Dante’s Inferno: Navigating the Complexities of Hell in ‘As Above, So Below’ [Netflix] (2024)

“Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.”

These words scrawled across the walls beneath the Paris Catacombs mark the entrance to Hell for the characters inAs Above, So Below.They herald in a nightmarish final act. The very same words that mark the gates to Hell in writer Dante Alighieri’sInferno, the first part of his epic poem ofDivine Comedy.Infernotells of Dante’s journey through the nine circles of Hell, guided by the Roman poet Virgil. Their journey begins on Good Friday, and the pair emerges from Hell early on Easter morning under a starry sky. ThoughAs Above, So Belowdraws from various mythologies, it’s Dante’sInferno and its complex rendering of Hell that most closely mirrors protagonist Scarlett Marlowe’s quest, making for an atypical found footage film that offers impressively layered world-building.

Our introduction to Scarlett (Perdita Weeks) begins with a video confession of illegal doing; the accomplished scholar is sneaking into Iran to explore a cave system on the cusp of demolition. The video would be an explanation of her actions if she were to die on her journey. The punishment for being caught, after all, is “burial up to your neck in sand.” These are among the first words the character speaks in the film, and it’s already referencing Dante’s poem. Namely, the ninth circle of Hell known as Treachery, reserved for traitors and betrayers. Dante finds traitors to their kin here, buried in a lake of ice where only their heads and necks are exposed. More than just a tip of the hat to the Hellish nightmare ahead, it’s a reference to Scarlett’s emotional journey; she harbors immense guilt over her father’s suicide. In not being there for him in his darkest hour, she feels that she betrayed him and internalizes it as a driving force to complete his work in uncovering the philosopher’s stone.

Scarlett barely makes it out of the cave alive, but not before discovering a mythic statue that doubles as the inciting event, a “Rose Key” statue full of Aramaic writing that gives insight to the location of the stone. A statue that resembles a centaur, wardens of the lower circles of Hell. Scarlett enlists her former lover George (Ben Feldman) to translate, with documentary filmmaker Benji (Edwin Hodge) in tow. Using Scarlett’s father’s notebook with drawings of the Nine Circles of Hell, they deduce that the stone is likely in the bowels of the Catacombs. A mysterious figure directs them to seek out Papillon (François Civil) as a guide, who brings along friends Siouxie (Marion Lambert) and Zed (Ali Marhyar) to help collect the promised treasure as payment.

The group finds themselves trapped almost immediately after venturing into the off-limits section of the Catacombs. They’re steered into an ominous, boarded up tunnel Papillon is afraid of; he warns that people who go into the tunnel never come out again, including his friend La Taupe. They encounter La Taupe not long after, who harbors resentment that Papillon and Siouxie never looked for him, but offers to guide the group to an exit anyway. La Taupe, or The Mole, seems most representative of Dante’s description of those in Limbo. Limbo is essentially Purgatory, and La Taupe seems doomed to remain forever stuck in the bowels of the Catacombs.

The only way out is down. That they descend through a well is significant. Scarlett explains the phrase “as above, so below” is the key to all magic. What happens in one reality occurs in another, presenting a bizarre mirror-like symmetry to their voyage. The group begins by climbing down a well, and they end it by going down another well. In Inferno, wells play a part in getting Dante and his guide to the eighth and ninth circles. Later, Dante and Virgil finally reach the center of Hell and begin their escape by continuing downward. Dante is convinced they’re returning to Hell, only to realize gravity has changed, and they’re climbing up to the surface.

Dante, half-way through his life, begins his journey spiritually lost. More than just a guide to Hell, Virgil becomes his guide to virtue and mortal. That’s mirrored in Scarlett, reckless and reeling from the loss of her father, and George, the strict rule-abiding ethical anchor. Much of George’s fear for breaking the law stems from spending time in a Turkish prison before the events of the film, which also parallel’s Virgil in that he detailed his personal trip through Hell in his poem Aeneid.

As the pair descend through the circles of Hell, they encounter various sinners in torment. This is reflected in the other characters; all lured and trapped by sin. Papillon is confronted by a sin from his past that resulted in death. He refuses to claim responsibility, and Hell dooms him as a result. Instead of being frozen in a lake, he’s frozen in stone. Benji’s background and sin are less transparent, but his consistent notice of the Pagan woman seems to hint his sin is lust, the second circle of Hell. Siouxie’s death at the hands of a demonic La Taupe is also less defined. Still, considering his first words of warning were directed at her, it’s safe to assume she harbored immense guilt over his disappearance prior.

The Star of David that they find on the ceiling just before entering the gate of Hell spells out exactly how the film will end, with three points above and three points below. Of the six that descended into the catacombs, three made it back to the surface just before dawn, and three remain trapped below in the bowels of Hell. The three that survived acknowledged their sins and rejection of sin is essentially the point of Inferno. You can only escape Hell by confessing and then atoning for your sins.

As Above, So Belowincorporates a little bit of everything, from Egyptian history to Knights of Templar, to alchemist mythology and religion. At its core, though, it’s a modern retelling of Dante’sInferno. It’s not just the expansive depths of the Catacombs, intertwined with French writer and alchemist Nicolas Flamel’s connection to the philosopher’s stone, that made this an apt setting for the film. It’s that the further into Hell that Virgil and Dante descended, the smaller it became. What better way to represent that than with an ever-increasing claustrophobic underground system?

Found footage is a subgenre that relies on simplicity to relay its story and allow for maximum chills. Instead,As Above, So Below went as involved as possible, presenting endless layers to peel back the more you watch it. It doesn’t get nearly as gruesome as Dante’s poem, but it’s a fantastic entry point with some horrific imagery. The film doesn’t specify when exactly it takes place, but since it so closely follows Dante’s journey, it makes for perfect Easter viewing.

And thankfully, it’s now streaming on Netflix.