’s a film that will likely be appreciated more for its historical context and its position within the world of cult cinema than for its actual merits as a horror film. Its grainy visuals, shallow performances, and lack of genuine suspense make it a disappointing and forgettable experience for anyone hoping for a truly chilling exorcism tale.
