. La Toupe could be considered a wandering soul, who doesn't enter Hell until the group discovers the entrance. As above so below meaning . They come across a demonic, humanoid abomination sitting in a chair. George and Zed are convinced that it's impossible to rope their way down the hole. The remaining crew flee. Minutes before the destruction of the caves, she finds a legendary statue within known as the "Rose Key," bearing ancient engravings in the Aramaic language. Suddenly, the group hears a telephone ringing in the abandoned caves. Scarlett travels to Paris to find George, her former lover and an Aramaic translator, so that she can decipher the Rose Key. It is presented as found footage of a documentary crew's experience exploring the Catacombs of Paris and was loosely based on the seven layers of Hell. Eventually, Scarlett, George, and Zed find a manhole on the floor, which when pushed down and climbed through delivers them right-side up onto the surface, on a street overlooking the Notre Dame. "There are some interestingly contrived moments of claustrophobia and surreal lunacy, but this clichéd and slightly hand-me-down script neither scares nor amuses very satisfyingly. | As Above, So Below is a film directed by John Erick Dowdle with Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge, François Civil, Marion Lambert .... Year: 2014. George refuses to go because his brother drowned in a cave, but he is forced to come with the group when a policeman attempts to stop them. The deeper the movie tries explaining its pagan mythology, the less interesting it actually becomes. At the final level, a manhole appears on the ground below. An archaeological enthusiast uncovers the secret of Nicholas Flemels tombstone to pinpoint the location of the historical Philosophers stone. However, this could have been a far more frightening feature if only it had expanded on its scary premise. Once more we return. In full, the section reads: “That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above, corresponds to that which is Below, to accomplish the miracles of the One Thing.”. Here they find a living La Taupe, whom the group presumed to be dead. Months later, Scarlett is filming a documentary with her cameraman Benji. The phrase is an ancient one, however, with many meanings and usages. With permission from the French authorities the film was shot in the real catacombs of Paris. Eventually Scarlett realizes that the stolen stone itself is a sin, only by returning it will she find the real philosopher's stone, only to discover that the stone itself has no power only faith does. George murmurs the acronym "Vitriol", which in Latin refers to the philosopher's stone being discovered by rectification, (as in correction). As Above, So Below milks a surprising amount of richness from its premise and found-footage format, but is hampered by its inability to fully develop both.. As Above, So Below follows intrepid scholar/explorer Scarlett (Perdita Weeks), who is trying to complete the mission of her dead explorer father by locating the mythic Philosophers Stone. [15] Bruce Demara wrote in The Toronto Star, "As Above, So Below has some good scares and a decent cast. When a team of explorers ventures into the catacombs that lie beneath the streets of Paris, they uncover the dark secret that lies within this city of the dead. But it's yet another found footage thriller, so jittery camera sequences may induce nausea. The saying goes “As above, so below, as the universe so the soul, as within so without.” Yada yada yada… It is written in the Kybalion (1908) first published anonymously under the psuedonym Three Initiates, and is now in the public domain. Before she gets out, however, she sees a vision of her father's suicide - a moment from her past that she will have to confront later on. The cell is the same as the atom. Miles of twisting catacombs lie beneath the streets of Paris, the eternal home to countless souls. Nobody dies in this portion of the catacombs, but nobody is saved either. A stranger in the catacombs suggests that a man named Papillon can help and that he spends time in a certain club. As the story progresses things change and what was once a sort of feud turns into something else. They eventually find a tomb with a well-preserved Templar Knight, a mound of treasure, and what Scarlett believes to be Flamel's Stone embedded in a mural depicting an ancient legend. La Taupe agrees to guide them out and informs them the only way out is down. A woman, Scarlet Marlowe (Perdita Weeks) is speaking into her camera, saying she has come to Iran to search for a piece of history about to be lost in a hidden catacomb that is about to be demolished by the government. They breach the blockage and find Papillon's graffiti tag on the wall, even though he insists he has never been there. Parents Guide, In the opening scene, there is a bus just crossing over the Iranian border. OPENING NIGHT — When a series of suspicious roadblocks threaten to delay the opening of the speakeasy, Veronica enlists the help of Cheryl, Toni, Reggie, Kevin and Josie to ensure opening night goes off without a hitch. The quest to the stone takes Scarlett and a group of explorers deep into the Uncharted catacombs of Paris, where they encounter far more than they bargained for and struggle to fight against their own demons in this claustrophobic horror. Scarlett is interested in continuing her father's hunt for the philosopher's stone after his suicide. The universe is the same as God. Read reviews from world’s largest community for readers. ". However, Papillion refuses to go that way, as anyone who has gone through was never seen again. Film Review: ‘As Above, So Below’ A found-footage approach makes it possible for camera and crew to exploit the Paris catacombs, while sacrificing cinematic thrills along the way. The stone is a legendary alchemical substance capable of turning base metals into gold or silver and of granting eternal life, said to have been discovered by Nicolas Flamel. Before we explore them in more depth, we need to fully grasp exactly what this phrase is telling us. She returns to her friends, kisses George, and lays her hands on his neck, healing him. Debruge also called the ending "unspeakably corny. On her way back to George and Zed, Scarlett passes her father's apparition on her way and apologizes for her failure to answer his phone calls when he was struggling with suicidal thoughts. The premise of AS ABOVE, SO BELOW stems from a New Age, pagan worldview. After discovering a riddle on the head stone of Nicholas Flamel, Scarlett Marlowe and her team are lead deeper and deeper, though the nine rings of hell (Limbo, Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Anger, Heresy, Violence, Fraud, and Treachery as described by Dante's Inferno), below the streets of Paris by seemingly helpful ghosts. Along the way, she finds a hanged man, whom she recognizes as her father. Welcome to the As Above, So Below Wikia Edit. Storyline. Inside is a man who looks similar to the stranger that directed Scarlett to Papillon. We briefly discussed the first part of the quote and the as above so below meaning. Production in the actual catacombs was difficult for the cast and especially the crew as there was no electricity or cell phone service in the centuries-old tunnels. There was very little use of props, as the actors had to use the environment around them. 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