Quarant-ween movie #7: As Above, So Below
This is a movie guaranteed to dig up that claustrophobia you didnāt know you had.Ā The Paris catacombs make for a naturally spooky setting, but itās not the unquiet dead that provide the major scares- itās those tunnels, their tight fits, the lack of sunlight and fresh air, and the ever present fear of a collapse that will make you hold your breath.Ā Though the visions and ghosts and cultists donāt make things any easier.
Scarlett, an Indiana Jones type, is determined to find the philosopherās stone somewhere below the grave of Nicholas Flamel (the writers presumeably counting on a whole generation of media-consumers knowing who Nicholas Flamel was.)Ā Together with a cameraman, a reluctant friend, and a team of urban explorers, they set out to uncover what has not seen light in hundreds of years.Ā But the path keeps going down long after they should have hit the bottom- and why is an old landline telephone ringing beneath the earth, anyway?
The first half of the movie is extremely Lovecraftian without even a single tentacle in sight, as Scarlett digs into ancient languages and forbidden tombs to uncover clues about the mystery that drove her father to his death.Ā Once we go beneath the catacombs, it feels more like a nightmare session of Dungeons and Dragons (Tomb of Horrors, anyone?), complete with a player complaining that it makes no sense for his character to be going down there.
Iād like to commend the movieās atmosphere, scares, and characterization (Scarlett starts off as brash and selfish but displays true heroism by the end), but most of all Iād like to commend it for playing fair.Ā You know what I mean- horror movies are fond of setting up rules and then demolishing them in the name of a last-frame scare.Ā Not this one.Ā Once the rules are set, theyāre set.Ā That means itās possible to work with the rules and maybe even escape- but thatās only if you donāt get killed before you work them out.Ā Even playing fair, itās still a dangerous playing field.
If I have a complaint about this movie, itās that it didnāt really gain anything from the found footage style.Ā Iām not opposed to found footage horror, but I feel like it should contribute to the movie as more than an aesthetic choice- Paranormal Activity relied on the footage to capture things that happened while the protagonists were asleep, while What We Do in the Shadows drew dark comedy from the fact that a full camera crew waltzed into a vampire masquerade party and expected to go unnoticed.Ā It doesnāt detract from As Above, So Below, but it doesnāt add anything either.
Overall, though, this is a tightly crafted descent into hell.Ā And once you get out, a gasp of fresh air never felt so good.








