As Above So Below VS Descent: Digging Deeper into Horror

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AS ABOVE SO BELOW VS THE DESCENT: 2014, 2006: Horror:  I generally hate movies that depict caves, spelunking, narrow spaces, etc. so both of these movies scared me at times.  Although some of the scares were predictable in As Above So Below, they worked.  The Descent had a much more tangible terror factor because it involved clever use of shadows and terrifying creatures. Again, the settings in both movies had a lot to do with getting me scared.  Someone who isn't frightened by the scenario of being stuck in a cave, running out of oxygen, or being chased by creatures might not find these "scary" per se but I certainly did.  


The sets in As Above were spot on for me and delivered appropriate feelings of dread.

Specifically, As Above So Below is set in the French Catacombs which actually exists and has a very sinister, albeit practical purpose.  Throughout history, the corpses of the dead were placed in the catacombs and they began becoming so numerous, that they were sculpted into actual parts of the tunnels. This makes for a very eerie backdrop.







After doing a little research about it, the more I found out, the more I wanted to forget about those catacombs.  HERE is more information on the topic..

While the setting of As Above created a sense of terror, the plot behind The Descent climaxed in unforeseen ways.  Spoiler alert..At first the viewer might think it's just a standard cave exploration movie but it takes a different turn.


Don't look behind you..The Descent excelled in setting up the scares.

These movies reminded of The Cave, with Lena Headey (Game of Thrones), and Beneath, but I feel both of these movies were better.   

Lena Headey in The Cave.  I would hate being in this situation..


Descent turns up the gore with scenes like this.

What made As Above So Below different than the other movies mentioned was the fact that it had a compelling story that connected the characters in the movie well while also giving you reasons to keep watching it.  Elements that pertained to mysticism, archaeology, and alchemy gave As Above some depth. It's the type of movie that you want to watch completely to see what happens in the end.  


I wonder what happens when you go through there?


Nevermind!


The search for the Holy Grail?  Well, sort of..

Although some of the camera work was nauseating in As Above, it didn't detract too much from the overall effect.  Basically, John Dowdle wanted to capture the movement of the actors as they ran ala other "found footage" type movies.  This works well to a certain extent, but it was overused, causing me to get distracted a few times. Think of The Blair With Project but more jumpy. Incidentally, if you want to see a list of the best "found footage" horror movies, here is a great list!

 
Some of the scenes were tough to watch due to the camera work.


Descent was more polished and the camera work was better.

Another element that got a little tiresome was the dialogue in As Above, which definitely seemed to go in circles.  Much of the movie does as well, but this is intentional.  It works to give you a sense of going deeper into hell or wherever they are going.  It's not clear where they are heading, but it's deep under ground, repeats often, and resembles Dante's Purgatorio in some ways.  I believe Purgatory was actually mentioned a few times.  The plot and pacing of The Descent was multifaceted and had two stories interlaced. Neil Marshall should be commended for this


There was mention of purgatory and other elements resembling Dante's work.


The Descent had a nice surprise in the middle that made it almost another movie!

I enjoyed the endings of both movies but Descent comes out on top. In terms of horror elements, Descent wins hands down with excellent special effects as well as action.



The main character is a strong heroine that outshines all the other characters in the movie.  Actually there were two in the movie. They kicked butt.  


These actresses don't take any BS in The Descent.



The female lead in As Above is a strong character but plays the more cerebral, scientific role.  This isn't to say she doesn't get involved in the action.  A few times she resembled a female Indiana Jones.  



While I enjoyed the scares in As Above they were a little more contrived and after awhile I could predict when they were going to occur.  Also the pacing wasn't as intriguing as The Descent's.  


This part freaked me out..only for a second though lol..


This part also scared me.

BUT THE WORST PART WAS>>>>


Just kidding, I have no idea why this is even related.




That's better.  Anyway, I liked both movies but Descent is clearly the better one.  I saw it awhile back so some of the details aren't as clear as Above so Below but they were so similar that I thought I should pit them against each other.  No pun intended.

As Above So Below:  69%
The Descent: 81%

  
Carrie move over!

  VS  
NO way I could do this.  See how crisp the image from Descent  is so much crisper?

THE DESCENT CRAWLERS SCENE

AS ABOVE SO BELOW SCENE

Mas Negro que la Noche VS Here Comes the Devil

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"Mas Negro que la Noche" VS. Here Comes The Devil:  2013, 2014 Horror:  

What better way to break the spell of the winter blues then to watch two Spanish horror movies?  OK, well, there might be other ways, but for the purposes of this review, play along.


Anyone up for a drink?

By the way, thanks for the 4,000th view as well as the more than 13K views on the profile.  

There are some great things to say about these movies and better yet, they have some similarities that you can say are cultural trends. What makes these movies different though is how the directors communicate what they think is worthy of a scare.  How do they match against their contemporaries?  Are they ahead of the proverbial paranormal curve or sorely behind in the be-headings? 


Two sides of the same coin?  I think not..

Both of these movies are very different.  One relies heavily on elements of some other American movies, while the other is much bolder is its approach and actually is quite memorable for a few reasons.  


Her hair is as duplicitous as the movie's influences..


One of these movies holds very little back in terms of shock value.

Mas Negro borrow heavily from The Woman in Black as well as The Others.  This is undeniable.  Using quiet to loud shock sequences, it doesn't provide the viewer with much backdrop to appreciate the frights.  They just come and go with a few doors slamming and people flying through the air.  This is pedestrian at best as we know by now.


Bodies levitating is nothing new, so when it's used, please be original...

These similarities actually make the movie entertaining because it points to how influential some directors and writers can be in other cultures.  I don't mean to use broad strokes here, but they are pretty hard to ignore.  The maid in Mas Negro is completely "lifted" from The Others.  Did Henry Bedwell think that these similarities would go unnoticed?  Perhaps they are a homage? I think the former is more appropriate here..

  
Both maids are very similar and function the same way.  Why?

The actual set of Mas Negro is also strikingly similar to The Others.

  
Setting makes the mood, mood facilitates the suspense, suspense makes for a good movie..
If one of these elements is flawed, then...

Rather than focus on shortcomings of a film, I think it's much more entertaining to focus on what a movie does well.  Don't get me wrong, Here Comes the Devil is rough and often times may seem sophomoric, but as I understood the movie, these aspects fed into the overall effect of the movie.  It's raw and packs a punch.


Here Comes The Devil doesn't hide behind slick scenery but provides plenty of horror elements.

Here Comes really gets under your skin in ways that Mas Negro doesn't.  Part of this is due to the way in which Adrian Bolgiano delivers a no frills horror movies with some seriously sadistic undertones of true horror.  Once you understand the premise, you want to forget it as soon as possible.  It's pretty disturbing.


Here Comes has some elements that get under your skin.


Mas Negro delivers in the "eye candy" department..


Remind you of a certain American sitcom involving the paranormal?

When watching both of these movies, you might be wondering where the scares are..  


Mas Negro actually has a black cat scare in it..wow, that's quaint.


An old senile lady is only scary when she, well she's not scary ever, that is when in The Lady in Black.


Just give me more eye candy dammit.

OK, I'll be honest, the girl with the blond/ black hair was one of the only reasons I kept watching Mas Negro.  Plus hearing her speak Spanish was pretty enticing..


Wait, this lady looks like the old lady in Mas Negro..

The reasons these movies aren't particularly frightening is because one is rehashed while the other is subliminal.  One treads heavily on the steps of popular American horror, while one tries to walk it's own path.  



Mas Negro:56%  
Here Comes the Devil: 71%


Where's the rest of my hair dye?

MAS NEGRO ES LA NOCHE

HERE COMES THE DEVIL


nice