Baba (Baskin, 2015)
Watercolor on 8.5 x 11 in. art paper
Created: October 30, 2025
Original and prints available — contact for availability.
Part of the 31 Days of Horror 2025 series
In Can Evrenol’s Baskin, Baba is the high priest of pain — a small, hairless figure who commands an underworld of ritual and torment beyond comprehension. This portrait captures Baba in that eerie, candlelit red glow, his calm expression contrasted by the hellish chaos around him. The watercolor’s deep crimsons and bruised blacks echo the film’s infernal aesthetic — equal parts nightmare, myth, and fever dream.
Fun Facts:
Baskin originated as a 2013 short film by Can Evrenol, later expanded into the feature that shocked festival audiences worldwide.
Baba was played by Mehmet Cerrahoglu, whose striking real-life appearance (no prosthetics used) became central to the film’s surreal power.
The movie was heavily inspired by Clive Barker’s Hellraiser and early Argento, blending arthouse horror with extreme imagery.
Behind This Artwork:
I wanted to lean into the religious unease that Baskin leaves behind — the feeling of being trapped inside a nightmare you can’t reason with. Baba isn’t a monster in the traditional sense; he’s a symbol, a mirror of submission and control. The challenge was capturing that quiet authority — the stillness before the ritual begins. Baskin crawls under your skin, and Baba is the reason it stays there.
Explore More:
This piece is part of my 31 Days of Horror watercolor series. If you’re drawn to modern cult horror, surreal nightmare imagery, and the unholy beauty of films like Hellraiser, Mandy, or Possession, explore the rest of the collection.
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