Movie Review: As Above, So Below

It's a Cool poster, but it reminds me of the film...and makes me sick...
(image from: http://www.impawards.com/2014/posters/as_above_so_below.jpg)

As Above, So Below is a horror flick...but it didn't really feel like one. The scares were non existent, the camera work was sickening and the plot (while interesting) was executed poorly.

As Above, So Below follows a young woman named Scarlett and her attempts to find the legendary Philosopher's Stone. Her research leads her to the Paris catacombs in very Tomb Raider/Uncharted/Indiana Jones fashion. In fact, this film was inspired by those franchises, and it becomes incredibly apparent when you first meet Scarlett. She's a perfect character. 2 PHD's, fluent in four languages and two dead ones, masters in chemistry, so on and so forth. Now, since her research has lead her to the Paris Catacombs, there's bound to be a horrific adventure to follow right?

Scarlett could have been Lara Croft and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference
(image from: http://www.joblo.com/images_arrownews/85as-above-so-below-5.jpg)

Unfortunately, the film uses a 'found footage' and 'shaky-cam' method to tell it's story. Normally, I don't have any issues with this, I can handle shaky cameras. But the fact that the film takes place in the dark tunnels of the Paris Catacombs and the characters are constantly using headlamps as lighting, it leaves a lot to be desired. The camera doesn't stay still at all...well, no that's not true, it stays still for VERY short amounts of time, and when those times come, you'll feel relieved. However, coupled with the annoying strobe-light effect with characters flashing their lights everywhere (especially into the camera), As Above, So Below quickly turns into a sickening experience.

A lot of the horror is lost in translation as the camera swings all over the place. You can't tell what's going on during the more horrific sequences and that's a damn shame. There was a specific scene where a character dies (SPOILERS, but what the hell you'll probably not watch it anyways) in a very cool way. A flaming car basically swallows the character and brings him into the earth (quick explanation, the characters make their way to Hell and all sorts of crazy psychological horror takes place). However, I couldn't bring myself to watch that specific scene. The shaking cameras of panicking characters and the constant flashing of lights from headlamps and fire made an otherwise awesome scene hard to watch...and not for the right reasons. A horror movie should make scenes hard to watch because they're terrifying, not because they're vomit-inducing.

As mentioned above, the film has the characters running through the Catacombs, but they end up in a Hell-like area that reminds me a lot of Silent Hill. This is one of the films strong points. The psychological horror that the characters face as they're trekking through a hell-like environment was very interesting. Looping tunnels, blood pools, faces on walls (I think...damn shaky camera), random creepy pianos, and so much more. It's awesome! I would have LOVED to see more of that! But unfortunately, the camera work decided to make the experience too claustrophobic. I can't see anything that happens whenever a cool horror scene takes place because the camera is either shaking all over the place or it's obscured by characters. The concept of a literal Hell that messes with the minds of those that visit it is a very cool and original idea. It's just unfortunate it's bogged down by the shoddy camera work.

I...I don't even remember which part of the film this was from. Too busy trying to not to throw up.
(image from: http://horrorboom.files.wordpress.com/2014/08/screen-shot-2014-08-09-at-8-46-12-am.png)

On another note, the film is just not scary at all. Sure, it's got some unsettling moments early in the film, but all of that is quickly thrown away as the film progresses. The longer you watch, the less terrifying it becomes...why? Because the god damned camera work is shit. I mean, I understand that 'Less is more' but it just doesn't work when you use shitty focusing and shaky cameras to hide the horror.

One thing I did like in the film was a specific scene that genuinely felt terrifying involving Benji, the black male character. It's early in the film and the characters decide to crawl through a tunnel of bones to get to a secret room that Scarlett believes will bring her closer to the Philosophers Stone. Benj gets stuck and (SURPRISE) the camera stays still for a solid 5 minutes or so. This scene in particular was absolutely terrifying and tense. Benji's reaction to being stuck in a tunnel of bones felt real. His panic slowly grew and he tried to get himself unstuck. The voices of others trying to calm him down were drowned out as he constantly whimpered and screamed. His exclamation 'Something bit me!' felt real. It felt like a real horror experience and I was excited to see more of that. I could focus on the characters face and FEEL the emotion coming off of him. The rest of the film, unfortunately, could not live up to this scene as everything slowly turned into a spinning mess of mediocrity and blurred images. It's a damn shame.

It was all downhill from here...quality wise
(image from: http://www.moviehdwallpapers.com/wp-content/uploads/movie/401/As-Above-So-Below-Movie-Stills.jpg)

While I'm at it, let's talk about the ending shall we? So the characters get lost in the Paris Catacombs...cool, people die there all the time, it's genuinely freaky. The characters start to experience some incredibly strange things, like a phone going off, a piano that's basically taken out of a characters memory, etc. Ok, cool, awesome, very psychological and mind fucking. Then, the characters descend into a hell-like environment, where the horrors they experience escalate ten fold. Even cooler, A literal hell that's not a typical burning pit with demons is VERY interesting, especially since the beginning of the film eluded to ancient beliefs that Hell was about 700 odd-so meters below ground. Characters die one by one from mysterious forces that are now APPARENTLY things that have manifested from the character's pasts, things that haunt them and things that they refuse to let go because of guilt. The remaining characters manage to get out of the Hell-like Catacombs because of their 'acceptance' of their guilt, by facing the horrors that haunt them head on. Scarlett finds that the 'true' philosophers stone is actually inside of her (?) because of an ancient inscription...and inscription that alludes to how this Hell-like environment can manifest these horrors BECAUSE they're haunting the characters.

So what is it saying? That some weird magic is actually the culprit behind all of this? That this Hell isn't really Hell? That the Catacombs represent guilt, and the only way to get rid of guilt is to accept it? All of these are unsatisfactory and not NEARLY as interesting as having these characters actually visit Hell.

Maybe I'm wrong about the entire thing, maybe my interpretation of the film is WAY off the mark. But you know what? It's not because I'm an idiot who can't understand the film, it's because the film fails to deliver a more coherent explanation of what's going on. Who are the people/ghosts/manifestations that kill the characters? Why do they kill the characters? Why is the Philosophers Stone inside Scarlett? None of this is given a clear answer. I appreciate it when films leave SOME parts of the plot for the audience to interpret, but this movie in particular leaves far too much for us to figure out. Especially considering you may have lost all of your attention as you're trying not to throw up...it would be helpful to have some more exposition!

As Above, So Below started off strong. It built an interesting story and hinted at the kind of horror that you'd experience. Unfortunately it straight up lies to you and quickly reveals itself to be a cheap, low budget film that hopes to make itself hard to watch by giving you a seizure. I give props to it's concepts and ideas, I really like them! But the execution was absolutely terrible.

I think they're looking away from the screen to avoid a seizure
(image from: http://www.moviehdwallpapers.com/wp-content/uploads/movie/401/As-Above-So-Below-2014-Movie.jpg)

Verdict:

2/5