The Asphyx

This 1973 British horror flick is the first and only film directed by cinematographer-turned-producer Peter Newbrook. Wealthy but off-kilter Sir Hugo Cunningham (Robert Stephens) engages in a peculiar hobby for a Victorian-era aristocrat: photographing people who are at the cusp of death. Cunningham's photographs—later replaced with primitive motion picture film—reveal the presence of a blurry figure that can be seen entering the body of those who are just about to die. He decides this entity is the Asphyx—the spirit of the dead described in Greek mythology—and somehow reasons that capturing one will ensure immortality for a dying person. Sir Hugo's attempt to snare an Asphyx takes a grisly turn: trying to lure the elusive entity, he winds up torturing people in his laboratory. Not surprisingly, these experiments tend to go awry, and eventually Sir Hugo discovers that immortality isn't all it's cracked up to be. Although The Asphyx offers handsome production elements that belie its low budget and features a fine cast of British stalwarts (including Robert Powell and Jane Lapotaire), the film lacks the vigor that enriched the Hammer horror classics. Sir Hugo's dramatic mental deterioration and the outrageous variety of torture devices he uses come across as silly rather than scary, and his ultimate act of self-flagellation leads to a genuinely unsatisfactory conclusion. Horror fans may be curious about the film, which has been out of circulation for many years, but ultimately it is not a necessary purchase. (P. Hall)[DVD/Blu-ray Review—Apr. 10, 2012—Kino Lorber, 86 min., PG, DVD: $14.95, Blu-ray: $19.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and first on Blu-ray, 1972's The Asphyx boasts a great transfer and mono sound. Extras include both the standard U.K. version and the extended U.S. cut, a photo gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine Blu-ray debut for a so-so ‘70s horror flick.]