As Above So Below (2014)

""As above, so below." That phrase is believed to be the key to all magic.
 It means that what is within me is outside of me.
 As it is on Earth, so it is in heaven.
 As I am, so are my cells,
 so are my atoms, so is God.

Basically, as I believe the world to be, so it is." - Scarlett, 58:30:00

As Above So Below was directed by John Erick Dowdle and was written by John and Drew Dowdle. It contains the acting talents of Perdita Weeks (Scarlett), Ben Feldman (George), Edwin Hodge (Benji), Francois Civil (Papillon), Marion Lambert (Siouxsie), Ali Marhyar (Zed), and Pablo Nicomedes (La Taupe). AASB was produced by Legendary Pictures and Brothers Dowdle Productions and was distributed by Universal Pictures. It is available on Netflix, Vudu, and Amazon Prime.

Underneath the streets of Paris are the catacombs, around 80 miles of tunnels and rooms built into old limestone quarries. The thing that makes it different from any other abandoned quarry is that its filled with over 6 million bodies. The idea that a vast necropolis stands under the city of lights is a bit disturbing without the idea of getting lost down there. Wouldn't that be terrible? All those cold, wet, tunnels. Piles and piles of bones set up as macabre decorations. No cell phone service and no way to find your way out. Many people like to explore the catacombs but sometimes accidents happen. Ceilings collapse, Tunnels Flood and for an archaeologist and a group of spelunkers their past comes back to haunt them.

One by one we are introduced to the cast. Scarlett, An archaeologist with some strong Lara Croft vibes, Benji, a documentarian, Ben, a translator and an old "friend" of Scarletts, and Papillion, a cataphile along with girlfriend Siouxsie and his friend Zed. I enjoyed Scarlett and Ben's relationship they play well off each other but there is enough chemistry between them to show that they care about each other. Scarlett as a character tends to be the one that rushes into danger and while this makes an interesting scene often is not to the benefit of the people around her. Ben definitely acts as a foil to her impulsiveness. The rest of the characters don't receive as strong characterization throughout the film and unfortunately don't allow us to connect to the traumas they receive later in the film.

From a symbolic viewpoint the movie is well constructed with the hermetic and alchemical symbols explained to us though Weeks' and Feldman's Dialogue. The structure of the plot also serve as an allegory for the divine comedy with Weeks being seen as Dante and Feldman as Virgil. Outside of the Mysticism and literary allusion however the plot falters. For comparison one of my main issues with 2018's Malevolent was its haphazard blending of both supernatural and, (for lack of a better term), True Crime. The movie begins with the mystery of a ghost story ala The Conjuring (2013) but ends up like a second rate Hostel (2005). In the same way AASB the first hour starts out as a realistic depiction of survival horror. I remember a fantastic moment where one of the characters has a panic attack while being stuck in a tunnel filled with bones. This moment is drawn out for effect and plays realistically to the situation. Towards the end of the film when the supernatural shows its face the film begins to feel like actors running through a haunted house. The props in these scenes don't ruin the movie for me but it definitely destroyed a lot of the well built tension that is built up throughout the film.

Found footage is a difficult genre to film. While Cinéma Vérité is often a arthouse gimmick found footage sees it as a creative restriction much in the same way as poetic meter. Overall I enjoyed Leo Hinstin's cinematography as he captures the claustrophobia and action well. There where a few times
where the shaky cam was a bit nauseous inducing (such as the policeman scene) but I feel that is more of a drawback of the medium rather than any criticism on Hinstins part. There was some great tracking shots such as the nightclub scene or Week's return to the crypt later in the film and as found footage films go the shooting was excellent.

As Above So Below is an great survival horror found footage film that contains a mediocre supernatural subplot. A good cast and great direction makes this film an enjoyable experience for both the horror and found footage buff that is as long as you can get past the campy final third.