DVD Review: Catacombs

By Jeff Swindoll Feb 20, 2008, 14:34 GMT

CATACOMBS is the story of a young woman on her first visit out of the country. While in Paris, she is taken to an underground party in the Catacombs, a labyrinth of over 200 miles of 14th Century limestone tunnels under the Left Bank of the city, lined with the remains of 7 million people. When she is separated from her friends and becomes convinced that someone or something is ...more

See Paris and die is the old saying, but when you venture down below the city of lights into the catacombs you may find that there’s something that will assist you in the dying part of the phrase.  

Victoria (Shannyn Sossamon) gets a postcard from her sister Carolyn (Alecia Moore, aka Pink) saying that she should come to Paris that that the trip will “change her forever.”  Carolyn takes Victoria to a party that’s hosted by Jean-Michel (Mihai Stanescu) in the legendary catacombs that are under the streets of Paris.  The catacombs have been a repository of the dead since the 18th century and the bones have been crafted into macabre works of art. 

Definitely a creepy place to hold the techno rave that Jean-Michel is into.  Victoria is a nervous sort so when Jean-Michel tells of the satanic cult that used to frequent the tunnels her paranoia can only be accentuated.  The cult would engage in orgies, incest, and all other manners of deviance.  When one of their women would be come pregnant they’d let her get to term, kill her after the child was born, and then raise the child on a diet of raw mean and keep the child chained in the darkness until it became a raving maniac. 

The party goes on after this little love story, which is until the cops raid the place.  In the melee Victoria and Carolyn get separated and lost in the tunnels.  Carolyn meets a messy end at the hands of one of the cult’s children and Victoria runs for her life but gets lost in the catacombs.  However, our maniacal killer won’t let a nice girl like Victoria just gets away.

Catacombs is a film that has a twist ending.  I think that most horror hounds will see it coming from a mile away.  I know that I basically made up my mind where the plot was going near the beginning of the film. 

That being said the film was an acceptable little thriller, if you don’t mind (or recognize) the familiar plot twists then you might enjoy yourself.  I thought that setting the film in the fabled catacombs beneath Paris was a novel and interesting twist and makes for an eerie place for the horrors to unfold (even if the film was shot in Romania and not in gay Paree). 

Another item that makes this film unique is the acting debut of Pink aka Alecia Moore.  She’s done some cameos before but this is her first real gig.  She does okay, I’m not going to say that she’s going to win in any Oscars in this role but she’s not as terrible as some other rockers that I’ve seen make their debuts in a horror flicks.   It’s a passable horror film if it strikes you in the right frame of mind.  

Here’s where it gets kind of ugly.  Catacombs is presented in widescreen (1.85:1) but it has not been enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  I could imagine, since most of the action takes place in the dark tunnels, that this enhancement would’ve greatly benefited the film on DVD.

It’s odd in these times that a studio would release it without being enhanced.  Special features include a commentary with director/writers Tomm Coker and David Elliot.  Next is a storyboard gallery that also has commentary by the filmmakers and a 6-minute “making of.” 

Next is the 5-minute “Making of Blue Butterfly” with Japanese musician Yoshiki talking about how he composed the song.  There are also trailers for other Lionsgate DVD releases.  

Your enjoyment depends on what you think of the ending – either you’re going to accept it or you’re going to hate it.  I wonder if those that got twisted at the end weren’t deserving of what they got considering what had went on before, but hey it’s only a movie.

Catacombs is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a March 3rd release. Visit the DVD database for more information.