As Above, So Below (2014)

When a team of explorers ventures into the catacombs that lie beneath the streets of Paris, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead.

Director:

John Erick Dowdle

Writers:

John Erick Dowdle (screenplay), Drew Dowdle (screenplay)

Stars:

Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Perdita Weeks	...	Scarlett
Ben Feldman	...	George
Edwin Hodge	...	Benji
François Civil	...	Papillon
Marion Lambert	...	Souxie
Ali Marhyar	...	Zed
Cosme Castro	...	La Taupe
Hamid Djavadan	...	Reza (as Hamidreza Javdan)
Théo Cholbi	...	Gloomy Teenager
Emy Lévy	...	Tour Guide (as Emy Levy)
Roger Van Hool	...	Scarlett's Father
Olivia Csiky Trnka	...	Strange Young Woman
Hellyette Bess	...	Strange Old Woman
Aryan Rahimian	...	Iranian Armed Guard
Samuel Aouizerate	...	Danny

Storyline

Miles of twisting catacombs lie beneath the streets of Paris, the eternal home to countless souls. When a team of explorers ventures into the uncharted maze of bones, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead. A journey into madness and terror, As Above, So Below reaches deep into the human psyche to reveal the personal demons that come back to haunt us all.

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Plot Keywords:

catacomb | philosopher's stone | found footage | archeology | treasure | 

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Taglines:

The only way out is down.

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Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for bloody violence/terror, and language throughout

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Latin

Release Date:

29 August 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

Catacombes

Filming Locations:

Church of St Eustache, Paris 1, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$10,284,110 (USA) (29 August 2014)

Gross:

$21,197,315 (USA) (3 October 2014)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Legendary Pictures, Universal Pictures, Brothers Dowdle Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Marion Lambert's film debut.

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Goofs

After Scarlett heals the wound on Souxie's arm with the stone, Souxie's sleeve is left bloody and with big holes in it. When they've gone through the underwater tunnel and are approaching La Taupe, Souxie's sleeve is clean and there are no holes in it.

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Quotes

Scarlett: His little brother drowned in a cave when they were young.

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Crazy Credits

On the last seconds of the end credits, you can hear a character saying "The only way out is down", followed by some of the noises heard on the catacombs earlier in the film.

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Connections

Referenced in Midnight Screenings: The November Man/As Above, So Below (2014)

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Soundtracks

My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
Traditional

User Reviews

An Admirable Horror

Horror movies are rarely called 'great.'

When was the last critically acclaimed horror movie released? You'd be hard-pressed to find anything since The Ring in 2002.

I haven't seen The Conjuring, Mama or Oculus but people say they've got potential. I thought Drag Me to Hell was pretty good from 2009.

But the last great one I caught in theaters was Devil from 2010.

Which is also directed by John Dowdle. He wrote Quarantine (2008), as well – another solid semi- recent horror.

As Above/So Below is the best horror movie I've seen in a long time.

First of all, it's shot on-location in Paris, which is a delight for any fan of that city. Favorite sights like Notre Dame and Sacre-Coeur are featured throughout.

The filmmakers use almost every shooting style. AA/SB is a mockumentary about Scarlett (played by Perdita Weeks) a young archaeologist searching for the philosopher's stone. Therefore much of the footage is first-person, shot via headlamp GoPro cams.

Although I'm sick of 'found footage' it works better here. For obvious reasons, the budget can't be massive, so this filmmaking style is particularly suited to horror.

The story is also good, co-written by the director and his brother, Drew.

There's more nuance than usual. The main characters use deductive reasoning and historical analysis in order to solve riddles and navigate the labyrinthine catacombs.

There's a lot of rebirth imagery, but I wonder just how far the metaphor goes. Are the ribbed tunnels supposed to be reminiscent of a vaginal lining?

Dichotomies drawn between light and dark, and up and down, are intriguing and thought provoking.

The cast of unknowns delivers strong performances. It's tough to get through a whole scary movie without poor acting or cheesy moments.

Apparently I'm in the minority because AA/SB is getting 13% amongst top critics and 57% amongst the users on Rotten Tomatoes.

But I would encourage an open mind, because it's a cut above the rest.

If you're looking for a decent flick this weekend, especially if you dig horror, you can do a lot worse than As Above/So Below.