Image via YouTube.

Fans of films set in creepy locations should enjoy As Above, So Below, which opened on Friday, Aug. 29, bringing the skulls and bones of the terrifying Parisian catacombs to life.

Those not familiar with the film directed by John Erick Dowdle and co-written by brother Drew Dowdle might find it equal parts The Descent and Paris, je t'aime. OK, we probably got our recipe wrong there, but in any case; here is the trailer for the horror flick:

The stunning part about the movie’s production is the Dowdles chose to film a majority of it in the actual catacombs that sit beneath Paris, France.

Meredith Woerner of iO9 had a chance to speak with the filmmakers on their decision and the difficulties in shooting in such a cramped location.

Drew offered, “In the beginning of the movie when you first enter the catacombs, the space is just so creepy and claustrophobic.”

John furthered that sentiment with an anecdote as scary as the movie itself:

“I mean it is genuinely scary down there. Our first location scout, we went through a tiny hole like the size a raccoon would climb through in the tunnels. We were in waders, we had water up to our chests with a stone ceiling at our heads. We went for close to five hours, and there were sections where we had to climb under giant rocks. It was genuinely scary. We got maybe as far away from the exit. There's no cell reception; there's no walkies that work. There were moments where the voice inside of me was screaming, ‘Run!’ One of the people in our initial scout totally lost his mind down there. He went crazy. It was scary. He was screaming, ‘We need to get out of here.’ And it just echoes.”

Putting a visual spin on the confined shoot, Legendary Pictures posted this behind-the-scenes video to YouTube, illustrating just how difficult producing a movie was in such an extraordinary location.

As John remarks, shooting the film mandated putting a forearm in front of his face so that walls and overhanging walls wouldn’t actually hit his face.

And then there was the toll the mind takes in shooting in such a space. Drew explained, “and psychologically I have to say after more than 20 days people start to lose it a little bit, because the air is strange down here; the quality of sound is very strange down here.” Drew continued, “It really starts to wear on you.”

Now if that sounds like your idea of fun, seek help…or take a trip down into the catacombs yourself—whatever floats that rocky boat of yours.  

Les Catacombes de Paris offers tours of a section of the famed tunnels, but warns, “the tour is unsuitable for people with heart or respiratory problems, those of a nervous disposition and young children.”

In 2011, National Geographic profiled those brave enough to search for openings not available to the public; an endeavor the publication warns has been illegal since 1955.

The recommendation is to get your cataphile fix the safe and legal way or watch the movie that promises all the frights you can cram into 90 minutes.

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