As Above, So Below: Review

For anybody unaware, the catacombs which trail all under Paris are really, really big. A certain area of this is legal for the public to venture under the supervision of a guide, but the majority of these expansive tunnels are forbidden. This is because they are so expansive and complex that anybody could quite easily lose track of where they are. In fact, there's several examples of people exploring the illegal areas...and never returning. As Above, So Below plays on this creepy idea, in the form of yet another found-footage horror movie. 

Scarlett (Perdita Weeks)

The film tells the story of a group of teenagers (surprisingly), as they explore the catacombs in order to find an ancient stone one of the girls in the group has been looking for. This stone is supposedly heavily linked with spiritual and unearthly things, which makes the strange sightings throughout the film slightly more plausible. Like most horror movies, the first third or so is largely just introducing the plot and characters. Unlike other horror films however, which have spooky things introduced that will have significance later, As Above, So Below has a lot of boring, pointless moments in the opening act. Sure, there's a couple of eerie scenes which have a little relevance later, but you're urging the film to progress just so the frightening scenes can begin. 

Once the group does reach the catacombs however, the film really steps-up the scares. It's not exactly a 'scream-a-minute', but being a found-footage film, As Above, So Below puts you in the experience more than other horrors might do. This works especially well when conveying the claustrophobic atmosphere which the catacombs would deliver. I thankfully don't suffer from claustrophobia, but even I squirmed a bit when the group had to squeeze through incredibly small spaces. Unfortunately, this first-person perspective throughout the film also means there's a huge amount of jump-scares. These kinds of scary moments are in almost every single horror film, but an over reliance on them just becomes a bit boring after a while. Thankfully, the film also features a few intensely high-tension moments to accompany these jumps. They don't completely make up for the constant jump-scares, but they do a good job of keeping you on edge for lengthy periods of time. 

Horror films aren't exactly known for their outstanding acting (at least modern ones), but As Above, So Below surprisingly features some decent performances. Naturally, there's the stereotypical roles which are found in most movies within the genre, but the guide who takes the group deep underground is a fairly engaging character. When he's freaking out over unnatural occurrences, it makes you feel on edge as well. There's definitely nobody earning an Oscar from this, but it makes the moments of tension that bit more entertaining. 

Verdict
As Above, So Below isn't an incredible movie, but if you're a fan of horror, then it's definitely worth seeing. The unique location of the Paris catacombs makes for some intensely tight spaces, and the atmosphere is consistently scary. The ending of the film is incredibly anti-climactic, but it's a fun film to see in the cinema with some friends. 

"We can't go back...we should just

keep moving..."