Catacombs of Paris, or Les Catacombes de Paris, is one of the most distinctive and unsettling historic sites in the French capital. The underground ossuary was created in the late 18th century, when human remains from overcrowded Paris cemeteries were transferred into former limestone quarry tunnels beneath the city. Today the official visitor route shows only a small part of a much larger underground network, but even that section gives a powerful impression of the place: narrow passages, stacked bones, skull-lined walls and a deep sense of being far below the streets of Paris.
The Catacombs of Paris are most closely associated with As Above, So Below (2014), one of the rare feature films to be shot inside the real catacombs. The location also appears in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (2023–), where the tunnels become part of the series’ French post-apocalyptic landscape. In both productions, the catacombs are used for their claustrophobic, underground atmosphere, but in different ways: “As Above, So Below” (2014) turns them into the centre of a horror story, while “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” (2023–) uses them as part of a wider ruined Paris.
In “As Above, So Below” (2014), archaeologist Scarlett Marlowe and her group enter the Paris Catacombs while searching for the philosopher’s stone. What begins as an underground expedition turns into a descent through increasingly nightmarish tunnels, where the characters are confronted by fear, guilt and death. The real catacombs give the film much of its claustrophobic power: the low ceilings, tight passages, darkness, bones and uneven stone corridors make the setting feel physically oppressive. Because so much of the film was shot inside the actual catacombs beneath Paris, the location becomes almost a character in itself rather than a simple horror backdrop.
In “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” (2023–), the Catacombs of Paris appear during Daryl’s journey through the French capital. The underground passages, bones and darkness fit naturally into the series’ post-apocalyptic version of Paris, where historic places have become dangerous, hidden spaces below the ruined city. The catacombs give the show a distinctly French horror atmosphere, combining real history with the survival imagery of “The Walking Dead”.
As Above, So Below
As Above, So Below was shot in Paris, and its most important location is the real Catacombs of Paris beneath the city.
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon is closely tied to France, and the country is far more than a generic backdrop.
Centre Pompidou
The Centre Pompidou is a building complex in Paris, France. The Centre Pompidou served as a primary filming location for the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker.
Pont d’Iéna Stairs
Pont d’Iéna Stairs appears in A View to a Kill (1985). The stairway is used as part of one of the film’s best-known Paris action sequences.
Statue of Liberty in Paris
Statue of Liberty in Paris appears in Frantic (1988), National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007), Lost in Paris (2016), and The Fall (2006).
Abbesses Metro Station
Abbesses is a famous, historic Paris Métro station on Line 12 in Montmartre, renowned as the deepest station in the network at roughly 36 meters below ground.
Deauville Beach Cabins
The Deauville beach cabins have appeared in both A Man and a Woman and Sentimental Value.
Mont-Saint-Michel
Mont-Saint-Michel has appeared in films including Mindwalk, Armageddon and To the Wonder, and it is also used in The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon.
Guildford Cathedral
Guildford Cathedral is best known as a filming location from The Omen. The cathedral has also appeared in productions such as The Sandman and The Witcher.
All Saints Church, Fulham
All Saints Church, Fulham, is best known on screen from The Omen. It is one of the key Fulham locations used in the film, together with nearby Bishops Park.
Bishops Park
Bishops Park is best known to film fans from The Omen. The film uses several London and Surrey locations, and the Fulham section is one of its most memorable.
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