100 feet beneath central Paris, there's a huge maze of old tunnels, at least 40 miles long, called the Catacombs. They were originally used as quarries to get rock for the buildings, then became reinforced with pillars when said buildings started getting built on top of them, and finally turned into a labyrinth of rooms and tunnels for safety sake. Towards the end of the 18th century the abandoned spaces were used as mass burial grounds for plague victims, a place to "discreetly" move bones from overcrowded cemeteries and other things of that nature, but they have remained a virtual no man's land up to the present. There are "official" trips that you can make down there today, but that only covers a tiny piece of the catacombs, while the rest has been the (completely illegal) stomping grounds of adventurers and outsiders for the last couple hundred years. In this documentary, Psyckoze- graffiti artist and 25 year vet of the tunnels- takes us on a guided tour, explains the history, reveals the secrets, and introduces us to some of the current dwellers. It's fascinating shit- the place is a virtual grafitti museum with work dating back to the 1700s, there's big piles of bones in places, converted + fixed up rooms in others, a history of wars, parties, art, and getting fucked up. It's a place of pure freedom, and Psy is probably the biggest proponent of keeping it that way. He's got a special connection and reveals his secret work of the last 10 years. Includes bonus interview with Harry Chalfant, approximately 60 minutes.

reviewed by the mgmnt