(This movie has mature content such as nudity and swearing. Viewer discretion is advised.)

Family movie nights seem to always have at least one argument over a movie. There is the romance lover, the superhero lover, the one who does not really want to be there, and the one I always tend to be: the horror movie fanatic. 

I am not one to find horror movies all that scary. It is hard for me to get scared, and my ultimate goal in life is to find a movie that scares me to the point where I cannot sleep. And although this movie does not scare me to the point of a sleepless night, it does not fall short in the plot category.

As Above, So Below takes place in the catacombs of France for the majority of the movie. These catacombs are real snaking hallways with walls of thousands of bones that lie underneath Paris, France. The story follows a woman named Scarlet (played by actress Perdita Weeks) who, inspired by her late father, is in search of the Philosopher’s Stone. Scarlet is multi-talented, a true scholar who has a big drive for the truth. And although it is nice having a powerful female lead, this character comes off as overpowering and a know-it-all. She tends to steal the spotlight from the rest of the group, and I feel like it would not have been hard to distribute traits among the 4 adventurers (Benji, George, Papillon, and Siouxie). They all seemed to have the same personality, with almost no use for them to stick around throughout the film except Benji, who is the cameraman of this documentary-like movie.

 Despite the poor character personalities, their horror is not short of unsettling. They rely on background scares, trusting the viewers are enthralled enough to notice things such as mysterious clues, or people walking behind the main characters without a sound. The atmosphere is eerie and claustrophobic. It makes the anxiety rise within the characters and the viewers, and you wonder if everyone really will make it out alive.

 If you pay close attention, you will find that there is a theme of the Cardinal Sins, more commonly known as the Seven Deadly Sins. It is a cliche theme, yet every time I come across it there is not a time I feel it is overused. This was definitely a welcome addition to the eerie vibes of the film. 

Overall, I find this movie to be 4 out of 5 stars. I feel like there could have been a better way to develop the characters within the movie, but the plot is well-made. As for whether it is worth your time to view, I definitely think it is a good pick that will not waste your time!