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{{Infobox film
| name           = Semum
| image          = SemumFilmPoster.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical poster
| director       = [[Hasan Karacadağ]]
| producer       = Hasan Karacadağ
| writer         = Hasan Karacadağ
| narrator       = 
| starring       = [[Bigkem Karavus]]<br />[[Burak Özçivit]]<br />[[Kurtulus Sakiragaoglu]]
| music          = Justin R. Durban
| cinematography = [[Seyhan Bilir]]
| editing        = 
| studio         = [[J-Plan]]
| distributor    = 
| released       = {{Film date|2008|02|08|df=y}}
| runtime        = 116 minutes
| country        = Turkey
| language       = Turkish
| budget         = $1,200,000 (estimated)
| gross          = $1,827,047
}}

'''''Semum''''' is a 2008 Turkish [[horror film]] produced, written and directed by [[Hasan Karacadağ]] which reportedly recounts the true story of a woman who lives in [[İzmir]], [[Turkey]].<ref name="tz01">{{cite web |title=Filmmaker Karacadağ presents Turkey's first 'alien' horror flick |first=Serkan |last=Kara |url=http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-132303-filmmaker-karacadag-presents-turkeys-first-alien-horror-flick.html |work=Today's Zaman |date= |accessdate=2010-02-18 |archive-date=6 October 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006062357/http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-132303-filmmaker-karacadag-presents-turkeys-first-alien-horror-flick.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

The story is based on [[Islam]]ic beliefs about [[Shayatin|devils]] (''Şeytanlar''), who torment their victim. In contrast to [[Jinn in horror films|Islamic jinn films]], the movie focuses on [[Satanic film|metaphysical evil]] (Satan or demons) and deals with questions regarding the [[existence of God]] in [[Secularism in Turkey|a secular Muslim majority society]], instead of social transgressions.<ref>Erdağı, D. Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in “Semum”. SN Soc Sci 4, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w</ref>

== Plot ==
Twenty-seven-year-old Canan (Ayça İnci) and her husband Volkan (Burak Hakkı) have just moved into a large, new house. Life seems to continue on its routine track in the young couple's new house until one day, when Canan starts feeling that strange things are happening to her although she cannot understand what or why. Canan gradually starts turning into an evil creature as a mysterious and malicious being, called [[Nar as-samum|Semum]], takes control of her body and actions day after day. 

The first part of the movie is about Canan's life being ruined by the mysterious demon. In the second half of the movie, metaphysical questions are discussed from an Islamic perspective, regarding good, evil, God, and the [[Devil]].<ref>Erdağı, D. Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in “Semum”. SN Soc Sci 4, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w</ref> God is presented by a [[Hoca]], while the demons represent ''[[Azazil|ʿAzāzīl]]'', another name for Satan (''[[Iblīs]]'') in Islamic traditions.<ref>Erdağı, D. Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in “Semum”. SN Soc Sci 4, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w</ref>

Despite similarities to the Western demon-movie ''[[The Exorcist]]'' (1973), [[Hasan Karacadağ]] claims that his work is an independent work. Although both movies utilize Satan as an element of fear, he based his version on the traditions of Islam.<ref>Erdağı, D. Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in “Semum”. SN Soc Sci 4, 27 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43545-024-00832-w</ref>

== Cast ==
{{Cast listing|
* [[Ayça İnci]] as Canan Karaca 
* [[Burak Hakkı]] as Volkan Karaca
* [[Cem Kurtoğlu]] as Mikail Hoca
* [[Sefa Zengin]] as Raci
* [[Bahtiyar Engin]] as Macit
* [[Nazlı Ceren Argon]] as Banu
* [[Yıldırım Öcek]] as Emlakçı 
* [[Hakan Meriçliler]] as Profesör Oğuz
* [[Levent Sülün]] as Ali
* [[Süha Tok]]
}}

==Production==
Talking about the film in ''[[Today's Zaman]]'' the director argues that, "he tried to create a model of a Turco-Islamic horror film and that he would make the world recognize this model, of which he sees ''Semum'' as the first example."<ref name="tz01" /> ''Semum'' will be compared with ''[[The Exorcist]]'' and star [[Ayça İnci]] will be compared with [[Linda Blair]], the director told ''[[Today's Zaman]]'', noting that the Turkish horror films made so far have been far from satisfactory.<ref name="tz01" />

===Filming===
The film was shot on location in [[Istanbul]], [[Turkey]].<ref name="imdb01">{{cite web |title=Filming locations for Semum |first= |last= |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1153085/locations |work=IMDB |date= |accessdate=2010-02-18 }}</ref>

== Release ==
The film opened in 142 screens across Turkey on {{start date|2008|02|08}} at number 1 in the box office chart with an opening weekend gross of $441,665.<ref name="BOM01">{{cite web |title=Turkey Weekend Box Office for Semum |first= |last= |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?id=_fLEBALLONROUGE1902&country=TR&wk=2008W6&id=_fLEBALLONROUGE1902&p=.htm |work=Box Office Mojo |date= |accessdate=2010-02-24 }}</ref>

==Reception==

===Box office===
The film was the thirteenth highest grossing [[Turkish films of 2008|Turkish film of 2008]] with a total gross of $1,827,047.<ref name="BOM01" />

=== Reviews ===
Todd Brown, writing for ''[[Twitch Film]]'', notes that this film, like the director's previous hit ''[[D@bbe|Dabbe]]'', "once again draws on Islamic mythology and demons as its inspiration," but that, "he had a better budget to work with this time and the cinematography is a good bit better while also indulging Turkey's traditional campy edge".<ref name="twitch01">{{cite web |title=D@bbe Director Returns With Semum! |first=Todd |last=Brown |url=http://twitchfilm.net/news/2007/12/dbbe-director-returns-with-semum.php |work=twitch |date= |accessdate=2010-02-18 }}</ref> "Cinematography and design work is dead solid and I do believe I detect notes of both ''[[Death Note]]'' and ''[[Constantine (film)|Constantine]]'' in the demon and hell effects," he adds.<ref name="twitch02">{{cite web |title=Full Theatrical Trailer For Turkish Horror Semum! |first=Todd |last=Brown |url=http://twitchfilm.net/news/2008/01/full-theatrical-trailer-for-turkish-horror-semum.php |work=twitch |date= |accessdate=2010-02-18 }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of Islamic films]]
* [[2008 in film]]
* [[Turkish films of 2008]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official website|http://www.semum.com/}} for the film
* {{IMDb title|1153085}}
* {{tcmdb title|736273}}

[[Category:2008 films]]
[[Category:2008 horror films]]
[[Category:Films set in Turkey]]
[[Category:Turkish horror films]]
[[Category:Demons in film]]
[[Category:Films about Islam]]
[[Category:2000s Turkish-language films]]
[[Category:2000s Turkish films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Istanbul]]
[[Category:Religious horror films]]
[[Category:The Devil in film]]
[[Category:Turkish-language horror films]]

{{Wikipedia attribution|original_title=Semum|access_date=2026-03-05}}