The Asphyx (1973)

Director: Peter Newbrook

Starring: Robert Stephens and lots of Brits who really know how to act

More Info: IMDB

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!

Plot: A Victorian scientist, Sir Hugo Cunningham, and his assistant discover the secret of death: everybody has a kind of personal "death spirit", the "asphyx"; when somebody is about to die, this "asphyx" comes in to claim his victim. If it can be caught at the right moment, immortality follows! The scientist succeeds in capturing his own asphyx, but when he starts experimenting on his daughter, he accidentally kills her. The assistant, his daughter's fiance, commits suicide; Cunningham has no reason to live but has no way to die. He is doomed to live forever ...

My Rating: 5/10

Would I watch it again? Nah

#90 on Drive-In Delirium Volume 2 (part of the TRAILER TRASH PROJECT)

"The original Ghostbusters"

Watching the first fifteen minutes was a chore. When Sir Hugo was developing his theory of a death spirit and by capturing it you can make yourself immortal, I about laughed myself onto the floor. Seriously. I honestly didn't think I'd make it to the end. But, as I stayed with it and the outrageousness of the whole thing subsided, I really started to get into it. However, I must say that the biggest reason I have against recommending it is that it really almost bored me to tears. It would have been far better served as part of an anthology film (which were very popular in the early 70s) since it's essentially a short story stretched to feature length.

The acting is quite good (go Britain) and the story (only after you've accepted the idea of there being an "asphyx" to begin with) is very engaging. The score seemed totally inappropriate by having a classic Hollywood sound (1940's-heavy-on-the-strings). The ending was a downer (which I dig) but I couldn't help feel that all Sir Hugo had to do to destroy his asphyx (and the asphyx of his hamster!!!) so he could die would be to....oh, I don't know....break down the door to the cellar where it was kept? How about leveling the estate? Fire? I know they had it in 1870 'cause I saw QUEST FOR FIRE which took place 80,000 years ago. If he really wanted to get at it he could have. I'm just sayin'.

Rod Serling could've tightened this up and have served it as a classic instead of as an over the video counter sedative.