Scarlet Marlowe is a history professor in search of the philosopher’s stone. From Turkey to Iran, the young woman seems unafraid of any danger, as long as she gets what she wants. Her search takes her to Paris, where she assembles a team of explorers to go down into the catacombs. In this underground resting place of around six millions souls, the adventurers are soon confronted with inexplicable phenomena. The deeper the team descends into the abyss of Paris, the less hope they have of ever coming back up.

Picture gallery

Directed by John Eric Dowdle, starring Ben Feldman (Cloverfield) and Edwin Hodge (American Nightmare), As Above, So Below is a happy end-of-summer surprise. In contrast with blockbuster hopefuls that overdo special effects to get attention (Insidious, The Baby), this horror movie does exactly what it sets out to do without going overboard. Happily, it also returns to the lost art of suspense. The film’s only downside is that it systematically resorts to the shaky camera technique (Blair Witch Project), although the setting is right for it. As Above, So Below is a frightening film that does a good job of transmitting what it’s like to be deep under Paris looking for a way out. Not recommended for claustrophobes.