As Above, So Below is a pretty solid found footage flick. It's pretty well-made and ambitious as far as these sorts of things go... and it takes advantage of a really unique setting to make it stand out from its "lost in the wilderness/ghost hunting" found footage brethren.
Perdita Weeks plays Scarlet Marlowe, the sort of adventurous archeologist that you only really see in movies. She travels the globe, makes dangerous escapes from the law, and (in the opening scene) solves ancient riddles under the pressure of a (literally) ticking time bomb. She has spent her life (she's in her mid-to-late 20s) searching for the Philosopher's Stone, an ancient rune created by alchemists that is said to give its possessor eternal life. Her father died before he could track it down, but by combining his findings with hers, she's thinks she's found the stone's whereabouts - deep underground in the catacombs beneath the streets of Paris.
Along with another adventurous archeologist type (who can conveniently decode much of the dead languages they encounter) and a guy documenting the search (of course), they hire a trio of tunnel rats as guides - they're young, brash, and x-treme French folks who explore the tunnels for fun. They sneak into the catacombs... and of course, things don't go as planned. There are legends about certain sections of the tunnels being cursed or haunted... and guess where they end up?
Looking back on As Above, So Below, the first thing that comes to mind is the setting... if you believe imdb, this is the first film that has ever gotten permission to film in the (real) catacombs underneath Paris. So it's not only a pretty photogenically eerie place - the way the (real) human remains are stacked is equal parts artful and disturbing - but it's also very claustrophobic. The film manages to use both of these characteristics rather well. It plays to claustrophobia and highlights the creepy backgrounds, but never overdoes it. While the setting plays a big role in what makes the film work, it never becomes its sole identity.
As Above, So Below works pretty well as "found footage." In addition to the cameraman documenting the search, there are gopro-style cameras mounted on the heads of every member of the crew. They use this first person camera frequently - it's shaky enough to seem realistic, but not overly so (i.e. not headache-inducing). There is no music over the footage that I can remember, and no out of place editing tricks. So other than the occasional shot that is framed far too well, the film stays true to its found footage roots.
The scares/intense scenes are well placed, and the overall pacing of the film is solid. I was enamored enough with the set up and the setting that the usual slog of the first 30-40 minutes went by quickly. The scares build nicely on top of each other, and there is enough variety in there (claustrophobia, chase scenes, creepy kids) that it never really gets boring. Unfortunately, there is never really any big signature scare, creature, or set piece that really puts the film over the top or makes it super memorable. The strongest parts of the film are the overall concept (which I don't want to spoil) and the setting.
It's hard to write much else, as I don't want to get into spoiler territory. I dug it though! If you are not a fan of the found footage genre, I'm not sure this is going to win you over. But if you are, there is a lot to like here.
I would recommend this film.
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