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

1 win & 6 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 | found footage | philosopher's stone | paris france | alchemy | 

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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

Did You Know?

Trivia

The words "As above so below" are derived from "On Earth as it is in Heaven" which is a line from the Christian, "Lord's Prayer," which begins "Our Father, who art in Heaven..."

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Goofs

When George tells Benji he was in a jail in Turkey, you can see Scarlett walking behind him (11:30) however, she's shown in front of him again in the next cut.

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Quotes

Zed: I have a child I've never seen. I know it's mine, but I deny it.

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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 Hell Fest (2018)

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Soundtracks

My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean
Traditional

User Reviews

Decent but no prize for originality

As I'm currently living in Paris and actually visited the Catacombes a few days earlier, I had high hopes for this film. The setup of the movie is promising as well, because the Catacombes can be quite scary. Therefore, a lot of ingredients for a good scary movie.

Alas, it turned out to be nothing of the sort. A very far-fetched plot, predictable scares, and the overly shaky hand-cam which is past its prime were the culprits of my disappointment. Add to that some flimsy romantic love story, and you got a mediocre film at best.

However, I do not want to give the impression that this movie was all bad. There were some pretty decent scares despite their lack of originality. I'm sure that if this movie would have come out ten years ago, it could have been a major hit. But after Blair Witch Project, Rec, and Paranormal Activity, it is difficult to insert a new angle into the whole hand-cam-genre.

So if you just want a decent scary movie for 90 minutes while keeping your expectations limited, Catacombes would be a decent choice.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Latin

Release Date:

29 August 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

As Above, So Below

Filming Locations:

Church of St Eustache, Paris 1, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$8,632,820, 31 August 2014

Gross USA:

$21,321,100

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$41,898,409

Company Credits

Production Co:

Legendary Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Brothers Dowdle Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS Dolby Surround 7.1

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1