IMDb RATING
6.2/10
3.1K
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English country squire Sir Hugo Cunningham searches for immortality by literally 'bottling up' the Spirit of the Dead, or Asphyx.English country squire Sir Hugo Cunningham searches for immortality by literally 'bottling up' the Spirit of the Dead, or Asphyx.English country squire Sir Hugo Cunningham searches for immortality by literally 'bottling up' the Spirit of the Dead, or Asphyx.
Joe Wadham
- Police Officer at Accident Scene
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe main credits state that the film's soundtrack was recorded using a 4-channel quadraphonic sound system. Sadly, there appears to be no evidence of it ever being exhibited in this manner.
- GoofsToward the end of the film Robert Powell picks up a glass beaker. It has the Pyrex stamp on it and its volume is stated as 600ml. Victorian England used imperial (non-metric) measures, and Pyrex was not invented until 1915.
- Quotes
Sir Hugo Cunningham: I obey God's will, my friend, my old friend, my eternal and everlasting friend...
- Alternate versionsThe film was originally shot in Todd-AO 35, a wide-screen process which is normally viewed at 2.35:1. The 1995 UK video featured a much shorter print and missed around 12 minutes of footage including dialogue scenes, an anti-hanging protest before the execution, and the removal of a scene showing the now-immortalized guinea pig being released from its cage. The 2004 Anchor Bay UK DVD features the same print and is presented in an anamorphic 1.85:1 ratio and also uses a pan & scan technique, thus cropping much of the print into a false version of wide-screen. The 2010 Odeon DVD features both the shorter and longer original prints in genuine widescreen.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Elvira's Movie Macabre: The Horror of Death (1986)
Featured review
One-of-a-kind Gothic horror
A clever, likable story of one man's quest for immortality, this film is something of a neglected gem in the horror genre. The Gothic atmosphere makes it feel like one of the better Hammer films, while the supernatural events which occur are actually believable (the use of the real-life society of psychical research adds to the authenticity) and therefore all the more frightening because of this. Some people have criticised the film for being too talky and too boring, but there are loads of scientific experiments going on in the best Frankenstein tradition to liven things up.
Robert Stephens puts in an unlikable yet accurate performance as a man who will stop at nothing to achieve immortality, his character understandable yet despicable at the same time. Robert Powell (THE SURVIVOR) puts in one of his better turns as a young man caught up in the horror. Jane Lapotaire adds some conviction to her role as a female victim (she doesn't just scream all the time), and at least everyone looks the part in this film.
The one truly memorable thing, though, is the special effect of the Asphyx itself, a creature which possesses the body at the moment of death. While not sophisticated by any means, the ghostly form of the Asphyx (it looks a bit like the ghosts in GHOSTBUSTERS) is really spooky. It's obvious that only a puppet is being used, but this beats the lame CGI effects of the recent THE HAUNTING remake in shudder value. Added to this there is the unearthly wailing noises which really send shivers down your spine. Although there is little gore, there are some memorable bits of violence.
THE ASPHYX definitely deserves more respect than it currently has, I don't think many people have heard of it at all which is a real shame. If you like your horror in the best Gothic tradition, then this is the film for you. Very clever and with a disturbing ending, THE ASPHYX is commendably weird.
Robert Stephens puts in an unlikable yet accurate performance as a man who will stop at nothing to achieve immortality, his character understandable yet despicable at the same time. Robert Powell (THE SURVIVOR) puts in one of his better turns as a young man caught up in the horror. Jane Lapotaire adds some conviction to her role as a female victim (she doesn't just scream all the time), and at least everyone looks the part in this film.
The one truly memorable thing, though, is the special effect of the Asphyx itself, a creature which possesses the body at the moment of death. While not sophisticated by any means, the ghostly form of the Asphyx (it looks a bit like the ghosts in GHOSTBUSTERS) is really spooky. It's obvious that only a puppet is being used, but this beats the lame CGI effects of the recent THE HAUNTING remake in shudder value. Added to this there is the unearthly wailing noises which really send shivers down your spine. Although there is little gore, there are some memorable bits of violence.
THE ASPHYX definitely deserves more respect than it currently has, I don't think many people have heard of it at all which is a real shame. If you like your horror in the best Gothic tradition, then this is the film for you. Very clever and with a disturbing ending, THE ASPHYX is commendably weird.
Helpful•82
- Leofwine_draca
- Jul 21, 2015
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Details
- Runtime1 hour 23 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1
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![Jane Lapotaire, Robert Powell, and Robert Stephens in The Asphyx (1972)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BYzBkN2RmMzgtYWI2Zi00MWE1LTg3ZmEtYWY2NDUxZWZkZTEzXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_QL75_UX90_CR0,0,90,133_.jpg)