As Above, So Below (film)

Lore & Background

The film follows polymath and archaeologist Scarlett Marlowe as she continues her dead father's search for the legendary philosopher's stone. After obtaining the 'Rose Key' artifact in an Iranian cave, she travels to Paris, where her search becomes the subject of a documentary filmed by Benji. Assisted by her friend George, she uses the key to solve a riddle pointing toward the Catacombs of Paris. The group recruits cataphile Papillon, his girlfriend Souxie, and their friend Zed to help navigate the tunnels. They eventually find a tomb with a preserved Templar Knight, a mound of treasure, and the philosopher's stone. Taking the stone triggers a booby trap, and the group descends into a mirrored version of the catacombs marked with the phrase 'Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.' They are killed one by one by spirits representing their past sins, until Scarlett, George, and Zed confess their sins and jump into a dark hole, emerging inverted near Notre-Dame.

Reader's Guide

As Above, So Below was loosely based on the nine circles of Hell from Dante Alighieri's Inferno, and its title refers to a popular paraphrase found in the Emerald Tablet. It was produced by Legendary Pictures and the Dowdle brothers' own company Brothers Dowdle, and distributed by Universal Pictures, making it the first film released under Legendary's deal with Universal. The film was released theatrically on August 29, 2014, and received mostly negative reviews from critics but was a box office success, grossing $41.8 million worldwide on a $5–10 million budget. In September 2018, the film became available to stream on Netflix and became popular on the platform, subsequently building a large cult following. Its significance lies in being the first film permitted to shoot in the actual Catacombs of Paris and in its use of found-footage style to explore themes of sin, redemption, and alchemical transformation.

Did You Know?

• The film was not the first to be granted permission to shoot in the actual Catacombs of Paris; the 2007 film 'The Catacombs' (also known as 'Catacombs') was among the earlier productions allowed.
• The plot is loosely based on the nine circles of Hell from Dante Alighieri's Inferno.
• The film's title refers to a popular paraphrase found in the Emerald Tablet.
• It became popular on Netflix in September 2018, building a large cult following.

Creative Vision & Development

The Dowdle brothers, John Erick and Drew, harbored a long-standing desire to craft a found-footage adventure in the mold of Indiana Jones, anchored by a strong female protagonist. Their creative journey began in earnest around 2007, when John Erick traveled to Paris and attempted to explore the underground bone galleries, only to find them shuttered because of vandalism. The character of Scarlett Marlowe crystallized in 2010, and the project's development stretched across several years before Thomas Tull, head of Legendary Pictures, reached out to the brothers with the idea of setting a story inside the Parisian catacombs. The pair immediately saw the potential: what if the characters were hunting for Nicolas Flamel's philosopher's stone? Variety officially announced the project on April 22, 2013, and remarkably, the film moved from initial pitch to a completed director's cut in just seven months. During location scouting, the Dowdles immersed themselves in the tunnels for four weeks, spending a further week above ground to frame their shots.

Narrative Architecture & Thematic Layers

At its core, the film weaves together alchemical mythology and Dantean structure. The descent through the catacombs mirrors the nine circles of Hell from Inferno, the opening canticle of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy, while the title itself echoes a well-known paraphrase of the Emerald Tablet's 'as above, so below' principle. Scarlett Marlowe, a polymath and archaeologist, inherits her late father's obsession with Nicolas Flamel's philosopher's stone, a substance said to transmute base metals and bestow immortality. After securing the Rose Key in an Iranian cave and suffering a haunting vision of a hanged figure, she follows a riddle into Paris's underground. There, a documentary crew and a circle of cataphiles join her, and the group stumbles upon a preserved Templar Knight, a hoard of treasure, and the stone itself. A triggered booby trap and a Gnostic Star of David marking on the ceiling open a passage inscribed with Dante's famous warning. Beyond lies a mirrored underworld where past sins manifest as lethal spirits, and survival demands that each survivor confess a buried guilt before leaping into darkness. In the closing log, Scarlett clarifies that her true quest was never material wealth but truth.

Production & Industry Milestones

Behind the camera, As Above, So Below marked several firsts in the horror and adventure space. Most notably, it became the first feature ever granted official permission to film inside the actual Catacombs of Paris, lending the production an authenticity that no studio backlot could replicate. The film was produced jointly by Legendary Pictures and the Dowdle brothers' own banner, Brothers Dowdle, and distributed through Universal Pictures. This release made it the inaugural title to come out under the distribution agreement between Legendary and Universal, giving the project added industry significance. The production operated on a modest budget estimated between five and ten million dollars, a figure that made the eventual theatrical run particularly impressive. The film hit screens on August 29, 2014, and went on to collect forty-one point eight million dollars in global box office receipts, a strong return for a mid-budget found-footage horror picture. The Dowdles' seven-month sprint from pitch to director's cut also underscored how efficiently the project was executed once the creative and logistical groundwork was in place.

Critical Reception & Cult Legacy

Upon its August 2014 theatrical debut, the film encountered a largely unfavorable critical reception, with reviewers generally panning its execution. Yet audiences told a different story at the ticket booth: the picture earned forty-one point eight million dollars worldwide against a production cost in the five-to-ten-million range, proving that the found-footage horror formula still held commercial appeal. The film's most remarkable chapter, however, arrived years later. In September 2018, As Above, So Below was added to Netflix's streaming library, and it quickly found a devoted audience among viewers who discovered it through the platform. Word of mouth and repeated viewings helped the movie shed its initial critical reputation and grow a substantial cult following. For many fans, the claustrophobic tunnel sequences, the Dantean structure, and the emotional confession beats resonated in ways that casual first-watch reviews had overlooked. The Netflix era effectively gave the film a second life, transforming a modest box-office success into a beloved niche title that continues to attract new viewers long after its theatrical window closed.

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