Cat in the Gut

DCP Available

"SOME SUMMONINGS ARE HARD TO STOMACH."

Driven to the edge by the loss of his cat, a desperate man turns to an occult ritual in the dead of night. Soon, unsettling disturbances in his apartment give way to a creeping, grotesque sickness taking over his own body. He just wanted his best friend back, but whatever answered his call is now hungry to be let out from the inside.

  • Buğra Mert Alkayalar
    Writer
  • Buğra Mert Alkayalar
    Director
  • Buğra Mert Alkayalar
    Producer
  • Barlas Kartal
    Key Cast
    "The Man"
  • Emre EMARS Arslan
    Cinematographer
  • Şemi Umut Karataş
    Assistant Director
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Horror
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 42 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 7, 2026
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Türkiye
  • Country of Filming:
    Türkiye
  • Language:
    Turkish
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Marmara University
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Available
Director Biography - Buğra Mert Alkayalar

BUĞRA MERT ALKAYALAR IS A TURKISH FILMMAKER AND ACADEMIC AT ISTANBUL KÜLTÜR UNIVERSITY, WHERE HE TEACHES IN THE DEPARTMENT OF RADIO, TELEVISION AND CINEMA. HIS DOCTORAL RESEARCH AT MARMARA UNIVERSITY FOCUSES ON GRIEF AND OCCULT RITUAL IN CONTEMPORARY HORROR CINEMA. HIS SHORT FILMS ACROSS FICTION, DOCUMENTARY, AND ANIMATION — PASSENGERS (2023), BOCUK: AN ANCIENT RITUAL (2025), AND THE FORTHCOMING KITAB-ÜL GAYB — HAVE EACH RECEIVED SUPPORT FROM THE TURKISH MINISTRY OF CULTURE AND TOURISM AND SCREENED AT INTERNATIONAL FESTIVALS SUCH AS THE H.P. LOVECRAFT FILM FESTIVAL, MORBIDO FEST, MOTELX AND CURTAS FESTIVAL DO IMAXINARIO. HE IS ALSO THE AUTHOR OF THE HORROR FICTION COLLECTION. MAGISSA IS HIS DEBUT FEATURE.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Grief is a parasite; it eats you from the inside out. With Cat in the Gut, I wanted to explore the deeply isolating and agonizing pain of losing a beloved pet through the unforgiving lens of body horror. The film asks a dark question: how far would you go to bring them back, and what are you willing to endure when the universe answers with something sinister? By relying on practical effects and a claustrophobic setting, my goal was to manifest the psychological torment of mourning into a visceral, blood-soaked nightmare. Ultimately, it is a story about the devastating price of refusing to let go.