Deemak' teaser promises spine-chilling horror

There's something uniquely unsettling about horror films. Maybe it's the eerie silence before a door creaks open or the flickering light casting shadows that seem to move on their own. Or, in the case of Deemak, the moment when an entity is perched on a ceiling fan, leaving you reconsidering whether you should ever look up again. That scene alone is why many won't be fetching a glass of water from the kitchen at night anytime soon.

Deemak, the upcoming Pakistani horror film slated for a 2025 release, has already made waves with its teaser, and it's safe to say those with overactive imaginations will be on high alert. It is directed by Rafay Rashdi and written by the bestselling author Ayesha Muzaffar.

Fresh off his acclaimed performance in the drama Khaie, Faysal Quraishi is set to lead Deemak with a character that promises to showcase a different side of his acting. Horror fans may remember his early encounters with the supernatural in the 2008 drama The Ghost, based on Umera Ahmed's adaptation of a Danielle Steel novel. But this time, the stakes are higher—and the source material is closer to home.

Horror with a local twist

Muzaffar, known for her deeply unsettling tales like Abu's Jinns, draws on South Asian folklore and the unseen forces lurking in everyday life. Speaking to The Express Tribune last year, she described Deemak as a personal project: "The story is a narration by my father mixed with a fragment of my formidable imagination; birthing characters that I have seen roaming amongst me." What's more terrifying: the fact that she's seen these characters or that they'll soon be "infesting" our screens?

Joining Quraishi is Sonya Hussaiyn, making her return to the big screen as his on-screen wife and mother of two. Veteran actors Samina Peerzada, Javed Sheikh, Bushra Ansari, and Saman Ansari round out the ensemble, bringing talent and experience to a genre that demands both.

The teaser opens with a montage of the cast and a hauntingly familiar setting: an old family home. Whispers fill the corridors, someone is thrown into what appears to be a grave, and beds levitate ominously. Words flash across the screen: "It infests. It consumes. It destroys."

It's a clever nod to the film's title, Deemak, which translates to "termites" in Urdu. Much like their supernatural counterparts, termites infest silently, consuming from within until there's nothing left but ruin.

Glimpses of the unseen

The teaser gives us fleeting glimpses of terror: Sheikh's mouth wide open in a scream, Quraishi frozen in fear, Peerzada gazing enigmatically from a balcony and shadows creeping where they shouldn't. The tension is palpable, and the quality of the CGI and visual effects is a testament to Rashdi's collaboration with a Canadian VFX team.

Muzaffar promised a film that delivers on all fronts. "From a compelling plot and stellar acting to captivating cinematography and spine-chilling jump-scares, it promises to be a truly unique experience," she said. And judging by the teaser, Deemak might just live up to that promise.

For a country that hasn't traditionally ventured into horror, Deemak is a bold experiment. The genre demands more than just scares—it needs atmosphere, tension, and a narrative that resonates. By weaving in elements of South Asian folklore and everyday superstitions, Deemak taps into a cultural fear that feels both familiar and foreign.