Cehennem 3D sets out to make moviegoers embrace horror

As Dalkıran awaits the Oct. 1 theatrical release of “Cehennem 3D” (Hell 3D) he is continuing as director for the crime drama series “Kanıt” (Evidence), which airs weekly on Kanal D. Speaking on the set of “Kanıt” in İstanbul’s Bakırköy district, a confident Dalkıran mentions “Cehennem 3D,” Turkey’s first 3D production, with a glimmer in his eyes.

Dalkıran, whose “Araf” became the first-ever horror movie to be selected for the national feature competition in Antalya’s Altın Portakal (Golden Orange) Film Festival, seems to have his mind set on really scaring the audience: “Drama can be done in various manners. Horror is the most difficult [genre]. You go to a comedy for laughs, a drama to maybe shed a few tears, but when you go to a horror film, you go there aiming to ‘not get scared.’ That’s why it’s more difficult.”

First “Araf,” which means “purgatory” in Turkish, then “Heaven,” and now “Hell.” So what is Dalkıran trying to outline with these titles? Does he have issues with the afterlife? The 34-year-old filmmaker explains: “The stories in all three films are stories of retribution. They’re about struggles against parents, particularly about one’s struggle with his father.” Asked why “Heaven” came out differently despite his initial plan of making a horror trilogy, Dalkıran says: “I was then in a state of mind that was rather complicated. It was immediately after the death of one of my very close friends. It determined the general atmosphere of the film.”

But it was a different set of factors that made Dalkıran decide to film “Cehennem” in 3D. “Of course, it’s not something like, ‘3D is so popular, I should be joining in this trend’,” Dalkıran says. The offer to make “Cehennem” a 3D film first came from the film’s producers. The young filmmaker initially started shooting “Cehennem” as a regular feature after postponing it to make “Cennet.” But when producers Burak Saraçoğlu and Coşkun Tözen offered him the chance to shoot “Cehennem” in 3D format, Dalkıran was thrilled with the opportunity.

He then had to rework the screenplay to suit the new format. But he had to rework it so much that what remained from the original screenplay was only the film’s title. However, Dalkıran quickly emphasizes that he will not accept comparisons with James Cameron’s epic 3D sci-fi adventure “Avatar,” the highest grossing film of all time worldwide. “With 12 years of effort and a budget of around $500 million behind ‘Avatar,’ comparing it with ‘Cehennem’ would be unfair to my film. Plus, we’re in different leagues.”

Just like in his previous features, Dalkıran will again shock moviegoers with a surprise ending in “Cehennem 3D.” Although the writer-director prefers to remain tightlipped about the film’s plot, he reveals this much: It is the story of a boy who was murdered by his parents and who returns from the dead for revenge.

Money brings success

In Turkey, local horror films still don’t tend to be very well received. Yet this doesn’t mean there has been no progress in this genre in Turkish cinema. We even had a decent zombie flick last season. Asked what can be done to make Turkish moviegoers embrace horror as a genre, Dalkıran says filmmakers should take the blame for the genre’s problems. “Technological incompetence should not be mentioned as an excuse anymore. We made a film in 3D and became the 10th [film company in the world] to do so. However, Turkish filmmakers should look more to their own culture. Up until today, we always tried to tell stories derived from Western culture via the language of the West or, in some cases, to tell stories of the East with the language of the West. … This has to change. We have to increase the quality. In time, as we start making quality horror films, moviegoers will embrace the genre.”