"As Above, So Below" is one of the better found-footage horror films to emerge in the wake of the one-two punch that was "Cloverfield" in 2008 and "Paranormal Activity" in 2009. Where many of its peers struggled to put a fresh spin on the subgenre's tropes, the Dowdle Brothers' 2014 flick is a pulpy Indiana Jones-lite action-adventure that cleverly incorporates mythical elements like the philosopher's stone -- or, as we uncultured Yanks call it, the sorcerer's stone -- and the Nine Circles of Hell from Dante Alighieri's epic 14th-century poem "Divine Comedy." Admittedly, it doesn't go so far as to reinvent the found-footage wheel, nor does it overcome some of the format's worst tendencies. But it does breathe a little more life into that formula, especially when the action inevitably devolves into people incessantly shaking the camera as they run screaming for their lives.
Of course, the biggest weapon in the film's arsenal is its setting.
Of course, the biggest weapon in the film's arsenal is its setting.
- 10/31/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Director: John Erick Dowdle. Writers: Drew Dowdle and John Erick Dowdle. Cast: Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge, François Civil and Marion Lambert. As Above, So Below is a film that is set and which was filmed in the catacombs beneath Paris, France. The film is reminiscent of an earlier film titled Catacombs (2007). Both film were shot in the same setting. Though, John Erick Dowdle's version has a more compelling story, compared to the earlier film. Beneath the streets of Paris, hell resides just out of sight and several amateur archeologists are in search of a valuable object, hidden there. The film manages to develop its creepy tone early in the film. The dark setting and lighting effects are unsettling, often. As well, Erik Dowdle and brother Drew Dowdle manage to weave in a subplot involving guilt. The Devil uses guilt to trap its trespassers here, until they are able to lift these bonds.
- 9/2/2014
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Chicago – “As Above/So Below” is strictly the pits. It’s a found footage horror film set in the Paris catacombs that defies logic, and relentlessly keeps digging itself into a hole until it’s dragged everyone in the audience down with it.
It’s a movie that starts at stupid and then somehow proceeds to get progressively dumber and dumber, until it’s completely nonsensical and insane – and not in a good way. It’s quite simply the longest 90 minutes I’ve spent in a theater all year.
Rating: 0.0/5.0
By this point, the “found footage” horror genre has become as formulaic as a mad slasher movie. Its beats are familiar, its tropes increasingly annoying and ridiculous. It takes either a fresh new twist, or a master stylist to wring shocks out of this kind of premise, but “As Above/So Below” doesn’t even seem to be trying. It barely manages a single jump-scare.
It’s a movie that starts at stupid and then somehow proceeds to get progressively dumber and dumber, until it’s completely nonsensical and insane – and not in a good way. It’s quite simply the longest 90 minutes I’ve spent in a theater all year.
Rating: 0.0/5.0
By this point, the “found footage” horror genre has become as formulaic as a mad slasher movie. Its beats are familiar, its tropes increasingly annoying and ridiculous. It takes either a fresh new twist, or a master stylist to wring shocks out of this kind of premise, but “As Above/So Below” doesn’t even seem to be trying. It barely manages a single jump-scare.
- 8/29/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
There is a story about the Paris catacombs that I love dearly. In August of 2004, several police officers were exploring a section of the infamous maze of tunnels near the Eiffel Tower when they came across a particular doorway covered in plastic with a sign that said, "No entry." Inside, the police were momentarily terrified by the sound of attacking guard dogs, but they realized it was a recording. Pushing further into the tunnel, they found a full working cinema, complete with lights, a projector, a bar, a dining area, and seats carved directly into the rocks. When they went topside to report their find to their superior officers, they were pleased with what they'd found. By the time they got back, though, everything was gone, and all that was left was a note that said, "Do not look for us. Signed, The Society Of The Perforated Mexicans." Since then,...
- 8/29/2014
- by Drew McWeeny
- Hitfix
Chicago – In the latest HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 20 pairs of advance-screening movie passes up for grabs to the new psychological thriller “As Above, So Below”!
“As Above, So Below,” which opens on Aug. 29, 2014, stars Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge, François Civil, Marion Lambert, Ali Marhyar, Cosme Castro and Hamid Djavadan from writer and director John Erick Dowdle and writer Drew Dowdle.
To win your free “As Above, So Below” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases your odds of winning; this doesn’t intensify your competition!
Preferably, use your computer to enter rather than your smartphone.
If you must enter on your smartphone,...
“As Above, So Below,” which opens on Aug. 29, 2014, stars Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge, François Civil, Marion Lambert, Ali Marhyar, Cosme Castro and Hamid Djavadan from writer and director John Erick Dowdle and writer Drew Dowdle.
To win your free “As Above, So Below” passes courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, just get interactive with our social media widget below. That’s it! This screening is on Thursday, Aug. 28, 2014 at 7 p.m. in downtown Chicago. The more social actions you complete, the more points you score and the higher yours odds of winning! Completing these social actions only increases your odds of winning; this doesn’t intensify your competition!
Preferably, use your computer to enter rather than your smartphone.
If you must enter on your smartphone,...
- 8/25/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
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