Movies
[Review] ‘As Above, So Below’ Is Goofy but Fun Spookhouse Fare
While the ad campaign for Universal’s latest found footage horror feature (poster art featuring an inverted Eiffel Tower beneath a mountain of skulls) grabbed my interest early on, I was curious to see As Above, So Below for one reason: the legendary Paris Catacombs, which figure prominently in the story. While this subterranean City of the Dead – containing the bones of several million people, most of them relocated from overcrowded churches, ossuaries and mausoleums in the late 18th century – has been the subject of many horror tales (including the so-so 2007 thriller Catacombs), it’s my understanding that this feature from filmmaking siblings John and Drew Dowdle is the first non-documentary production to be allowed access to the actual site. Real-life urban explorers should take note of that, as the Catacombs are among the world’s most popular macabre destinations… and if nothing else, As Above might even help seal the deal on some of those alt-tourism plans.
That said, there’s sadly very little of the real Catacombs on display in this film, since much of the action takes place in a secret labyrinth of passages that diverge from the real historic tunnels. Most of this domain is represented by specially-built sets, which to the filmmakers’ credit are actually very well designed; still, the sparing use of the actual location was my first disappointment. Second, there’s nothing much new under the ground as far as the plot is concerned. It involves the quest of maniacally driven Archaeology student Scarlett (Perdita Weeks) and her crew in search of the mythical Philosopher’s Stone – a well-known legend in the history of alchemy and mysticism (centuries before J.K. Rowling dragged it into pop culture via Harry Potter). Dragging along a reluctant ex-boyfriend (Ben Feldman) and a shady team of local urban explorers, Scarlett follows a series of cryptic clues from her notes and photos, leading the crew into an unmapped region deep beneath the streets of Paris. After a cave-in blocks their original escape route, the search for another way out reveals one set of creepy ancient inscriptions after another… and when they actually encounter the tired phrase “Abandon Hope Ye Who Enter Here” etched over a doorway to darkness, you can probably sort out what’s coming next.
Now, I’m sure a lot of you already hit a roadblock in my first paragraph upon reading the words “found footage,” and I can understand your misgivings… but I’m going to risk some incoming fire by stating that I myself enjoy many found footage and/or mockumentary horror projects – sometimes even against my better judgment. (I’ll be writing more directly on this topic in a future article, so start gathering ammo for the inevitable comment wars.) Fortunately, the Dowdle brothers manage for the most part to steer clear of the genre’s usual shortcomings – such as cameras shaking way too much for comfort or realism, or their operators continuing to film long after any sane person would drop the rig and run like hell (the team members all wear pin-cams with their headlamps). The tight POV approach here often helps add to the feeling of oppressive claustrophobia, as the characters are breathing down each other’s necks while the shadows tighten around them and the bone-covered floor literally crumbles beneath their feet. The narrow, damp stone passageways – often barely wide or high enough for a single person to squeeze through – call to mind some of the most effective moments from Neil Marshall’s The Descent, a horror classic to which the Dowdles owe a creative debt; in fact, one character’s claustrophobic panic attack is almost a direct lift from that film.
For all its shortcomings – obviously scripted dialogue, awkward omissions (no one thought to bring helmets or gloves?) and a self-endangering, monomaniacal protagonist who makes Indiana Jones seem like a pussy – As Above, So Below still accomplishes what I assume to be its main goal of being an elaborate spookhouse attraction (the kind Universal knows how to pull off by now), complete with creepy random figures jumping out at the right moments (one of those scares is particularly effective, despite the fact that you know it’s coming), and an immersive sound design that serves to disorient the audience and make them more vulnerable to the usual loud sonic stingers. If that’s what you expect to find, you’ll get your ticket’s worth on this ride. If you’re looking for a new twist on the found footage concept, you won’t find it here… and sadly, you won’t be swept up in the Gothic grandeur of the real Catacombs either, since they feature a lot less on screen than I’d hoped.
The holiday weekend means a light week for new horror releases, but it does bring the return of Dark Castle Entertainment to select theaters. It’s being joined by 6 new horror movies.
Here’s all the new horror releasing June 29, 2026 – July 3, 2026!
For daily reminders about new horror releases, be sure to follow @HorrorCalendar.
You wished for it. The highest-grossing horror movie of the year (so far), Curry Barker’s Obsession, arrived on Digital on June 30.
In Curry Barker’s theatrical debut Obsession, after breaking the mysterious One Wish Willow to win his crush’s heart, a hopeless romantic finds himself getting exactly what he asked for but soon discovers that some desires come at a dark, sinister price.
Michael Johnston (“Teen Wolf”), Inde Navarette (“Superman & Lois”), Cooper Tomlinson (“That’s a Bad Idea,” Milk & Serial), Megan Lawless (The Death That Awaits), and Emmy Award-nominee Andy Richter (“Conan,” Elf) star.
Based on a story by director James Kondelik (Behind The Walls) and a screenplay by Canadian writer Victor Rose, survival thriller Pitfall headed home to Digital on June 30. Family is murder in this Cineverse release.
In Pitfall, a young man becomes separated from his friends in the woods and plunges into a ten-foot pit lined with spikes, impaling his leg and leaving him helpless. As reality sinks in and his situation grows dire, he realizes the fall wasn’t an accident.
The film stars Richard Harmon (Final Destination: Bloodlines), Alexandra Essoe (The Pope’s Exorcist), and UFC champion Randy Couture (The Expendables) as the ruthless killer who stalks his prey in the woods. Marshall Williams (The Ice Road), Jordan Claire Robbins (The Umbrella Academy), and Matt Hamilton (Murder for Sale) also star.
The Amityville IP leans into Jaws with Amityville Shark House, just in time for the Fourth of July holiday too, as it released on Digital June 30.
Will Collazo Jr. (Amityville Thanksgiving) and Shawn C. Phillips (Amityville Karen) co-direct from a script they wrote with Julie Anne Prescott.
In the movie, after discovering an ominous shark idol hidden beneath the decaying floorboards, Richard unknowingly awakens an ancient and savage force. As the entity begins to merge with him, a quiet coastal town descends into blood-soaked chaos.
With each victim claimed, the monstrous predator grows stronger, fueling a cult’s belief that their dark god has been reborn. Now, the race is on to stop the carnage before evil consumes everything in its path.
Phillips and Prescott also star alongside Tasha Tacosa, Maritza Brikisak, Gigi Gustin (The Retaliators), Adam Marino, and Carl Solomon.
Available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD as of June 30 is Jacked, directed by John Fucile from a script he co-wrote with Simon Fraser.
The synopsis: “Set in the summer of 1987, JACKED follows two small-town teenagers whose day at the lake turns into a fight for survival after their car breaks down and they encounter a violent stalker.”
Marla Jean Robison, Tom Koch, Anthony Cipriani, Wynn Reichert, Kam Perez and Bella Marie star.
Get ready to work up a killer sweat and maybe spill some blood with Slashercise, a workout meets slasher hybrid that arrived exclusively on Bloodstream on July 1.
Written and directed by Ama Lea (Deathcember), the retro-styled feature follows “a masked killer known only as Meathead as he stalks the fitness clubs of Los Angeles, turning workout sessions into blood-soaked nightmares. As the city’s top trainers are picked off one by one, a group of determined fitness fanatics must fight back before they become the next bodies on the mat.”
Vanessa Decker (Stiletto), John Bloom (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Spencer Charnas (Ice Nine Kills), Sarah French (Blind), Kelli Maroney (Night of the Comet), Sarah Nicklin (V/H/S/Halloween), Diana Prince (The Last Drive-In With Joe Bob Briggs), Jared Rivet (The Once and Future Smash), Felissa Rose (Sleepaway Camp), Tiffany Shepis (Victor Crowley), and Lisa Wilcox (A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master) star.
After a record-breaking box office run, A24 and director Kane Parsons’ feature debut is heading back to theaters with bonus footage. AMC Theatres is unleashing Backrooms: Everything Must Go Editiontoday, July 3.
In the film written by Will Soodik, the owner of Cap’n Clark’s Ottoman Empire discovers a strange doorway in the basement of the furniture showroom. He sets out to explore the mysterious, liminal space, walking headfirst into a creepypasta nightmare.
Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsvestar.
AMC describes this release as a “theatrically exclusive post-credit” with additional footage from Kane Parsons. Expect 16 minutes of bonus footage, with the new version clocking in at 2 hours and 6 minutes.
The Last Exorcism director Daniel Stamm and Dark Castle Entertainment are back with Lockbox, in select theaters July 3. It adapts Soren Narnia‘s Knifepoint Horror Podcast story “Winthrop” by Emmy-winning playwright Justin Yoffe.
In Lockbox, “Seeking peace after her mother’s death, Ellen retreats to a rural town and takes in her severely traumatized cousin Winthrop. Their fragile domestic balance shatters when an erratic neighbor warns that Winthrop is dangerous. As strange phenomena escalate, Ellen must put everything on the line to defend Winthrop from a dangerous otherworldly entity determined to track him down.”
Lou Taylor Pucci (Touch Me, Evil Dead), Carla Gugino (The Haunting of Hill House, Gerald’s Game, The Fall of the House of Usher) and Katharine Isabelle (Ginger Snaps, Backrooms) star.
This week’s new release roundups are presented by Lockbox.
Be careful who you let in. Carla Gugino and Lou Taylor Pucci star in Lockbox, only in select theaters this Friday. Get tickets.
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