The movie structures its scares directly around Dante Alighieri’s Inferno .
The film is smarter than the average horror flick, borrowing heavily from Dante Alighieri’s Inferno .
The film utilizes the hermetic maxim from which it takes its title: "As above, so below." The characters realize that the catacombs are mirroring their own internal guilt and sins. To escape, they cannot simply climb up; they must descend further into the "circles of hell," confronting their past mistakes. The only way out is to face their demons and find spiritual redemption, literally climbing out of a well while looking up toward the light—a reverse of the initial descent.
The title itself is a famous Hermetic maxim derived from the ancient Emerald Tablet . Understanding this concept is crucial to decoding the film's terrifying second half. 1. The Hermetic Maxim
