MovieChat Forums > As Above, So Below (2014) Discussion > 9/10 When it comes to horror.

9/10 When it comes to horror.

posted 10 years ago by Grothian
41 replies | jump to latest

As a horror fantast, i know that any horror above 5.0 on imdb is worth while watching. A 5 is a 7 etc. This one is a really good one. Well done special effects and the creepy clastrophobic feeling is grasping you really tight. With the first person view it's almost as if you're down there UEing yourself. The best part is however the plot. It gives you adventure mixed with horror. And everyone knows that adventure with anything is a solid foundation for a starmovie!

I give this one a strong 9. I would give it a 10 if it were not that i felt some connections to the cave while watching it. That was only due to the atmosphere though. The originality of it is gold.

I watched with some mates and even my best friend's girlfriend liked it. This means it is enjoyable even by non-horror fantasts. So bring the club and enjoy - imo - the best horror movie of the year!

Because im god, are you god to question my answer?

[–] Dejay 10 years ago

I agree, great horror movie. Spooky and some real creepy visuals. The only real downside is the shacky camera but it doesn't annoy me too much. Probably I'm immune because I've played so many first person shooters haha.

[–] disinter 10 years ago

I give this one a strong 9.

So bring the club and enjoy - imo - the best horror movie of the year!

I love horror movie ,this one is special, A solid 8, simply 1 of the best horror

OP you are totally right. It's a solid horror movie and probably the best one of 2014. I gave it a 10 cause I think it deserves a higher rating than current one.

I gave it the same score as you. It was highly original, and actually scary. There wasn't any CGI or ridiculous special effects, and the ending wasn't disappointing, like 99% of the horrors I've watched. It's nice not to feel like I just wasted an hour and a half. Really, really great horror.

WTF? This movie was a "4" at BEST.

[–] Dejay 10 years ago

So you don't like horror films?

If you do like the genre, how is this a 4? It has a certain premise and fullfills it quite well. Going underground -> check. Mystical powers -> check. Spooky images -> check.

I really liked the philosophical underpinnings, even though I haven't read Dante's inferno or am an alchemy / mysticism aficionado.

What I like most about it is that it does without stupid characters that split up, betray each other or do really stupid things.

[–] disinter 10 years ago

So you don't like horror films?

I love horror movies, it's my favorite genre.

If you do like the genre, how is this a 4?

This was just another generic found footage movie which would have been fine in 1999 but since then we've had a hundred others and most of them sucked. Since this movie is so great would you care to explain why it didn't get a major theatrical release & why does it only have a "6" rating when compared to other found footage movies?

Why hasn't this 9/10 "best horror movie ever" gotten even a fraction of the attention that movies with REAL high ratings have gotten? If I go into town right now (or 10 years from now) and stop the first 50 people I see and ask "Did you see the shining with Jack Nicholson?" or "Do you know who jason is from friday the 13th" or "Have you ever heard of the series of horror films called "A nightmare on elm street?", the vast majority who probably aren't even hardcore horror fans would say yes. If I asked them about the found footage movie "As Above, So Below" they would have no clue what it is.

There was NOTHING special about this movie. I can't understand how people in this thread say it's so great and then when faced with criticism they say things like "So you don't like horror films?" as if this is THE definitive movie that sets the standards of what a horror film should be.

Also please quit trying to pawn this thing off as some sort of a mindphuk movie that has a deep, philosophical storyline that only 2% of it's viewers are smart enough to understand.

If you want to see a movie with the same premise without the pretentious bullsh!t watch 1997's "Event Horizon" instead.

[–] Dejay 10 years ago

I was just curious if you are a fan. I'm not saying this movie is awesome, but that it's better than 90% of the other horror movies. And about those 80s style movies like nightmare on elm street or jason I never liked those "slasher" movies. Maybe it's just a matter of taste. But probably a matter of marketing, how much money do you put into advertising etc.

I like horror movies. This movie is a good attempt. Really original scenery imho. The philosophy / mysticism is just a nice background even if you don't read dante etc.

[–] disinter 10 years ago

I was just curious if you are a fan. I'm not saying this movie is awesome, but that it's better than 90% of the other horror movies.

That truly blows my mind. "better than 90% of the other horror movies" wow. I don't understand how you can be a fan of the horror genre and consider this to be 90% better than the rest. I mean I seriously cannot wrap my mind around that statement.

And about those 80s style movies like nightmare on elm street or jason I never liked those "slasher" movies. Maybe it's just a matter of taste. But probably a matter of marketing, how much money do you put into advertising etc.

The original Friday the 13th was made with a much smaller budget than this was. If that were the case, they should have put more money into advertising. Both F13th and NOES were so successful that they developed into a franchise with many sequels and remakes and even a crossover movie. I doubt very seriously if we'll see anything else from this movie even though there could be, as the story would allow many different scenarios in which a sequel could be made.

With all that said, everyone is different and we all have different tastes so there is no right or wrong opinions. I truly don't get the love for this movie at all but it is what it is.

[–] lordforcystus 10 years ago

While I agree with you this movie wasn't perfect, I kind of agree with his stating that it's better than 90% of horror movies. I got a huge (very huge) collection of horror movies, I buy between 4 to 8 horror movie dvds every week, the huge majority of the time I did not even see the movie I just bought, if the movie is labelled as horror I'm gonna buy it. And frankly it's unbelievable how many crappy movies I watch before finding a good one, there's just so many horror movies that are amazingly bad it's crazy lol, so yeah I think that this movie being better than 90% of other horror movies is not as inacurate as you might think.

I gave a 6 to this one, I really liked the first half and then everything just went downhill. The 'hell' in the movie should have been portrayed a lot better, I was disappointed when it ended, but still it was pretty original and better than expected. For me at least.

[–] mischabelle87 10 years ago

As above so below actually did get a major theatrical release at least In the USA. I saw it in theatres September and it was just released on demand (dvd/blu ray) this month of December.

My fave recent Horror genre films:The Conjuring,Evil Dead,Insdious 1&2, The Innkeepers, Sinister.

[–] mickmaxy 10 years ago

I agree with pretty much everything in your post, most horror flicks contain characters that behave one way then do a backflip and act 'out of character' like they got a sudden case of bipolar. It's very frustrating and this movie is no different. It contains plot holes you could drive a train through and huge mistakes which only point to lazy, poorly planned directing and writing, like when Benji is thrown to his death he films the emaciated girl from the nightclub with his camera right before he plummets down the hole. The camera isn't seen to fall down with him yet is used by Zed among others to film the remainder of the movie. Even if it did fall down with Benji, it would have been destroyed on impact like the token black guy was. Nor would it have survived the multiple immersions in water they all swam through. A Splash Bag is just that, protection from a splash of water.

It's premise had promise but was completely let down in the finished product. Event Horizon was a superior movie which didn't rely on cheap jump scares to flesh out it's spindly story.

[–] unclebigdave 10 years ago

With you on that.. solid 9 from me too, strap in / lights out / hang on.

I thought the movie was an enjoyable blast. couple of nightmare moments here and there. and the fact that it was shot in the catacombs made it all the more creepier. Cheers and merry Christmas \m/

😈

[–] vibetribeweb 10 years ago

I had NO idea I was so *beep* claustrophobic!!! I couldn't even completely watch the part when Benji gets stuck in the tight space! In fact, I'm only at the part where Scarlett starts looking for the source of the telephone ringing because I had to take a break and go outside. SERIOUSLY!!! WTF is happening to me in my old age?! When I was a kid, me and my friends used to crawl thru this immense drainage system that only seasonally had water in it. It NEVER bothered me in the least. It's making me realize that NOW, I could only be afraid of beings(humans, ghosts, monsters, aliens, etc.) if I'm NOT afraid of the environment killing me first!! I would FEARLESSLY confront and destroy ANY being to get out of a place like those catacombs! Ok, I'm going to try and watch some more. I need a shot of something!!

[–] vibetribeweb 10 years ago

Wow!! How can you mess up a movie that has so much potential? The beginning was so captivating and intense and then.....

[–] michael-richardson-418 10 years ago

If disinter was half the horror movie aficionado he claims to be, he wouldn't equate the amount of popular attention a horror movie receives with its quality as a film.

This was an interesting little movie. The build-up, as they descend into the catacombs, is fantastic. The acting is also quite good. With that said, the movie started failing when it tried to be more straight-forwardly horrific. The stone monsters, burning car monster, etc. didn't really horrify. The hooded figure was creepy, but the big scares near the end of the film were mostly unimpressive.

Also didn't care for the magic Philosopher's Stone that heals people instantly.

It was pretty good. The setting was fantastically evocative and the middle portion of the film was effectively creepy. Perhaps if it hadn't succumbed to more conventional scares near the end it would have worked better as a complete film.

[–] mischabelle87 10 years ago

wow i feel exactly the same way regarding horror films rated above a 5 on imdb. Im also a huge horror movie buff . I don't care what the haters of AASB think . Like you , I thoroughly enjoyed this fantastic film. Sure it had its flaws but over all As above so below is a solid horror movie . I agree with your 9 out of 10 rating .

[–] GrandNagusZek 10 years ago

Very entertaining film. I give at least a 6/10. I would say a horror movie above 5 from the 80's is worth watching. Horror movies nowadays I wouldn't trust any of the ratings. They get rated so high and are often garbage. To me a 7 is often actually a 5 in terms of modern horror.

[–] skeetchtvs 10 years ago

I agree I really liked this film, I watched it yesterday from home obviously with a friend. Going into it I thought it would be one of those movies that would only be scary to see in theaters and would be stupid to watch from home, but I was wrong.

The concept of this movie was really awesome and it was really well thought out. Each of the characters had their own personal demons that they are faced with once they cross into "hell".

It had really freaky moments to name a few, the phone ringing in the cave, the car on fire with the person in it, the creepy friend they run into.

[–] cat-dentures 10 years ago

I agree, on many of your points! Gave this a 9 rating too. It was very well done and unique, and I've seen hundreds of horror films. I finished the movie feeling very satisfied :]