Movie Review: As Above, So Below

As Above, So Below is a harrowing tale of survival within the deep catacombs of Paris; it is also a film that ultimately succumbs to a lackluster execution.

By Jonathan Yu

PHOTO: Legendary Pictures

As Above, So Below

Horror (NC16)
Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge
93 min

As Above, So Below is a found footage movie — a sub-genre of the horror movie where all or most of its shots are presented as video recordings — that fails to generate any originality. Its narrative feels derivative of the haunted house formula already explored in many movies, most notably in the Paranormal Activity series.

The first half of As Above, So Below plays out like Indiana Jones meets Tomb Raider. The adventure is centered on Scarlett Marlowe (Perdita Weeks), a resourceful and intelligent archeologist determined to carry on her deceased father’s legacy in locating the ancient alchemist substance, the Philosopher’s Stone.

Scarlett discovers that the final resting location of the stone may be hidden a few hundred feet below the grounds of Paris — within the catacombs. She assembles a search team, consisting of reluctant linguist ex-boyfriend George (Ben Feldmen), documentary cameraman Benji (Edwin Hodge), a French graffiti artist Papillon (Francois Civil) and his two loyal friends Souxie (Marion Lambert) and Zed (Ali Marhyar).

The explorers venture deep into the unchartered and gloomy territories of the catacombs, where six million human remains reside, only to quickly stumble upon a forbidden passageway which Scarlett describes as the “gateway to hell”.

Here, they are forced to confront their psychological demons before being allowed to return to the surface. Through ghostly apparitions that take the form of the characters’ deceased loved ones, the audience learns about their tragic backstories.

Scarlett’s father had committed suicide; George’s little brother had drowned; and Papillon was involved with a hit and run accident that resulted in a friend’s death.

The movie’s concept of hell is a psychological one that exploits the team’s emotional vulnerability and touches on the idea that one must conquer all fears to escape death.

Unfortunately, Director John Erick Dowdle (Quarantine) only scratches the surface of these ideas, before quickly killing off the protagonists, one by one, right when the audience starts to become emotionally invested in them.

He goes on to devote excessive screen time to frantic characters, vigorous camera shaking, ghostly apparitions. There are few suspenseful buildups, and the movie relies on jump scares that soon become repetitive.

As a result, there is hardly time for digesting what happens on screen as the thought provoking ideas of As Above, So Below are brushed aside in favour of a generic horror plot where life and death become inconsequential.

On a more positive note, Weeks does fine work in portraying Scarlett’s fierce survival instincts. As the brave adventurer who racks her resourceful brain to combat the onslaught of supernatural entities, Weeks’ wide palette of emotions are displayed full force.

All in all, the mediocrity presented in the second half of As Above, So Below falls short of its well-crafted set up in the first half. Before entering the “gateway to hell”, the team encounters an inscription that reads “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here”. Viewers will do well to heed that warning.