While the opening scene is deliberately weak, at least one facet thereof - music that's out of place - continues to be an issue, at least insofar as any music that presents is too upfront in the audio mix. Perhaps more troubling is that in a runtime of eighty minutes, even though the first small discrete Something has already transpired, as we eclipse the halfway mark it still feels like we're watching exposition. Granted, beyond that point the events do pick up, yet the problems are really just beginning. The production values are rather bare-faced and glaring, sadly coming across as sterile and false, and thereby accentuating the contrivance that our suspension of disbelief then must work extra hard to overcome. This applies to the setting, too: recognizing that the premise is an empty house (ready for sale) that is haunted, the set is so astonishingly devoid of detail or texture that we as an audience are forced to meet the film halfway and actively imagine that the scenario is occurring, and that the characters are trapped, and that we're not just witnessing a no-budget high school play. All these facets - music, production values, "art direction" - feel achingly, gawkily blunt, heavy-handed, unsubtle, and tactless. And they're not alone.
As the events pick up in the back end we're greeted with an extra long flashback/vision that reveals unusually early the sordid history of the house. (We're accustomed to such beats typically coming nearer the end, of course.) Vocal effects laid over any dialogue of the ghost are tiresomely cartoonish; Judge Doom in 'Who framed Roger Rabbit' comes to mind. One of the actors (I don't know who, but it might be Aysegül Kaygusuz) expresses cries of alarm that are a dead-ringer for Nathan Lane as Albert in 'The birdcage,' and in turn it's hard to take the incidence here seriously. Too many minutes in the latter half are filled with useless wild screaming that immediately becomes very aggravating. The simpler stunts and effects that are employed look surprisingly good; the post-production visuals are variable in their quality, but the first examples we see are simply tawdry. (As in, "you're kidding me, right?") The very last image to greet us before the image cuts to black at the end is simply a step too far, a tried and true and overdone last "gotcha" that has very rarely suited any horror flick. I recognize workable ideas in the story and scene writing, but the writing at large is thin; the cast make an appreciable, earnest effort, and I trust that they'd illustrate their skills elsewhere, but I just don't think the material here or Özgür Yelence's direction are strong enough to let the acting rise above "serviceable."
'Ceberrut' is at its best in the last small stretch, such as when Kerem and Seçil are isolated. In these moments, through smart use of lighting, environmental effects, and arguably shot composition, a tinge of unsettled atmosphere is ably manifested; it took this long, but the picture achieves more meaningful horror airs. Would that the writing in these moments were up to the task, or that the feature had been handled with the same refined care at any other time in the preceding length, and in any other way. I don't specifically blame anyone for how this turned out; I do believe that the project was approached with sincere intent and effort from all on hand. Nevertheless, whether the issue was insufficient resources, or undeveloped skill, or perhaps a combination of the two, the movie just doesn't come off well. The writing is weak, the direction falls hard and flat, the cast can only do their part, and the very look and feel of the title can be summed up in one word: artifice. I don't think this is completely rotten, and I wish all involved nothing but the best of luck in their future endeavors; may they grow in their skills and find success. Be that as it may, as it stands 'Ceberrut' is broadly unconvincing and bland (if not worse, in select ways), and I can't particularly recommend it.
