As Above So Below

 Hey everyone who enjoys movies and blogs, I'm TheCinemaChick! I go out and watch a lot of movies then report back to you so you know what's worth seeing out there. Sadly, there hasn't really been anything that's caught my eye as of late. Everything just seems...okay. Not good, not bad, just somewhere in the middle. But, as you all know, I do love a good horror movie. So when I heard “As Above, So Below” was coming out, I had to see it. Last night, Fry and I watched the movie and that means I'm here to review it with minimal spoilers.

I'm also still behind on my reviews, so I'll probably do another blog with a bunch of mini reviews again. I don't like doing them but I have a lot going on and I just don't think I have the time to devote to each and every one. It pains me to sum up my feelings for a movie in a single paragraph. But in the interest of time, sometimes it is a necessary evil.

Now, “As Above, So Below” is a supernatural horror that takes place in the Paris catacombs. I'm both horrified and fascinated by them because they are basically a labyrinth under the city made up of human bones. Due to my overwhelming claustrophobia, I will never step foot in there. As you can see in the previews, a group of people are looking for the fabled Philosopher’s Stone, which would grant eternal life. They get lost and scary things happen as they continue on their journey, but is it as terrifying as the commercials would have you believe?

As with most movies that are classified in the horror genre, no. It is another “found footage” film that has a few jump scares but never truly delivers on it's promise to make you jump out of your seat. I'll admit, there was one time I did get startled but I'm chalking that up to “I'm weaning off an anti anxiety medicine so I'm already jumpy as is”. Really, it was just “Paranormal Activity” set in Paris. There are things brought in that are never mentioned later or potential side stories that pop up and vanish almost instantly.

And that bothered me more than it should really. As in the previews, you see a burning car that one person apologizes to. The film never truly explains its purpose. I watched the scene thinking this has to be a moment when a character must redeem himself in order to go on but when he tried to do so, he was killed. However, later in the story, someone does the exact same thing and it works. So why was Scarlet, our determined urban archeologist, allowed to live after redemption but Papillon, the French tour guide, was not? Is there some kind of double standard that I'm not seeing? Perhaps I am over thinking this but most of the deaths in the movie were not needed or really explained. One man falls to his death and it's never shown what caused this fall. Again, why are the men being killed off but not Scarlet? There is one French companion, Susie, who is gruesomely bludgeoned to death but her death is understandable within the context.

There is a scene in the movie where Scarlet keeps assuring George her...love interest...I think, that they are just experience illusions because of the catacombs. I cannot accept this because if it were an illusion as she claimed, then no one should have died. They would not be real, therefore not corporeal and not able to touch someone. Yet all but three die. How does this make sense? I find it hard to take a horror movie seriously if it can't even decide what its doing. There are glaring plot holes and mistakes throughout, this being one of them.

However, I will praise the movie on its scenery. The catacombs defintely come across creepy and sent some chills down my spine. The movie also does a good job keeping the film very tight and focused on the travelers and not much else. There aren't a lot of distractions which helps a little, but can't save this film overall. The characters themselves are flat and one dimensional. There is not change in them, no growth. I found it hard to sympathize with any of them because I didn't get a chance to like them.

I have made one interesting discovery. “As Above So Below” was directed by John Erick Dowdle, the same man who made “Devil” back in 2010. I have noticed that both movies play on ideology, mainly with the ideas of Christianity and sins. While I prefer to refrain from religious discussion because not everyone shares the same beliefs, I will also applaud him on the use of said themes. Both make you question whether or not the devil is real. While the earlier film was set almost entirely in an elevator, it still created an air of paranoia, mistrust and fear. The new release does the same thing just in a new location. If this is Dowdle's style, the close, tight, almost claustrophobic feeling running throughout, I would watch more of his films. I like his style as it is unique. I would advise him to pick better scripts, do more research on his topic and hire better script writers.

It's a subpar movie that might scare some people, but it just left me wondering why they didn't bother to fix the plot holes. I won't mention them because of spoilers, but they are incredibly obvious. The end of the film had me asking if Hell was in Paris or if they were implying that Paris itself is Hell. Toying with the concept of reality worked in the movies favor, but the lack of continuity ruins it. I found it hard to get invested and wound up enjoying my nachos more. Seriously, I could go on about those nachos for a while.

I would like to see more from John Erick Dowdle in the future. I like his style and with some fine tuning, he could be simply amazing. I expect “As Above So Below” to do well this weekend but once word gets out that it's not all it seems, it will quickly fall.

In general, I'd say skip this one. Go see something else. It's not scary and spends too much time trying to force the jump scares on you which just makes it feel...well...forced. I still think “The Conjuring” is a superior horror film and I have recently acquired a collection of fifty horror classics starring people like Bela Lugosi and Vincent Price. Who wants to guess how I am spending my weekend? If you guessed shopping with Fry, you're either spying on me, have been listening to my calls or you just know.

That's about it for me on this go round. “As Above So Below” isn't worth the time or money. It's another “Blair Witch” and “Paranormal Activity” wannabe.

I'm TheCinemaChick and I have just received word that I am going to be published for a second time. That's right, my short nonfiction story “A Flurry of Hands” will be published in “Under the Clock Tower” later this year.

Thank you guys for all the love, support and pageviews. It means the world to me knowing that people enjoy my often nonsensical reviews.