Evil in Turkish Muslim horror film: the demonic in “Semum”

Abstract

The aim of the following study is to offer a better understanding of the Turkish religious consciousness. Turkey is a secular country with a Muslim majority. Movie characters with different attitudes towards religion and their relationship to supernatural evil within Islamic cosmology will be examined. This will provide better insights into the religiosity among Turkish Muslims and their relationship with religious metaphysics in a secular world through the popular horror movie “Semum” (2008). “Semum” is unique by not utilizing jinn, but a devil as the chosen monster. By that, “Semum” conceptualizes an entity of what is perceived as evil in contrast to the moral greyness presented in jinn-horror movies. It reflects a supernatural world of good and evil to its audience, in which metaphysical questions are addressed. Turkey, as a Muslim-majority society, is less often examined when it comes to theological/metaphysical matters regarding the Islamic faith, than when it comes to social issues. For an accurate understanding, this paper first investigates the director’s own statements about his monster. Afterwards, Islamic sources will be compared to the movie’s depiction of said monsters. Next, the roles of the main characters and their relationships towards the demonic will be explained. By that, it will be seen how the roles of the characters allegedly deal with evil. It will be shown that secularism is considered to be insufficient to deal with possible threats to humanity. Yet, the director asserts that science and religion should co-exist to deal with mankind’s fears.

Introduction and remark on terminology and definitions

Social scientists increasingly recognize movies as thought constructs and cultural reflection.¹ Cultures must share a set of concepts, ideas, and images.² Movies reflect such concepts of the cultural world.³ Therefore, cinema reflects the ideological climate of a particular society.⁴ Yet, serious attempts to connect the findings of religious and cultural studies with film analysis are rarely done.⁵ This paper will offer such an analysis, comparing the prevailing religion of the addressed audience. Despite secularization after the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the majority of Turkish people are Muslims.⁶ Insights into underlying cultural patterns such as social norms, metaphysical views, and developments are given especially by movies featuring religious elements. Since Turkey is a Muslim majority country, most elements featured are inspired by Muslim sources, such as the Quran, hadiths, and tafsir (exegesis of the Quran).⁷ Thus, Turkish Horror is also Islamic Horror.

Demons are an especially popular trope to study, as they are considered to be projections of mankind’s denied emotions and reflections on what is considered evil.⁸ Thus, they are a good source for understanding subconscious patterns. Since fear is the most common emotion elicited by horror movies, they give us further insights into more of the underlying emotional disposition that evokes these emotions in the first place. Of a total of 89 films, Zeynep Koçer counted that 59 would use jinn as antagonists, while only 12 would use other sorts of demons.⁹ As will be explored below, demons are of two kinds in Islam; jinn and devils. Because the jinn are commonly thought of as scary but not essentially evil, only the devils can be used as a template for the embodiment of evil.

The Turkish Islamic horror movie “Semum” (2008) is one of the movies utilizing a devil instead of a jinni.¹⁰ As one of the first successful horror movies in Turkey, it paved the way for many later horror productions.¹¹ The movie features mostly ideas from the Quran and its exegesis, the sacred scripture of Islam, the most prevailing religion in Turkey.¹² Devils, unlike other monsters such as jinn, have a clear moral attitude and embody evil. Because of that, devils appeal to universal fears. The purpose of this paper is to dive deeper into the underlying metaphysical implications of “Semum” and explore how this reflects Turkish understanding of evil and religious metaphysics. The aim of this paper is to achieve an improved understanding of religious metaphysics and conceptualization of fears and evil in Turkish culture.

There is no standardized terminology regarding spiritual entities across cultures and studies. Terms like demons, devils, spirits etc. are often used interchangeably. Many of these terms are only vaguely defined and might be used differently by each author. Therefore, the definitions of each such creature will be introduced first.

The term God refers to the concept of an omnipotent creator entity, who might be personal or impersonal. The term deity, on the other hand, is used for any entity subject to veneration or worship. Demons will refer to a wider range of undefined harmful spirits. The term devil will refer to demons opposing God and is also the translation for the Arabic shayāṭīn, since both terms are equal in meaning. Samūm and semum are two different transcriptions of the same term. The Arabic transcription (samūm) will be used to denote the Quranic term. Reference to the specific demon in the movie uses the Turkish transcription (semum). Semum, will be capitalized when referring to the movie demon’s proper name. When talking about the concept of a supreme devil, I will use the name Satan in order to avoid confusion with the lesser devils. Besides the conceptual Satan as an abstract force of evil, I will use this mainly Christian connotated name for the mythological figure of Satan, including Iblis and Azazil, the Islamic equivalents the Christian Satan.

Hasan Karacadağ about Semum

Hasan Karacadağ, director of the movie, claims in an interview with CNN that his film was inspired by a letter he received after making the film D@bbe.¹³ The letter recounts the alleged experience of a woman with a demon called Semum. Afterwards, Karacadağ claims to have done research through Islamic literature and encountered the story of Semum as follows:

Şeytan ve kavmi, yaratıcının insana ruhundan üflemesini hazmedemez ve sonrasında cennetten kovulur. Bu arada birtakım varlıklar da şeytana destek verir.

İslam dini ve mitolojisine göre şeytana destek veren şeytani varlıklara ‘semum’ deniyor. Semum, Kur’an-ı Kerim’de ‘cehennem alevi’ olarak da geçiyor. Bence ikisi arasındaki ilişki azap kelimesinde yatıyor.

Cehennem alevinin insana verdiği acı var, bu varlıklar da insana öyle acılar veriyor ki, aynı kelimede buluşuyorlar.¹⁴

Satan and his people could not bear the fact that the Creator blew his spirit into mankind and were cast out of paradise afterwards. Some creatures joined Satan.

According to Islamic religion and mythology, demonic beings who support Satan are called semum. In the Quran, semum refers to the fires of hell. Therefore, I think the meaning they share is “torment”.

Hellfire inflicts pain on people, just like these beings with the same name inflict pain.

Unfortunately, Karacadağ does not state which sources exactly he used to make the creature Semum. He only states “all Islamic literature was carefully reviewed” (“Tüm İslam literatürü hassas bir şekilde gözden geçirildi”), confirming inspiration from Islamic sources for his movie.¹⁵ The Quran itself uses the term samūm occasionally. The Quran states that Jann, father of the jinn, was created from the fires of samūm (nār as samūm) (15:27). God protects from the punishment of samūm (52:27), which is probably referring to the fires of hell. “People of the left” (the damned) will dwell in boiling water and in samūm (56:42). Egdunas Racius offers several accounts of what Muslims mean by samūm.¹⁶ Most of them agree that samūm is a type of venomous fire. In further detail, samūm is described as hot wind penetrating the pores of human skin or the scorching heat of the sun. Unlike the demon in the movie, a creature called Semum (or Samūm) is virtually absent in Islamic literature. There are, however, several instances in which the term samūm is used throughout wider Islamic literature. The director explains that in the Quran itself, it is merely a fire from which Iblis and his tribe were created.¹⁷ He names the demons after the fire they are created from.¹⁸

He further states his intention to “purify” Turkish cinema from Western horror as much as possible by writing a film based on the Quranic interpretation.¹⁹ He disagrees that his use of Satan and devils is similar to Western movies such as “the Excorcist”.²⁰ Although he utilizes the concept of Satan similarly, his story of devils is from an Islamic viewpoint.²¹ When Karacadağ was asked if he himself believes that devils do indeed exist, he responded that he cannot say whether devils exist, but believes that humans are not alone in this “large chaotic space”.²²

In another interview with Yeni Şafak, he gives further evidence of what he had in mind when creating “Semum”. He explicitly states that Semum is not a jinni, but from the same genus as Satan:

Karacadağ, bir hadisten yola çıkarak Semum’un bir Cin olmadığını ve Şeytan ile aynı soydan geldiğini savundu.²³

According to Karacadağ, based on Islamic reports, Semum isn’t a jinni, but from the same bloodline as Satan.

Demons, who are distinct from the jinn and from the same tribe as Iblis (Satan), are well attested throughout Islamic literature. These beings are created from samūm, variously described as fiery angels or shayāṭīn. The demon of the movie probably owes its name to the origin of these creatures. From Karacadağ’s responses in his interviews, it is safe to say that the semums are based on the devils (shayāṭīn), supporting Iblis when he despised the creation of mankind. They are an entire genus, already existing before the creation of humans, and were originally in favor of God before turning evil and inflicting pain on humans.

Iblis; the archetypical devil in the Quran

Iblis, the head of devils, is comparable to the Christian figure Satan. In the Quran, he is closely related to the narrative of mankind’s creation. The narrative, scattered throughout several Surahs, can be summarized as follows: When God created Adam, the first human, he ordered all the present angels to prostrate themselves before his newest creation. When the angels did, Iblis refused to do so. After that, God asked Iblis what hinders him to bow down before Adam, whereupon Iblis replies that he is better than him because he was created from fire, and Adam only from clay and mud. God decides to punish Iblis for his pride and envy by banishing him to hell. Iblis makes a final request to be allowed to tempt people into sin. God agrees and bestows a curse on Iblis until the Day of Resurrection.²⁴ God remains ultimately in control over both the angels and devils. As evident from a hadith, it is God who decides who can be taken to hell by Iblis.²⁵ God controls not only who is in heaven, but also who is in hell. This narration lays the foundation of the characterization of semums throughout the movie. While according to Christianity, the devils are fallen angels who renounced their loyalty to God, in Islam it is God who dismissed the fallen angels. Holding a grudge because of their disposal, they swear revenge. This motif, unique to Islamic theology on fallen angels, is emphasized during the movie, and will be explored in detail below.

Apart from the explicit mentions of Iblis, certain verses of the Quran are interpreted as references to Iblis. According to some Muslim exegetes (Tabari, Thalabi, Nasafi, among others) on Surah 83:7, Iblis now dwells in the bottom of hell, bound in chains, from where he sends his demons to the surface.²⁶ This implies that Iblis only requested to receive permission to tempt humans into sin and thus initiate their destruction, not to be spared from hell. Next, Surah 21:29 mentions angels who are punished for claiming divinity for themselves. Exegetes (Tabari, Suyuti, Nasafi, among them) state that by establishing his own law (the law of desires), Iblis claimed divine authority for himself. In the movie, Satan’s call for deification is presented as a form of disobedience and mistrust in God. As seen later, the semums venerate Satan as a deity. These latter depictions of Iblis are unique to Iblis throughout the movie, not applied to the (other) semums. By that, the movie distinguishes between two types of devils: Iblis and his minions.

In tafsir the original nature of Iblis gave rise to a dispute.²⁷ This dispute goes back to disagreement between the reports attributed to ibn Abbas and Hasan al-Basra, respectively.²⁸ This dispute evidently has its roots in the earliest stages of Islam, already mentioned by Tabari, an influential 9^th to 10^th Century commentator of the Quran. Surah 18:50, which reads as “إِلَّاۤ إِبۡلِیسَ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡجِنِّ” (“illā iblīsa kāna mina l-jinni”), is usually translated as “except for Iblis, he was one of the jinn” in English Quran translations. In Arabic, the term “ٱلْجِنِّ” (“al-jinni”) contains some ambiguity which is lost during translation. According to Hasan, this verse means that Iblis was a jinni instead of an angel. In contrast, ibn Abbas understands the term jinni, in this context, as a nisba-form for those who are from paradise.²⁹ An adequate translation for ibn Abbas’ interpretation of the term jinni in this instance could be “inhabitant of paradise”, thus an angel. As beings of paradise, they were proud and felt superior to humans, which is why they argued God’s command to prostrate themselves before Adam was inappropriate. This is important, because ibn Abbas explains these angels were created from the the fires of samūm, and the other angels from light.³⁰ The jinn, who are not the same as Iblis and his tribe, were created from a “mixture of fire”, as stated in the Quran. The jinn are supposed to have ruled the earth before the advent of the angels. When the jinn became corrupt and unjust, God sent an army of angels led by their leader Azazil to punish them.³¹ When ibn Abbas interprets Iblis as an inhabitant of jinān in 18:50 instead of a jinni, he does not do so by denying the existence of jinn but by making a distinction between the earthly jinn and Iblis’ angelic tribe.³²

This tradition is, unlike the one of Hasan, referenced throughout the movie. Azazil is a name alluded to in the movie, where it is considered to be Iblis’ real name. Samūm, only a source for the creation of angels and devils in Islamic literature, refers to Iblis and his tribe in the movie. Because of that, it is safe to assume that Karacadağ followed ibn Abbas’ reading on the verse to establish the foundations of the movie. Some Muslims follow Hasan’s interpretation, stating that angels cannot sin and that Iblis was not an angel. Tabari mentions some arguments for and against Iblis’ angelic nature, but does not list obedience as a criterion. If angelic obedience was expected to be universal across all interpretations of the Quran, it is expected that Tabari mentioned it. The interpretation on angels and devils by ibn Abbas allows angels to be considered disobedient. It seems that Karacadağ preferred ibn Abbas’ interpretation over Hasan’s by making the semums as beings close to the fallen angels in Islamic tradition.

Investigating which scholars and interpretations are preferred could reveal who had more influence over regional Muslim communities. Comparing different Muslim societies by favored interpretation is, however, beyond the scope of this work.

Demons in Islam; about devils and jinn

The jinn are probably the most eminent demons among Muslim culture. For that reason, demons related to Islam are often said to be jinn as well. The same is true for other Islamic horror movies, including Ammar, Azazil, Marid, and Dabbe, only a few of these titles refer actually to jinn.³³ The term jinn is sometimes erroneously used to designate demons from Islamic beliefs in general but without referring to actual jinn.³⁴ Despite Karacadağ explicitly stating that Semum is not a jinni, this fact is often overlooked. Jinn are actually entirely absent in “Semum”. This is important, since, as stated above, an analysis of evil can only be done by an analysis of something representing evil. Jinn do not represent inherently evil characteristics, but the devils do. Because of that, there is a difference between a movie featuring jinn and a movie featuring devils as choice of monster. Such distinction has its roots in the metaphysical assumptions of Islam, and the supernatural entities wherein.

Mufassir—authorized exegetes of the Quran—generally distinguish between three categories of supernatural creatures: angels, jinn, and devils.³⁵ Except for Iblis (Satan), for reasons explained above, angels are easier to distinguish from the other creatures than jinn are from devils.³⁶ Unlike angels, both jinn and devils interfere with human affairs in daily life.³⁷ Since jinn are conceptually different from the devils, confusing both entities may lead to misinterpretations of the movie. Jinn are distinguished from angels and devils by sharing human-like characteristics.³⁸ Unlike devils and Western demons, the jinn are not inherently evil beings.³⁹ They eat and drink, they are born, and they die, they can reason and are held accountable for their deeds, they have sexual intercourse with other jinn as well as with humans.⁴⁰ As Bilgehan Ece Sakrak’s study of Turkish horror points out, many jinn in Horror movies interact with humans on a physical level. They possess and rape women, for example in the movie “Büyü” (2004).⁴¹ Jinn are commonly summoned by a selfish human being for the sake of material gain, to try to access hidden information, to change destiny, or to make money.⁴² By that, they are involved in social affairs. Thus, the jinn reflect a form of social misconduct rather than metaphysical evil.

Hande Yedidal counts “Semum” among the movies featuring jinn and asserts a relationship between the social world and Semum. She argues that Semum is a woman, representing the demonized feminine.⁴³ This theory not only ignores the relationship of Semum to good and evil as universalities throughout the movie, but also ignores that there is little reason to assume that Semum is a woman. That Semum does not represent a woman is evident from the language used to address the entity. While the Turkish language is not gendered, the Arabic language is. The Hocca addresses Semum as masculine in Arabic: “mana anta nār as-samūm” (1:33:14). If Semum were female, the Hocca would have said “mana anti nār as-samūm”, which is how females are addressed in Arabic. The idea that Semum reflects social drama, just like jinn, does not receive much support by the movie. Instead, the drama focuses on the metaphysical assumptions of Islamic cosmology. Yedidal’s second point, that there is a discrepancy between science and religion, on the other hand, is well grounded. However, as will be seen below, she missed some points.

Social affairs are by nature rather morally grey. A human is hardly utterly evil, and to a certain degree, humans can be excused for their behavior. The same applies to jinn, who have the same degree of free will as humans. They are morally ambivalent. This is in contrast to the condemned angels in Islamic tradition.

Devils in the movie

Semum appears directly at the start of the movie, as a deep voice speaking while the audience is led through a bloodstream. The deep voice indicates that it is the demon speaking here. This is further confirmed by the fact that the speaker ascribes qualities to himself that are commonly attributed to devils and even Iblis himself in Islamic scripture. He states “Satan will not prostrate before mud”, a reference to the Quranic story of Iblis refusing to prostrate himself before Adam; “I will show you who is truly ungrateful”, a reference to the Quran accusing the devils of being ungrateful towards God (17:27); “I will extinguish all the beauties of these disgusting humans”, a reference to the Quran’s exegetical literature, a reference to an oath of Iblis to destroy humans, if he should ever get power over mankind. “I will attack them from everywhere… from right and from left” referring to Iblis’ oath in the Quran to ambush humans (7:17); “…make them enemies to each other” references a Quranic verse (19:83) about devils turning humans against each other. At the end of his speech, the term samūm is mentioned for the first time: “from the torments of samūm, your eternal mercy cannot save them”. This seems to be a reference to the Quranic verse 52:27, which speaks about God saving people from the tormenting fires of samūm (Fig. 1).

Fig. 1

In the intro, the devil moves through the veins of a body while explaining his motivations for destroying humankind. “Semum (2008)”

The visual presentation of veins is another reference to Islamic scriptures. According to a hadith a devil moves through the veins of humans.⁴⁴ This motif appears frequently in the movie, for example later in (00:56:06) and (01:04:09) when Semum attempts to possess Canan. She explicitly describes that she feels something trying to take control of her through her veins (0:50:40). In (01:20:54), it is mentioned that in the mythology of this movie, the semums were created before humans.

Semum also mentions that he has been cast away from God and blames God for having abandoned him (1:39:46). Accusing God of forsaking a once loyal servant is a reference to the Quranic verse (15:39) where Iblis accuses God of leading him astray, blaming God for his own failure.

The characters’ relationship to the demons

In the movie, there are six main characters, each with a different relationship towards the demons and God. After analyzing the exact nature of the demon, we have a better understanding of its purpose. It has been concluded that Semum best fits the concept of a fallen angel, both in the Western as well as the Islamic sense. Satan’s purpose will be explored below separately, since his interactions are limited to only a few characters. Still, we need to ask, why was a devil chosen to be the film’s major antagonist and what could be expressed by that? The devil is an archetypical representation of evil. By that archetype, the movie shows how evil in the world interacts with different types of people, represented through the six main characters.

The first hour of the movie barely features any metaphysically or religiously significant tropes. Instead, it sets the eerie tone for the movie and introduces the main characters, as well as some side characters. The director wanted the horrors to be introduced step by step.⁴⁵ Therefore, the demonic presence relevant for this study only shifts into focus at the end of the movie. Banu, for example, appears as a side-character for most of the movie. Only at the very end is it revealed that she has been behind the devil’s entry into this world the whole time. The interpersonal relationships will only be explored as far as it serves the purpose to reveal the characters’ relationship to God and evil.

The victim of Semum’s misdeeds is a woman named Canan (Fig. 2). She just got happily married to Volkan. At the beginning of the movie, she moved into a new house with him. When her husband goes to work, she remains at home and meets her friend Banu. Apart from creating sympathy, she does not add much to the main events of the story other than being the demon’s victim. Over time, the movie depicts her as a happy woman whose live gets ruined step by step due to the actions of Semum. Not much is shown about her attitude towards God or religion.

Fig. 2

An image of Canan. She married Volkan and later becomes victim to Semum. “Semum” (2008)

Not much is said about the religious attitude of Volkan (Fig. 3), her husband, either. It is shown, however, that he doubts the existence of non-natural phenomena, such as ghosts and demons. Because of this, it can be assumed, he is adhering to secular beliefs rather than traditional Islamic ones. It is shown that he treats his wife well. They are shown to play around, and he lets his wife decide if he should buy the house or not. Volkan works in an office to provide for his family. He is friends with a Muslim co-worker named Ali. He is shown to be very protective of his wife, as seen when he confronts his trespassing neighbor. However, he does not take Canan’s concern about the strange events around their house seriously (28:05). Nevertheless, he tries his best to help Canan deal with her worries. However, as someone who does not believe in the existence of devils, he fails to find the reason behind his wife’s troubles. Assuming there is a psychological explanation, he brings his wife to a psychiatrist.

Fig. 3

Volkan, Canan’s husband. He tries his best to fix Canan’s condition. He seems indifferent to religion, and disregards the possible existence of ghosts and demons. “Semum” (2008)

Another skeptic next to Volkan is Prof. Oğuz (Fig. 4). He not only doubts, but openly expresses his rejection of supernatural explanations. This could be seen as an extreme case of Volkan’s skeptical attitude. He is a psychiatrist, who disregards any supernatural explanations for Canan’s suffering. Instead, he assumes that she could suffer from schizophrenia, epilepsy, or depression. When Canan’s condition gets worse and she is pinned down and tied to the bed by Volkan and Banu, he comes to the house to provide her with medical aid. He then leaves stating that he does not fully understand Canan’s condition, but returns to her house before the final moments of the movie for one last time and meets Mikail Hocca.

Fig. 4

Professor Oğuz, a psychiatrist responsible for Canan. He holds an anti-theistic attitude “Semum” (2008)

On the other side is Ali (Fig. 5), a friend of Volkan who adheres to Islamic beliefs. He considers the possibility that Canan might not be insane, but possessed by a devil. He is portrayed as an average man, a co-worker at Volkan’s office. He is not an expert on religious matters, he merely believes them to be true. Because of that, after learning that the psychiatrist cannot find an explanation, he recommends that Volkan ask a Hocca for help. If Canan is possessed by a demon, Mikail Hocca could help her. He represents the average theistic person. Although he cannot deal with metaphysical evil alone, he can be helped by someone more devoted. This is in contrast to Volkan, who is helpless due to his secular beliefs.

Fig. 5

Ali, a Muslim friend of Volkan. “Semum” (2008)

On the extreme end of the believers’ side is Mikail Hocca (Fig. 6). He appears only towards the end of the movie, but is a key figure to solving Canan’s trouble with Semum. He is portrayed as an ascetic leader (Hocca) who devoted his life to God. When he enters the house, his affinity with the spiritual realm becomes evident from his supernatural ability to detect things without physically seeing them. Unlike witches, he received his powers due to his piety and constant worship. This representative of the peak of believers functions both as a human saint, as well as a representative for God during his battle against the servant of Satan in hell. His role and function as such will be explored during the analysis of said battle below.

Fig. 6

Mikail Hocca enters the house and can detect the presence of Semum by his miraculous gifts given by God for his piety. “Semum” (2008)

Banu, first introduced as a friend of Canan, later turns out to be a witch who summoned Semum in the first place. Throughout the movie, she appears concerned about her friend’s mental well-being. It is only after Semum is defeated that her true intentions are revealed. She falls slightly out of the pattern. While Volkan/Oğuz and Ali/Mikail represent a spectrum of belief, Banu does not doubt the existence of the supernatural, yet she chooses to go against God. She is the only character who believes in the supernatural but still does not side with God. For this reason, there is a category worse than the unbelievers (Volkan/Oğuz). Volkan and Oğuz could be considered “neutral” in that respect, while Banu falls into the category of evil, opposing God consciously, similar to the devils. By that, she takes the opposite of Mikail Hocca’s second role, the human embodiment of a supernatural force. While Mikail Hocca, as a saint with miraculous abilities, represents good, Banu, as a witch, represents evil. Unlike Semum, she represents human evil, not demonic evil (Fig. 7).

Fig. 7

Banu, a false friend who used witchcraft to summon a devil from hell, because she envied Canan. “Semum” (2008)

Semum, an eerie undefinable creature during most of the movie, is shown to have an individual personality when confronted by Mikail Hocca. Most of his personality reflects the devils from the Quran, as explained in detail above. However, his attitude towards the people around him reveals a more nuanced personality, reflecting the director’s opinion on how such a devil would react when confronted with the humans he blames for his banishment. While the human characters’ reaction towards Semum indicates their own attitudes towards the supernatural, Semum’s reaction towards them implies a value judgement from the perspective of the supernatural and thus indicates mankind’s value for supernatural beings (Fig. 8).

Fig. 8

Semum seeks revenge on humans for being abandoned by God. “Semum” (2008)

To the secular characters, Canan and Volkan, Semum appears to be merely an obscure phenomenon, and it seems Semum does not pay much attention towards them either. He merely mocks and tortures them, probably out of sheer hatred towards humanity in general and because he enjoys making God’s newer creation suffer. Canan’s attitude towards Semum is not specific either, nothing is known about her relationship to Semum other than that she is his victim.

Volkan takes on a clearly skeptical view on Semum and the supernatural. He rules out supernatural explanations such as ghosts (00:53:56). The supernatural remains fiction to the secular people, although they may be affected by it in a negative way. The psychiatrist Professor Oğuz is not only skeptical leaning, but also a strict anti-theist. This is most evident when he denounces Mikail Hocca as a charlatan (1:31:52). Semum’s despisal for Professor Oğuz is even stronger than towards Volkan or his primary victim: While Semum merely mocks Volkan with “his wife being tortured in hell by an ifrit”,”⁴⁶ he shows clear disgust for Professor Oğuz. Semum does not even care about tormenting or mocking him. Instead, he tries to manipulate him for his own gain, for example to use him to chase off Mikail Hocca. When they meet for the first time, Semum growls at him. (1:02:26) Later, when Semum and Professor Oğuz meet again, Semum reacts to the psychiatrist like an exorcist does towards a demon. He calls humans “hain” (traitor) and even unworthy of the dirt under devil’s (Şeytan) fingernails. Then Semum starts screaming “defol!” (“get lost” or “get out”) repeatedly, resembling an exorcist desperately trying to get rid of a demon. (1:17:11) When Professor Oğuz arrives at the exorcism, Semum toys with him, strengthening his anti-theistic attitude and trying to convince him to dismiss Mikail Hocca (1:32:14) (Fig. 9).

Fig. 9

Mikail in Hocca during his encounter with semums in hell. He is protected by God trough a holy barrier, impenetrable for the semums. “Semum” (2008)

Unlike many Western exorcism movies, and in contrast to Yedidal’s observation mentioned above, the professor is not blamed for his trust in science per se, but for his anti-theistic attitude. The Hocca confirms that science is a necessity, but blames the professor for stirring science up against religion. Thus, the importance of science is affirmed, but its universality is denied. For the director, it is unlikely that humans could ever understand the world completely, thus science would not suffice to paint an accurate picture of the universe. Instead, science and belief should complement each other.⁴⁷

It is not the scientist, but the anti-theist in Oğuz who is blamed here. The anti-theist ranks below the rather indifferent secular people Canan and Volkan. The professor is a tool of the devil. Despite not believing in demons, he always plays into the devil’s hands, because of his ignorance. Further, he is depicted as inferior to even other humans, as Semum does not hold a proper conversation with him. Professor Oğuz is to the demon what a demon is to a pious human.

The believer’s perspective is represented by Mikail Hocca and Ali. Ali does not have much interaction with Semum, only pinning Canan to the ground during her possession. However, his faith gives him knowledge about semums, and thus, he knows how to seek aid against the demonic. He gives Volkan important advice, which leads to Canan’s salvation from the torments of the devil, so the believer at least knows what is going on, and can consult assistance when necessary. Mikail Hocca represents the stronger one of the two believers, the opposite of the anti-theist. His role is, however, twofold: On the one hand, he represents a believer who has devoted his entire life to God. He is shown studying the Quran while holding a tasbih (prayer beads) and performing dhikr (remembrance of God) in his everyday life. (1:24:49) The fact a disciple, not even Mikail Hocca himself, invites Volkan and Ali to enter, indicates that the Hocca might be a respected ascetic leader. In that role, he is a symbol of the most pious human and an example of the strongest of believers. On the other hand, during the hellish battle against Semum, Mikail Hocca becomes a representative of God, not in opposition to the anti-theist (the worst unbeliever), but to the devil. In this scene, Mikail Hocca represents the deity of goodness in contrast to Semum and his deity of evil and despair. Mikail Hocca may be named “Mikail” for that purpose, since Mikail is the name of one of the archangels in Islam.⁴⁸

Mikail Hocca’s noble behavior is shown by his respectful attitude. Even when Oğuz attacks the Hocca and his fundamental beliefs in life, he remains calm. He merely accuses Oğuz of causing distress among humans by portraying science as the opposite of religion. The opposition between science and religious is portrayed as caused by mankind’s own anti-theistic attitude disguised as rationality, not by the nature of either religion or science. Yedidal correctly pointed out that secularism and religious traditionalism is a reoccurring trope in Turkish Horror.⁴⁹ However, this movie takes a slightly different turn. Instead of competing, science and religion would complement each other, as long as religion retains the upper hand. This might be reflected in the director’s own statement that he does not know if devils exist, but that he thinks it is likely that there is other intelligent life besides humankind.⁵⁰ He states that the world is chaotic, and thus unlikely to bring forth only humans.⁵¹ God might be the only well-disposed one among the invisible powers beyond human’s comprehension.⁵² A secular life might work, as long as humans remain in their usual environment. In that sense, fear of the unknown seems to be related to the conceptualization of evil.

Only Mikail Hocca, a firm believer in God, seems to be equipped to deal with the otherwise unknown forces. Furthermore, he is the only one found worthy of being recognized as the only person deserving dignity by Semum. Despite being enemies, they engage in a discussion on eye level. This shows that a strong believer can pass the boundaries between the natural and supernatural by training their spiritual faculties. This advocates a monistic cosmology in accordance with the general Sufistic approach; the belief that purifying the heart can lead to knowledge of higher worlds. Humans are not helpless victims of supernatural forces, only the non-believers are, such as Oğuz, but not the believers. While the relationship between Semum and any other creature is that of a rather impersonal and terrifying demon and a victim, the relationship between Semum and Mikail Hocca becomes that of two representatives of two opposing deities (God and Satan). This is why the Hocca fulfills two roles: Before he becomes the representative of good in the final battle in the realm of fire, he serves as an example of the best of believers. This allows him to pass into the foreign realms otherwise unknown to mankind.

Banu ranks even lower than the anti-theist, the worst of the unbelievers. This is because she can hardly be considered an unbeliever, since she does not deny the supernatural or God, she turns against it. Like Mikail Hocca, due to her accepting religious tradition as true, she passes beyond the natural world, not through piety but by perverting the supernatural for her own selfish gain. For that reason, she is shown to be punished by the same supernatural forces she abused. She does not interact with Semum except to summon him. However, at the end of the movie, the beings of hell take her soul to their infernal home. Since Banu passed into the spiritual world during her lifetime, the spiritual entities take her with them while she is still alive. This sets her apart from the mere unbelievers, whose fate is not decided during their life or throughout the movie. Their current spiritual situation is merely indicated by Semum’s attitude.

While Semum is the spiritual embodiment of evil, Banu is the human counterpart of evil, who deliberately chooses to side with Satan and his devils. As a witch, she embodies devilish qualities in human form and the ability of free will. This role, the representation of the worst choices on a supernatural level, could not apply to Oğuz, because he does not believe in it. Semum could not take on this role, because he is not a rational creature. He is devoid of free will. Semum knows God, he is familiar with the metaphysical concept of God and Satan. Banu, on the other hand, acts from the perspective of a human being. Banu is entirely irreverent, accepting the existence of the supernatural, but exploits it for her own gain out of envy. Through this, she displays a sin attributed to Satan and arguably the same sin committed by Semum when he envies humans. However, while supernatural creatures like Satan and his devils are pre-determined to be that way, Banu deliberately chooses to be evil and causing her own doom. She becomes like the devils herself and so must suffer in hell like them; she thus represents the worst of mankind.

Apart from the extreme cases of Banu as the embodiment of devilish qualities and Mikail Hocca as a representative of God, the fate of humans is never shown directly. The unbelievers, such as Oğuz and Volkan, suffer from the supernatural, however, a final judgement regarding their fate in the afterlife is not shown. Similarly, it remains unknown if (ordinary) Muslims, such as Ali, will be rewarded immediately for their beliefs. The movie suggests that, it might be better for people to adhere to God’s law, to protect themselves from the unknown, such as demons. Otherwise, people might become tools of such demonic powers. God’s judgement remains unknown, except for extreme cases of people who dedicated their lives to the supernatural, such as Banu (evil) or Mikail Hocca (good), the first punished and the latter one guided and protected by God. Apart from the role of Mikail Hocca as a saint/believer (in opposition to Oğuz and Banu), his role as the representative of God sets him into opposition to Semum as the representative of Satan (Fig. 10).

Fig. 10

Overview of the roles of the main characters and their relationships. The ordinary sphere shows people who live average lives in a secular environment. The liminal sphere includes people who act in the average world, but committed themselves to a certain degree to the supernatural in their life. In the supernatural sphere, there are characters who embody the end point of their alignment (God or Satan). The movie does not portray God and Satan as equals. The power is not distributed equally on both sides. Instead, the devils are all dependent on God, with Satan (the evilest) being imprisoned in a pit in hell, whereas God rules over both hell and earth. The further a character shifts towards left (i.e., evil), the less powerful and protected they are. Shifting towards good is associated with peace, protection, and power

Satan’s purpose in the film

Satan is only alluded to during the intro. Semum speaks of Satan as the “master of fire”. Afterwards, Satan is only mentioned towards the end of the movie. However, due to Satan’s underlying presence throughout the movie, and its indirect influence on Semum’s motivations, the conceptualization of Satan is worthy to be explored in greater detail. While Semum is an agent of evil, a source of human fear and suffering, Satan is represented as the secret evil behind the atrocities of the devils, a deity only known by its influence. Although tafsirs do not go into detail, it is explained that Satan claims worship for himself by tempting humans to follow him. (Tafsir by Suyuti 21:27)

The movie explores the idea in Surah 21:29 that Satan is less of a demonic being and more of an abstract deity, worshipped by those who turn away from God. This is evident especially at the end of the movie, when Mikail Hocca, as a representative of venerating God, enters the scene. While his role as an ascetic human was explored above, the paper focuses now on Mikail Hocca’s perception of Satan in his role as the representative of God. Semum and Mikail Hocca, the Muslim priest, discuss the nature of God and Satan in accordance with their own respective perspective. This sets God and Satan in opposition to each other. According to Mikail Hocca, God is good and reliable, while Satan is weak and damned, and his followers would not gain anything by following him. When Semum challenges the lord (Rabbi) of the Hocca by asking “Where is the lord who will kill me?”, Mikail Hocca replies: “My Lord is everywhere, but yours is in the deepest pit of hell.”, a description of God in Sufistic forms of Islam, followed by a reference to Surah 83:7 about Satan in hell. While Satan is imprisoned in the deepest layer of hell, God is not limited by space and occupies every place. Satan is first mentioned by his proper name Iblis when Mikail Hocca rhetorically sends Semum to his lord (Rabbi) in hell after Semum denies the lordship of God. (1:40:02) In contrast, Semum refers to Satan as Azazil. For him, Satan is not imprisoned in hell, but hell’s ruler. By that, Semum asserts an even greater distinction, depicting each entity as a deity of their own, ruling separate kingdoms, stating that the world of mud is ruled by God, but the world of fire by Satan (1:41:30). Semum referring to Satan as Azazil also elaborates on the devils’ relationship with Satan himself. While Mikail Hocca refers to Satan by the name he came to be known by after his fall (Iblis), Semum refers to Satan as Azazil, his name during his days of glory as ruler over the lower heavens (1:41:26). This reflects a subjective understanding of Satan’s ontological status, either a glorious being who offers his followers a chance for revenge after being abandoned by God (Azazil), or a weak and helpless creature, even weaker than his own followers (Iblis). (1:42:24)

Semum takes the Hocca to the realm of fire, presumably hell. From a metaphysical viewpoint, hell might reflect a place allegedly forgotten by God, since Semum asserts this place is ruled by Azazil. Here, several other semums appear who have been summoned to attack the Hocca. The Hocca emphasizes before the assault of Semum, that Semum is worshipping someone who is weaker than God and not God’s equal (1:42:24), despite obviously being in the realm of Azazil. Semum argues that since even some humans, who are made to worship God, worship Satan instead, this would prove that God is a weaker or a less worthy deity, a claim despised by the Hocca for defaming the name of God. Semum argues that God will eventually abandon his followers and Satan is a real alternative to God, even recognized as such by other humans. During the battle, the Hocca invokes his own deity and becomes surrounded by a force of light, impenetrable to the semums. When the Hocca speaks his prayers, light blasts shoot at Semum, ultimately killing him. Satan is not interfering anywhere during the entire battle on behalf of his followers. Instead, despite being in the realm of fire, it is God who intervenes in the last second for his loyal believer, disproving the claim of Semum, that God has no power in this realm. This absence of Satan’s intervention is another detail of Satan’s attributes and possibly another reflection to the Quran: According to 17:64, Satan only promises delusions. When Semum fades away, his last words are “have we been defeated again, oh Azazil. Why have you forsaken me?” (1:46:15). While most of the time, the movie does not differentiate between characteristics of Iblis and lesser devils, these references to Satan are exclusively reserved for the movie’s portrayal of Satan.

It is known from the mythological framework of the movie that demons are real, but Satan is never shown. Satan is frequently referred to, but only through references to holy scripture and during philosophical speculation. Satan is as abstract as God and, by the name Azazil, a deity for those who oppose God. However, Azazil turns out to be an unreliable deity, while God, similarly unknown in the everyday life, intervenes in great danger and proves to be a reliable protector for the believers. While Semum challenges God’s omnipotence and omnipresence, his understanding of God turns out to be wrong. With God intervening even in hell, the Islamic perception of God as the all-powerful deity is confirmed to be true. In accordance with Islamic teachings, God is always in power, even in hell, and Satan cannot act against God’s decision, if Satan is real at all.

The presentation of two possible deities seemingly presents the audience with an alternative to God. Certainly, Satan is not a deity with a positive existence, but a lack of belief in God or a belief in everything God stands for. Semum’s admiration for Satan stamps from his desire to make both God and his creation perish: “It is time for the Lord, who has forsaken us, and his helpless mud to perish!” (1:44:16) Satan himself does not have any positive qualities that make him worth following. While servants of God have a positive belief in God, affirming God as the provider of life and death, believers of Satan largely depend on a rejection of God. Evil is a result of the complete rejection of God, not a positive affirmation of evil. Semum does not follow Satan because of any convincing arguments on Satan’s side, but out of despite for God. The same is shown when Semum tries to tempt Mikail Hocca away from God after taking him to hell. He tempts him to believe that God has forsaken him too by asking: “Where is this lord of yours now? Forsaken you?”. (1:42:10)

The arguments brought forth by Semum, might be a sore point for a secular society with a religious majority. A society in which most people are believers, but is not focused on God anymore, people might doubt the existence of God, or affirm God’s existence, but feel like God had abandoned the people. Just as there are two demons (Semum and Satan) in that movie, there are two types of fears addressed. On one hand, there is the fear of the unknown, presented in the form of Semum. The movie points out that science is necessary, but it would not be able to answer all questions. It is suggested that some matters were better to be left to religion. This is shown between the interactions between the secular people and the demonic.

On the other hand, when the supernatural reveals itself, trust of the supernatural itself is challenged. The interaction between the Hocca and Semum, as representatives of those who believe in God and those who do not, might reflect those who initially believed in God, but feel like God has forsaken them in a secular world. Semum’s state can be seen as a result of losing ties in God, and might be even more fearsome than the actual torments of Semum himself: a hateful creature, full of spite, without any eye for the beauty of the world, devoid of any meaning in life as reflected by Semum’s destructive behavior. Could this be the fate of those who feel forsaken by God? The Muslim audience in a secular world might identify their situation to that of such a creature, especially if they feel connected to their ancestors during the theocratic Ottoman Empire.

However, in the end those who believed to be forgotten and trusted Satan are forsaken, while those who still trusted God are saved. This exposes the possible alternative to God as well as God’s absence as a mere delusion. By that, the movie tackles both the concept of ontological duality prevailing in many non-Muslim religious movies, and conforms the audience that God is present even if his presence is not felt anymore. The threats that God has abandoned humans just as the devils, are empty. The possible alternative to God, hell as the realm of Azazil, turns out to be an illusion. Ultimately, God is under control of all worlds, an affirmation of the core doctrine of Islam, tawhid. By that, the director of the movie takes the audience through the demonic unknown, witchcraft, and secular sciences, ultimately to Islam in form of a merciful and omnipresent God.

Summary

Although the movie is not close to the Muslim scriptural terminology, the images, phrases, and ideas used, clearly root in the Quran, hadiths, and exegetical traditions. Frequent use of references to Islamic scripture shows that the movie assumes an Islamic metaphysical setup. Concepts, such as God and Satan, are interpreted from a Muslim perspective and made for a Muslim audience. By examining the role and purpose of the main characters and their relationship towards evil in the form of a devil, it is possible to analyze the relationship of each role towards the supernatural, evil, and God within a culturally Islamic context. Among them are believers, atheists, saints, and anti-theists. While secular people are not punished for their unbelief, they are depicted as helpless against unknown forces. By that, it has been shown that the movie clearly advocates a Muslim lifestyle. The secular life is depicted to function on a daily basis. However, the movie indicates that it is possible that science cannot picture the entire universe. The unknown, presented in the form of demons, symbolizes mental limits for secular people. Those who take religious explanations into account, however, are well equipped to face the unknown. Yet only those who act in accordance with a universal deity can do so safely. The Islamic deity is considered to be such a universal one. As seen in the end of the movie, the deity revered by Muslims does not only rule over the known world (earth), but also the possible worlds foreign to humans (the demonic realm). By disregarding Islamic values, represented by the character Banu, one might fall victim to the unknown forces. By that, the director asserts that, even in foreign worlds, be it either an uncertain increasingly secular future or physical worlds, Muslim values could protect mankind universally.

The absence of God and Satan during the movie, reflects the struggle of secular yet religious majority society. A lesser devil, representing the unknown, is clearly seen. Concrete religious figures, such as God and Satan, are known only by legends and religious/philosophical speculations. However, the movie assumes they do interfere with the world indirectly. Semum not only reflects the demonic unknown, but also those who may start doubting the existence of God. At a time when religion loses importance in society, religious people might fear what this means to them and their beliefs. God might abandon the secular people or did so already, just as Semum was abandoned after he was a loyal servant for a long time. Hell reflects a world in which semums believe that God does not interfere. However, the movie shows that despite the Semum’s conviction that God is gone, God is seen to intervene whenever necessary. A religious audience, who might struggle to find God in a secular world, is reminded that the Islamic idea of God is the ultimate power over both earth/familiar and hell/foreign. The battle in hell inspires religious people to believe that God is never truly gone, even when the world appears to be a god-forsaken hellscape. God is depicted as a force behind all events in the universe. God is always ready to intervene on behalf of those who still believe in him, and people would still benefit from following his laws. Belief in God is further shown to be able to encompass the worldviews beyond Islamic tradition. God would accompany people through secular societies, unknown realms, and defend against other supernatural forces. The Islamic God is depicted to be universal. Thus, the Islamic God would be still important even in secular society. It reminds the audience that God is not only the ruler of the earth and humans, but also possible unknown forces and even hell. Those who deny God’s existence are not protected against the unknown and must fear the demonic, whereas those who still believe in God are promised to be still protected by God.