DVDs in Review

The Asphyx

Title: The Asphyx (1973)

Release date: February 22 2010

Certificate: 15

Format: DVD

DVD RRP: £17.99

Rating: 3.5/5

Peter Newbrook was a camera operator for many of David Lean's greatest films, so it's only to be expected that his directorial debut (and sole visit to the director's chair) will look brilliant, and 'The Asphyx' certainly ticks all the visual boxes.

Its slightly dodgy plot (ripped off with lesser effect for shockers like 'Shutter') revolves around how early photographs in the 1870s actually caught the moment of death on film - an apparition or just a trick of the light?

Either way, people are dying and this eerie spectre is doing the rounds, but two men (the brilliant, underrated British character actors Robert Stephens and Robert Powell) are intent on capturing it. Does every person have their own death spirit knocking about inside them?

One of the men succeeds in extracting his own death spirit and goes on to experiment with the causes of death, but tragedy will soon strike and its repercussions will continue for years.

'The Asphyx' is one of those films that starts off expertly and draws you in with an eerie sense of mystery. Sadly it doesn't last - parts of the film seem drastically over the top, woodenly acted and underwritten. However, the cinematography remains fresh, as does the pace, and the ending is shockingly memorable.

Fans of British horror will want to seek this original little gem out. It intrigues where most others just go for jumps. It's a pity it can't answer its own questions, but nevertheless 'The Asphyx' has enough individual elements to warrant a DVD re-release (and an upcoming Hollywood remake).