‘As Above, So Below’ Film Theories: Explanations, Themes, and Meaning

I’m a frequent participant in all of the horror film subreddits, and I have to say As Above, So Below comes up more often than almost any other horror movie.

Sometimes, it’s because someone didn’t like the film. But many other times, it’s a favorite — perhaps an all-time favorite.

Suffice it to say: This movie is controversial for horror fans.

I’m probably somewhere in between the two extremes. But I did find that this movie gave me a lot to analyze. So I did and have shared my thoughts with you below.

Screenshot from “As Above, So Below” trailer.

Top Theories About the Meaning and Themes of ‘As Above, So Below’ (2014)

1. The Catacombs as a Symbol of Psychological Descent

Theory: The entire journey represents a descent into the characters’ subconscious minds — a confrontation with guilt, trauma, and personal demons. The catacombs function as a metaphor for the Jungian “shadow self.”

• Why It Fits:
  • Each character is ultimately forced to face their unresolved guilt: George with his drowned brother, Scarlett with her father’s suicide, Zed with his abandoned child. The supernatural events are reflections of their inner turmoil, intensifying as they go deeper into the catacombs — deeper into themselves.
• Key Moments:
  • Scarlett seeing the hanged man (her father) in both Iran and Paris.
  • George reliving his brother’s drowning.
  • Zed’s guilt emerging only at the final stage, forcing confession before freedom.
  • The phrase “Abandon all hope, ye who enter here” marking the threshold between conscious and unconscious.

2. Alchemical Transmutation of the Soul

Theory: The film is a symbolic alchemical process, where characters undergo a spiritual transformation (“base metal to gold”) through trials, confessions, and eventual rebirth.

• Why It Fits:
  • The Philosopher’s Stone is a core symbol of alchemy, and the film is steeped in its themes — death, rebirth, purification, and enlightenment. The “real” stone is ultimately internal, not external, echoing the spiritual goal of alchemy: self-realization.
• Key Moments:
  • Scarlett’s journey from intellectual arrogance to emotional vulnerability.
  • Her realization that the true stone is within her.
  • The mirroring of the above-ground and underground spaces (“As above, so below”) symbolizing inner and outer alignment.
  • The need for confession and letting go of ego before emerging reborn on the surface.

3. Modern Inferno — A Cinematic Retelling of Dante’s Descent into Hell

Theory: The film loosely mirrors Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, with each descending level representing a deeper circle of Hell, and each character facing punishment aligned with their sins.

• Why It Fits:
  • The visual and textual nods to Inferno are clear (“Abandon all hope…” is straight from the text), and the idea of spiritual punishment for unresolved guilt is central. Just as Dante needed to understand sin to escape, so too must Scarlett and the others.
• Key Moments:
  • The progression downward into more horrific realms.
  • La Taupe as a damned soul trapped in limbo.
  • Papillon’s death by car — an ironic punishment for causing an accident that killed someone.
  • The final leap of faith required for escape — only possible after atonement.

4. Collective Purgatory — They Were Dead the Whole Time

Theory: The characters are already dead (or in a liminal state), and the catacombs are a version of purgatory where they must come to terms with their sins in order to move on.

• Why It Fits:
  • The film is filled with death imagery, ghostly figures, and supernatural phenomena. The eerie repetition of spaces, impossible architecture, and personal hauntings suggest they’re not in the real world. Only those who accept guilt and confess survive — a classic purgatorial device.
• Key Moments:
  • The group returning inexplicably to the same blocked tunnel.
  • Encounters with symbolic ghosts (e.g., the woman and baby for Benji).
  • The manhole exit only appearing after confessions.
  • Scarlett’s final log about not seeking treasure, as if closing a chapter beyond death.

5. Feminine Redemption in a Male-Dominated Myth

Theory: Scarlett, a woman scholar often dismissed by her peers, must complete a mythic journey usually reserved for male heroes — and in doing so, reclaims both spiritual and intellectual authority.

• Why It Fits:
  • Scarlett mirrors the archetypal “seeker,” but unlike Indiana Jones or Robert Langdon, her ultimate power is not intellect alone but compassion and humility. Her healing of George is not scientific, but emotional — symbolic of feminine energy restoring balance.
• Key Moments:
  • Her refusal to leave George behind, despite having the “stone.”
  • The realization that the real power lies within, not in the treasure.
  • Facing her father’s death head-on and offering forgiveness.
  • Leading the final jump, making her the one who truly earns redemption.

Key Themes in ‘As Above, So Below’

The Obsession with Knowledge

Scarlett’s quest is driven not by greed, but by a deep academic need to uncover truth — a compulsion that mirrors her father’s. This theme explores the psychological cost of intellectual obsession, where the pursuit of knowledge risks emotional detachment, danger, and even death.

The Intersection of History and Myth

The film blurs the line between historical fact and mythical lore. Real-world elements like Nicolas Flamel, the Catacombs, and alchemical texts are woven into supernatural interpretations, suggesting that myth may hold hidden truths when examined closely.

The Inescapability of the Past

Every character is haunted — not just figuratively, but literally — by something unresolved. The theme emphasizes how unacknowledged guilt or trauma follows us, shapes our reality, and must be confronted in order to grow or survive.

Urban Spaces as Spiritual Landscapes

Paris’s Catacombs serve not just as a setting, but as a sacred-symbolic space. Beneath a modern city lies a maze of bones, blood, and buried secrets, turning the urban underworld into a metaphysical one.

The Limits of Control

Despite extensive planning, maps, and academic preparation, Scarlett and her team are constantly forced to surrender to forces they don’t understand. The film explores how human attempts to control or rationalize the world often crumble in the face of the unknown.

Plot Summary

• Year Released: 2014
• Director: John Erick Dowdle
• Writer: John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle

Scarlett Marlowe, a scholar of alchemy, ventures into the Paris Catacombs in search of the Philosopher’s Stone, hoping to complete her late father’s life’s work. Joined by a small team, she follows cryptic clues that lead them deep underground. As they descend, they encounter strange phenomena, personal visions, and supernatural forces that mirror their darkest secrets and unresolved guilt. After discovering that the real Philosopher’s Stone lies within, Scarlett and the survivors must confront their sins to escape. The journey becomes less about treasure and more about inner transformation, redemption, and the blurred line between myth and truth.

Movies with Similar Themes to ‘As Above, So Below’

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The Descent (2005)

A group of women exploring an uncharted cave system become trapped and hunted by subterranean creatures — but the real horror lies in psychological unraveling and buried personal trauma.

—> Watch The Descent online.

Event Horizon (1997)

A rescue crew investigates a spaceship that vanished into a black hole and returned with something sinister onboard. Themes of guilt, madness, and a descent into personal hell dominate the sci-fi horror.

—> Watch Event Horizon online.

The Ninth Gate (1999)

A rare book dealer searches for a demonic manuscript that supposedly summons the devil. The film explores obsession, the occult, and the dangerous lure of forbidden knowledge.

—> Watch The Ninth Gate online.

The Pyramid (2014)

Archaeologists become trapped in an ancient Egyptian pyramid filled with deadly traps and supernatural forces. Like As Above, So Below, it blends historical mythology with claustrophobic horror.

—> Watch The Pyramid online.

Kill List (2011)

A hitman takes on a series of increasingly disturbing jobs that lead him into a cultic underworld. The film slowly descends from crime thriller to psychological and occult horror.

—> Watch Kill List online.

Annihilation (2018)

A team of scientists enters a mysterious zone where the laws of nature bend, facing strange creatures and personal illusions. The deeper they go, the more they confront their internal struggles and identities.

—> Watch Annihilation online.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

A courtroom drama wrapped in supernatural horror, this film examines the tension between faith, science, and the psychological roots of suffering.

—> Watch The Exorcism of Emily Rose online.

Have Your Own ‘As Above, So Below’ Theory?

So, where do you fall on the love-hate spectrum for As Above, So Below? Are you a lover, hater, or (like me) somewhere in the middle?

Probably an even better question is what did you think during or after the film? Any theories or thoughts? I’d love to hear them.

😱