Biyografi Dünyası
Şeytan

Devil (Şeytan) (translated)

Movie · 1974 · 3 people

Nicknamed "the Turkish Exorcist", Metin Erksan's 1974 horror film Şeytan ("Devil") remakes William Friedkin's 1973 The Exorcist in Turkish, largely shot for shot. It stands with Drakula İstanbul'da among the earliest Turkish horror films. It opened on November 1, 1974 and runs about 100 minutes. Many viewers now enjoy it for its humor too.

The story begins when young Gül, who lives with her mother Ayten, starts acting strangely after her birthday party. When doctors and psychologists cannot cure her, Ayten becomes convinced that the devil has taken hold of the child and turns to Tuğrul Bilge, an expert on the subject. Together with an imam, he tries to free Gül. Canan Perver plays Gül, Cihan Ünal is Tuğrul Bilge, Meral Taygun is Ayten and Agah Hün is the imam; Erol Amaç plays police chief Kadri Erdem.

The screenplay is by Yılmaz Tümtürk, the producer was Hulki Saner of Saner Film, and the cinematographer was Nihat Çifteoğlu. Made on a low budget, its image is grainy and poor; the film was out of print until a 2007 DVD release, which helped cement its cult reputation. Some viewers recall being scared by it as children and laughing at it as adults.

DirectorMetin Erksan
Production companySaner Film

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Cast

Agah Hün Actor · died at 72 Cihan Ünal Cihan Ünal Actor · 80 years old Erol Amaç

More from this director

Through different eyes

Yeşilçam Nostalgic A viewer raised on the classics, looking for warm storytelling and strong acting.

In a remake one looks for an interpretation of its own, and because Şeytan repeats The Exorcist almost scene for scene, it hardly meets that hope. For an eye raised on the classics, the real curiosity lies in the local touches added to the American story, such as an imam joining the expert to save little Gül. Today part of its audience remembers it as a film that once frightened them and now makes them laugh. That says something about how cinema sometimes lives on through shared memory more than through craft.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

Assessing Şeytan means assessing a copy rather than an adaptation: since most of its scenes were reshot one-to-one from The Exorcist, the directing choices are largely limited to reproducing shots someone else designed. The low budget is plain to see in the grainy, poor-quality image, so the atmosphere the horror depends on keeps breaking down, and for today's viewer the tension often gives way to unintended comedy. Even so, as one of the earliest examples of Turkish horror, the film has value as a historical document. It is interesting as a look at how a local production answered an American film within a single year; as an original horror film, it is weak.

Family Viewer Asks whether the whole household can watch it; cares about humour and heart.

This is a horror film about a little girl believed to be possessed by the devil. It is not suitable for young children. Some of it may look funny today, but the subject is heavy and can be disturbing. If the adults are curious about an old cult film, they can watch it with teenagers, staying with them and talking it through. For a relaxed family evening, another film is the better choice.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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