The Asphyx

"If It Were In Your Power…Would You Sacrifice Your Wife…Your Children For Immortality? This Is The Story Of A Man Who Did!"

1972 1h 39m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 86

FantasyHorrorScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Hugo is a brilliant turn-of-the-century scientist, loved and respected by his family and friends, admired by his colleagues. But he is a man quickly becoming obsessed with a curious and frightening question...What is the mysterious apparition found in the photographs of his dying subjects?

“If It Were In Your Power…Would You Sacrifice Your Wife…Your Children For Immortality? This Is The Story Of A Man Who Did!”

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Cast

Robert Powell
Giles Cunningham
Robert Stephens
Sir Hugo Cunningham
Jane Lapotaire
Christina Cunningham
Alex Scott
Sir Edward Barett
Ralph Arliss
Clive Cunningham
Fiona Walker
Anna Wheatley
Terry Scully
Pauper
Tony Caunter
Warden

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Peter Newbrook
Writers: Brian Comport, Laurence Beers, Christina Beers
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

54 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Peter Newbrook, shot by Freddie Young. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Bill McGuffie. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Maxine Julius shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Robert Powell and Robert Stephens and Jane Lapotaire carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "If It Were In Your Power…Would You Sacrifice Your Wife…Your Children For Immortality? This Is The Story Of A Man Who Did!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0069738 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 86 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Peter Newbrook directs. Freddie Young behind the camera. Bill McGuffie scores. Maxine Julius cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

154 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Peter Newbrook, shot by Freddie Young. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Bill McGuffie. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Maxine Julius shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Robert Powell and Robert Stephens and Jane Lapotaire carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "If It Were In Your Power…Would You Sacrifice Your Wife…Your Children For Immortality? This Is The Story Of A Man Who Did!".
7IMDB entry: tt0069738 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 86 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Freddie Young
Original score: Bill McGuffie
Editing: Maxine Julius
Production design: John Stoll
Costume design: Evelyn Gibbs
Makeup / hair: Jimmy Evans
Sound: Bob Jones
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG
IMDB: The Asphyx (1972)

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2022-04-23
★ 6/10
Original, intelligent Hammer-esque horror from the early 70s In 1875, a squire in England and his adopted son (Robert Stephens & Robert Powell) find a possible means of acquiring immortality by trapping the spirit of death, aka the mythological ‘asphyx’ or what we would call the Grim Reaper. Unfortunately, when people play God unforeseen negative things tend to happen. "The Asphyx" (1972) is thinking man’s Brit horror in the vein of "The Revenge of Frankenstein" (1958), "Frankenstein Created Woman" (1967) and "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed "(1969), as well as the soon-to-come “The Creeping Flesh”(1973). It’s the most obscure of these films because it’s arguably the least of ’em, but it does feature one of the most imaginative concepts. The special effects concerning the captured asphyx are effective and hold up. Jane Lapotaire as Christina is a unique choice for the lead female. Fiona Walker is also on hand. Look closely at Robert Powell and you might remember him in the iconic role of “Jesus of Nazareth” from 1977. The movie runs 1 hour, 23 minutes, but there is a longer U. S. version with about 12 extra minutes, which is inferior because it includes grainy footage from an SD print. The shorter version is the one to go with because the extra material bogs it down IMHO. The flick was shot at Shepperton Studios, just southwest of London. GRADE: B-
CinemaSerf2023-05-27
★ 6/10
"Sir Hugo" (Robert Stephens) is a much respected scientist in Victorian Britain fascinated by motion pictures. Whilst filming his friends punting on the river; they have a calamitous accident and die. What shows up on his photography afterwards intrigues him - it seems as though a mysterious form is taking over their dead bodies. Could this be the "The Asphyx" of ancient Greek myth? He and his son (Robert Powell) decide to try and investigate further with the aim of capturing one in the hope of potentially achieving immortality. It's well put together, the story and script are solid and the lead performances with Jane Lapotaire as "Christina" are quite entertaining to watch. I found it a wee bit long, but give it a go.