A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Positive Messages
very little
The movie features some teamwork and characters who use their head in a dire situation, but overall, these twentysomethings tend to be risky and reckless.
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Positive Role Models
a little
Scarlett is like a more realistic Lara Croft; she's smart and brave and doesn't seem to lose her head in an emergency. Unfortunately, she's also a bit impetuous and tends to bend the rules, and she's more than a little obsessed with finding her treasure.
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Lots of blood and gore, though not extremely over the top. The herky-jerky "found footage" camerawork never really lingers on anything for very long. Characters are injured and/or attacked while traveling around the tunnels. One character falls to his death, and a character bashes another's head against a rock, all but destroying her skull. Another character gets a gaping wound at the base of his neck. There are realistic cave-ins, plus nightmare sequences with ghosts and other creepy creatures. Also, the movie has some tense, claustrophobic moments.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
some
The characters stumble upon a ritual in the tunnels in which a few women are briefly shown topless. Otherwise, two of the main characters have a somewhat bickering-flirty relationship, and they eventually confess their feelings for each other, even if there's no time to act on them.
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Language
a lot
"F--k" and "s--t" are each used a handful of times, as is "oh my God." "A--hole" and "hell" are used once or twice.
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
very little
One character is shown casually drinking a co*cktail in an early nightclub sequence.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that As Above/So Below is a "found footage" horror movie about archeologists seeking treasure in the catacombs beneath the streets of Paris. There's some brief but strong gore when characters are injured or attacked in the tunnels. Characters die, plenty of blood is shown, and there are some gory injuries (a smashed skull, a gaping neck wound, etc.). There are also some scary moments -- from cave-ins and claustrophobia to ghosts and creepy creatures. Language is fairly strong, including several "f--k"s and quite a few uses of "s--t." There's some brief female toplessness, and two characters have a kind of bickering-flirty relationship. The movie definitely has its spooky moments, and older teen horror fans will no doubt be interested. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
What's the Story?
During a dangerous trip to the Middle East, young archeologist Scarlett (Perdita Weeks) discovers the key to translating a clue left by alchemist Nicolas Flamel about the possible location of the legendary Philosopher's Stone. With the help of her indignant but loyal friend George (Ben Feldman), who can translate, Scarlett discovers that the stone may reside in a secret tunnel in the catacombs beneath the streets of Paris. She finds a guide, Papillon (François Civil); along with his fearless crew and documentary filmmaker Benji (Edwin Hodge), Scarlett and George descend into the spooky passages. What they find there extends beyond any kind of history or alchemy and comes closer to a personal kind of horror.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about As Above/So Below's violence and gore. How much is shown, and how quickly? What effect do these scenes have? Are there any other scenes without gore? How effective are they?
Is Scarlett a positive role model? Which of her traits are worth emulating? Which aren't?
Is the movie scary? What elements were scary. and which don't work so well? Why? What makes a good horror movie?
What's the appeal of the "found footage" subgenre of horror? How would the movie have been different if it had been filmed more traditionally? How would this technique work on other kinds of movies?
Movie Details
- In theaters: August 29, 2014
- On DVD or streaming: December 2, 2014
- Cast: Perdita Weeks, Ben Feldman, Edwin Hodge
- Director: John Erick Dowdle
- Inclusion Information: Female actors, Black actors
- Studio: Universal Pictures
- Genre: Horror
- Topics: Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- Run time: 93 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: bloody violence/terror, and language throughout
- Last updated: December 20, 2023
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