As Above, So Below Review

05/27/20 • 116 min

This week we watched As Above, So Below on Netflix. This tight package of a found footage adventure horror holds up very well over the years. Maybe we're too easily impressed, but when a horror movie sets up a compelling premise, has interesting characters with motivations that makes sense, and a plot that maintains interest, it's hard to be displeased. On today's episode, we review As Above, So Below, play a new trivia game with Ben Warrington, and read the latest from Horror Movie Talk's social media accounts. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/Fq358xHbzN4 Synopsis Loosely based on the classic literary work Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, this film follows a ragtag team of archeologists as they follow clues to find the legendary philosopher's stone. Their search takes them into the labyrinthian catacombs under Paris. Paris, France. As they wind themselves deeper into the claustrophobic caverns and through the nine circles of Hogwarts, they fight against their own demons and encounter far more than they bargained for . Review of As Above, So Below As Above, So Below is to found footage movies as your racist uncle’s one black friend is to all black people: It’s one of the good ones. The film is a combination of Indiana Jones, The Descent, and... let's say... a haunted house movie. It starts off very strong, and sets up a full fledged plot, which is surprisingly rare in a found footage film. The subgenre usually leans heavily on gimmicks and “unscripted” banter, and it's a welcome relief that this one doesn't. Also rare in found footage movies, the characters are actually fleshed out with relationships and backstories. It gives you enough of a reason to be hooked and interested early on, and has enough mystery and scares to keep you interested throughout. The idea of setting a horror movie in the Paris Catacombs is brilliant, and they take full advantage of all the elements that make them scary in real life. It’s huge and maze-like, it’s claustrophobic, caves be caves, and spooky bones. It’s not without it’s flaws, but they are few and far between. The phrase “we gotta keep moving” is uttered one too many times for my taste. Like, really? We can’t rest and reflect for a minute after a lifelong friend just died? But honestly it’s hard to find things to complain about with this one. Score for As Above, So Below 9/10 Final Recommendations This is a must watch in my eyes. It is accessible enough for fans of Brendan Fraser's The Mummy, and scary enough for fans of The Conjuring. Watch it today on Netflix or, buy it on Amazon. Other found footage movies that we have reviewed that might be of interest are The Taking of Deborah Logan, and Quarantine.

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It Follows Review & Cat Solen Interview

We watched It Follows on Amazon Prime, and to me, it remains one of the very best movies released this century. I have seen this movie mentioned in many “Best of” lists and quite a few “Worst of” lists, so it’s controversial, but it will give you something to talk about either way. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkZYbOH0ujw Synopsis It Follows is a story that focuses on a group of kids and one girl, in particular, Jay (Maika Monroe). At its outset, this is something of a romantic story that soon gives way to terror. As Jay’s new relationship with Hugh blossoms, she allows herself a glimpse of happiness before being forced into hell. Watch It FollowsWatch on AmazonClick here to Watch It’s hard to say much about It Follows without giving away spoilers, but suffice it to say there is a monster, and it follows specific, defined mechanics. Review for It Follows When I first saw It Follows, it was in theaters, and I knew nothing about it other than that it was a horror movie. When I walked out of that theater, I had a distinct impression that I had seen horror history. The care that went into making everything about this movie is immediately apparent. The musical score, the framing, and attention to detail, the use of extras - it’s flawlessly executed. Add to that a concept that is unique and taps into the core of our humanity, and I think you come away with a perfect movie. It’s more than just a chilling concept or a well-executed film - It Follows feels like a new thing in horror. It feels like a movement toward the conceptual idea of what drives horror. Strip down the overburdened tropes and monsters that make up what horror was for decades, and leave just the essentials. Like it or hate it, I can promise you that this movie will give you something to debate with your friends about for years to come. Score 10/10 Spoilers for It Follows It Follows is such a wonderfully done movie that is so simple that once you understand what’s going on, there isn’t a whole lot to spoil. Instead, let’s take a look at what works in this movie. Endless Ambiance The mood of this movie can be described as heavy melancholy, which is an exciting and unique choice in horror movies. The acting and the bleak settings tee up this feeling of sadness and innocence lost that works, especially with this perverse subject matter. The acting is especially impressive when you consider that there are almost no adults at all in It Follows – just a bunch of teens. They all feel real, and they all seem like they are being left alone by uncaring or unavailable parents. These teens bond and end up sleeping wherever they end up at night. The setting shifts between suburban Detroit and abandoned Detroit. The use of abandoned buildings and houses adds to the ambiance in such a fantastic way without being full of effort. Maybe I enjoy the setting so much because we never get to see movies that are set in these bleak and downtrodden areas. Perhaps it’s because I have a soft spot for Detroit. Incredibly Perverse Subject Matter Done Right It Follows is about a shapeshifting, slow-moving monster that is a sexually transmitted disease. If you have sex with someone who is infected, they pass the monster’s invisible leash to you, and suddenly you are granted the ability to see this monster. The catch? The monster can look like anyone, even people you know and love. It can use these people to get to you and kill you; once you are dead, it moves on to the person who passed it to you. It Follows could have been a raunchy sex-capade with a bunch of crass, boring, overused bullshit – but it’s not. Every sex scene is either tender and loving, or a deception, and many instances of sex are merely insinuated and take place off-screen entirely. The result is a very classy and thought provoking film ...

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Evil Dead 2 Review

We watched Evil Dead 2 on Amazon and this movie has been a favorite of mine since I was a little kid. The combination of stop motion, practical effects, and Bruce Campbell’s amazing physical acting makes for one of the best comedy horrors ever made. @dgoebel00 on Instagram provided this amazing artwork. Follow him and check out his website. https://youtu.be/6lM3NPeEG24 Evil Dead 2 Synopsis Evil Dead 2 is the story of Ash and his girlfriend Annie who drive deep into the woods to have a nice time breaking and entering into a cabin that isn’t theirs. Following their felony, Ash stumbles upon the Necronomicon Ex Mortis - the book of the dead. The book served as a passageway to the evil worlds beyond. Written long ago when the seas ran red with blood, and this blood was used to ink the book. in the year 1300 AD the book disappeared. Ash plays a tape recorder with a translation of the pages from the book, and that’s enough to unleash more evil than they bargained for. Watch Evil Dead 2Watch on AmazonClick Here to Watch Evil Dead 2 Review Evil Dead 2 (1987) is sort of a remake of the first movie that started it all The Evil Dead, by Sam Raimi. It’s not a step by step remake, and it differs in a lot of ways, but the premise is very similar - people go to a cabin in the woods, find the book of the dead, and are attacked by a long-dead evil. Where the first movie is deadly serious and quite disturbing, Evil Dead 2 takes a more comedy-based approach while maintaining an incredible array of shocking visuals. The effects in this are so over-the-top that it’s pushed into goofy, nervous laughter territory. Couple these super-cool effects with Bruce Campbell’s most incredible performance of all time. He carries this movie in a way that amazes me every time I watch it. For almost half of this film Campbell manages to act alone, with almost nothing to react to and his energy is unbelievable. Finally, I really enjoy how this movie manages tension with silence and stillness juxtaposed with loudness and chaos. It’s a classic that’s based on a classic, and Ash gets a sawed off chainsaw for a missing hand coupled with a sawed off shotgun - the most bad-ass pairing of weapons since peanut butter and chainsaws for hands. Score 10/10 Spoilers If you haven't seen this movie, you really must. Evil Dead 2 takes a very simple premise and creates a playground of special effects around it. There isn’t a tremendous amount to spoil in this one, it’s mostly the story of how a long-dead evil is summoned at an old cabin in the woods, and what Ash does to put it back in its place. The end result is the most fun you may ever have in a horror movie, action is everywhere. The violence is so insane and prolific that you can’t help but laugh at the spectacle of it. No one but Sam Raimi could have pulled this thing off, and to be honest, no one ever has. The 2013 remake, Evil Dead is technically a remake of the first movie. So, number two continues to stands alone. Final Recommendations Everyone you know should watch this movie.