As Above So Below

The inscription “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here” (signifying the entrance to Hell in Dante's The Divine Comedy) is uncovered by twentysomething tomb raiders exploring the spooky catacombs underneath the streets of Paris. The group is led by Scarlett (Perdita Weeks)—who holds a Ph.D. from University College in London—a daughter determined to continue her late alchemist father's lifelong quest to discover the legendary Philosopher's Stone, which is rumored to possess the elixir of life along with the ability to turn base metals such as lead into gold. Teaming up with Aramaic-fluent George (Ben Feldman), and documentary cameraman Benji (Edwin Hodge), along with three French catacomb enthusiasts (François Civil, Marion Lambert, Ali Marhyar) who call themselves “cataphiles” and serve as guides, Scarlett ventures deep into the dark-and-narrow, low-ceilinged catacombs that (according to legend) house the bones of six million dead in mass graves. Each adventurer wears a helmet with—of course—an HD cam attached, capturing demonic imagery along the way, as well as footage of a feral weirdo known as “the Mole” (Cosme Castro), who informs the party after they're totally disoriented: “The only way out is down.” Sibling filmmakers Drew (writer) and John Erick Dowdle (director) rely far too much on shaky handheld camerawork to sustain suspense in this all-too-familiar example from the found-footage genre. Optional. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette (4 min.). Exclusive to the Blu-ray release are bonus DVD, digital, and UltraViolet copies of the film. Bottom line: a small extras package for a tired horror film.] (S. Granger)