Dating back to the 18th century, the Catacombes de Paris have housed the skeletal remains of nearly six million bodies, their resting place relocated from the condemned Holy Innocents' Cemetery to the underground ossuaries. It goes without saying that it is a prime location to set a horror movie, but it is made all the more novel for having never before been used as a feature film's central locale. That writer-director John Erick Dowdle (2010's "Devil") and co-writer Drew Dowdle (2008's "Quarantine") were permitted by the French government to shoot down there is a major get in and of itself, but even more amazing is the allowance they received to voyage to heretofore illegal areas off-limits to the general public. While "As Above, So Below" is yet another entry in the shaky-cammed found-footage arena, the style generally works here and stays mostly true to its aesthetic. With only one notable exception where a too-apparent edit occurs, sacrificing the honesty of its first-person conceit in the name of getting a scare, the picture steers clear of cheating its audience or manipulating them with the use of a superfluous music score. The dank, despairing authenticity of the catacombs proves exceptionally effective, made all the better by a hair-raising premise that twists expectations while fearlessly confronting common human struggles involving sorrow and regret.
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