Main cast: Ergun Kuyucu (Remzi), Muharrem Bayrak (Yavuz), Görkem Kasal (Arda), Mehmet Fatih Dokgoz (Apo), and Sabahattin Yakut (Seyfi)
Director: Can Evrenol

Baskin is a Turkish horror flick that came recommended by a YouTube movie reviewer that I followed, and no, it has nothing to do with a certain brand of ice cream. In fact, I don’t know how to describe the plot properly, because it’s a disjointed kind of movie that is focused more on individual scenes and atmosphere rather than a coherent story.

Basically, we have five cops having what seem like the evening off. They start out discussing bets on the Spanish Primera Division, indulging in some friendly police brutality next, and then finding themselves trapped in an increasingly bizarre night as strange and sinister happenings begin to pile up. What is going on, here? Meanwhile, the rookie cop Arda talks about his dream woo-woo stuff with his guardian, Remzi, who is also the leader of these cops. So is the whole thing some kind of paranormal acid trip?

Well, it’s hard to say, but if the viewer stays with the movie all the way to its final act, oh boy, that’s when the really brutal and sadistic levels of gore begin to pour in. I have never seen such adorably nasty acts of violence in a horror film in a while, and unlike, say, the eye roll-causing choreographed fake nature of the Saw kills, the gore in this one is just sick and I love every minute of it.

However, what’s the context? Why is all the gore happening? It is possible for the viewer to try to piece together their own interpretation of what has happened in Baskin, of course, and it’s just as likely that different people will have different ways of looking at this film. Is it a look into the fragmented psyche of a loony cop? Perhaps it’s a horror film about two people that inadvertently stumble upon an eldritch cult that have been waiting for their ordained arrival? Is this a sick flick, or a tale of cosmic horror? Everyone that watches this movie is likely to have a different opinion of what they have watched.

While I do enjoy this aspect of the movie, a part of me will wonder whether this is all just an excuse for Can Evrenol, who co-wrote as well as directed this thing, to get away with how he didn’t really have a coherent product here. Still, I can’t deny that I’ve had fun, especially during the final act of this film.

So, if you are still wondering whether to watch it, I’d say go for it if you like gore. See it for the gore, and have fun trying to figure out what you’ve just seen.