Awkwardly plotted but chilling just the same, this beautifully-filmed tale of Victorian experimentation with death has nightmarish qualities that won’t go away. Class actors Robert Stephens, Robert Powell & Jane Lapotaire bring believability to a deadly-serious idea that scores the ‘phantom-trapping’ concept years before Ghostbusters. The cinematographer was Freddie Young; both versions are included, along with a commentary by Kim Newman and Stephen Jones.
The Asphyx
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1972 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 98, 86 min. / Street Date January 31, 2023 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Robert Stephens, Robert Powell, Jane Lapotaire, Fiona Walker, Ralph Arliss.
Cinematography: Freddie Young
Production Designer: John Stoll
Costume Design: Evelyn Gibbs
Film Editor: Maxine Julius
Original Music: Bill McGuffie
Written by Brian Comport, from an idea by Christina and Laurence Beers
Produced by John Brittany
Directed by Peter Newbrook
The Asphyx is a strangely disturbing horror film with a consistently morbid theme. Despite its web of borrowed ideas and forced ironies,...
The Asphyx
Blu-ray
Kl Studio Classics
1972 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 98, 86 min. / Street Date January 31, 2023 / available through Kino Lorber / 24.95
Starring: Robert Stephens, Robert Powell, Jane Lapotaire, Fiona Walker, Ralph Arliss.
Cinematography: Freddie Young
Production Designer: John Stoll
Costume Design: Evelyn Gibbs
Film Editor: Maxine Julius
Original Music: Bill McGuffie
Written by Brian Comport, from an idea by Christina and Laurence Beers
Produced by John Brittany
Directed by Peter Newbrook
The Asphyx is a strangely disturbing horror film with a consistently morbid theme. Despite its web of borrowed ideas and forced ironies,...
- 1/24/2023
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
During a three-hour discussion on a recent episode of “The Empire Film Podcast,” Edgar Wright and Quentin Tarantino revealed the existence of their makeshift quarantine movie club over the last 9 months. As Wright explained, “It’s nice. We’ve kept in touch in a sort of way that cinephiles do. It’s been one of the very few blessings of this [pandemic], the chance to disappear down a rabbit hole with the hours indoors that we have.” Tarantino added, “Edgar is more social than I am. It’s a big deal that I’ve been talking to him these past 9 months.”
A bulk of the film club was curated by none other than Martin Scorsese, who sent Wright a recommendation list of nearly 50 British films that Scorsese considers personal favorites. In the five months Wright spent in lockdown before resuming production on “Last Night in Soho” — and before he received the...
A bulk of the film club was curated by none other than Martin Scorsese, who sent Wright a recommendation list of nearly 50 British films that Scorsese considers personal favorites. In the five months Wright spent in lockdown before resuming production on “Last Night in Soho” — and before he received the...
- 2/8/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Nicolas Roeg's bizarre blend of high drama, searing sex and over-the-top brutality waited a year, only to be given a tiny American release. It then dropped out of sight. We're now in a better position to appreciate the show's great actors - especially Theresa Russell, the boldest and bravest actress of the 1980s. Eureka Blu-ray Twilight Time Limited Edition Small>1983 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 130 min. / Ship Date May 10, 2016 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Gene Hackman, Theresa Russell, Rutger Hauer, Jane Lapotaire, Mickey Rourke, Ed Lauter, Joe Pesci, Helena Kallianiotes, Corin Redgrave, Joe Spinell, Frank Pesce, Timothy Scott. Cinematography Alex Thomson Production Designer Michael Seymour Film Editor Tony Lawson Original Music Stanley Myers Written by Paul Mayersberg from a book by Marshall Houts Produced by Jeremy Thomas Directed by Nicolas Roeg
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
I remember Nicolas Roeg's Eureka as being one of the biggest busts of the 1980s.
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
I remember Nicolas Roeg's Eureka as being one of the biggest busts of the 1980s.
- 5/21/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This is definitely the time of year when film critic types (I’m sure you know who I mean) spend an inordinate amount of time leading up to awards season—and it all leads up to awards season, don’t it?—compiling lists and trying to convince anyone who will listen that it was a shitty year at the movies for anyone who liked something other than what they saw and liked. And ‘tis the season, or at least ‘thas (?) been in the recent past, for that most beloved of academic parlor games, bemoaning the death of cinema, which, if the sackcloth-and-ashes-clad among us are to be believed, is an increasingly detached and irrelevant art form in the process of being smothered under the wet, steaming blanket of American blockbuster-it is. And it’s going all malnourished from the siphoning off of all the talent back to TV, which, as everyone knows,...
- 1/9/2016
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
Screenwriter of British horror feature films such as The Asphyx and Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly
Brian Comport, who has died aged 74, was the screenwriter for the cult films Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1970), The Fiend (1972) and The Asphyx (1973). Like so many others working in the British film industry during the last half century, he had ups and downs, but the horror feature films he wrote are widely regarded as classics of the genre.
His break into films came in 1967 when he was introduced to Norman Cohen, a film editor on his way to becoming a very successful director, who had acquired the film rights to Geoffrey Fletcher's delightful 1962 book The London Nobody Knows.
Cohen had secured James Mason to narrate the commentary, and Brian was engaged to provide the words. It was Brian's idea to have Mason walk and talk directly to the camera, making the film a...
Brian Comport, who has died aged 74, was the screenwriter for the cult films Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1970), The Fiend (1972) and The Asphyx (1973). Like so many others working in the British film industry during the last half century, he had ups and downs, but the horror feature films he wrote are widely regarded as classics of the genre.
His break into films came in 1967 when he was introduced to Norman Cohen, a film editor on his way to becoming a very successful director, who had acquired the film rights to Geoffrey Fletcher's delightful 1962 book The London Nobody Knows.
Cohen had secured James Mason to narrate the commentary, and Brian was engaged to provide the words. It was Brian's idea to have Mason walk and talk directly to the camera, making the film a...
- 10/14/2013
- by John Crome
- The Guardian - Film News
A Planet Fury-approved selection of notable genre releases for April.
Night Gallery: Season 3 DVD Available Now
The third and final season (1972–73) of Rod Serling’s underrated series finally comes to DVD. Season 3 (with episodes downsized to half an hour) is generally considered inferior to the first two years, but it still contains several classic episodes. Best of all, Jim Benson and Scott Skelton, co-authors of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: An After-Hours Tour, helped put together a “lost” episode featuring four segments that were heavily altered for syndication. Guest stars this season include Mickey Rooney, Vincent Price, Burgess Meredith and gorgeous Joanna Pettet (The Evil).
Thou Shalt Not Kill… Except (1985) Blu-ray/DVD combo Available Now
One of the last great exploitation films of the ‘80s to receive wide theatrical distribution, this gonzo action/horror hybrid from director Josh Becker features many names from the Evil Dead team, both...
Night Gallery: Season 3 DVD Available Now
The third and final season (1972–73) of Rod Serling’s underrated series finally comes to DVD. Season 3 (with episodes downsized to half an hour) is generally considered inferior to the first two years, but it still contains several classic episodes. Best of all, Jim Benson and Scott Skelton, co-authors of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: An After-Hours Tour, helped put together a “lost” episode featuring four segments that were heavily altered for syndication. Guest stars this season include Mickey Rooney, Vincent Price, Burgess Meredith and gorgeous Joanna Pettet (The Evil).
Thou Shalt Not Kill… Except (1985) Blu-ray/DVD combo Available Now
One of the last great exploitation films of the ‘80s to receive wide theatrical distribution, this gonzo action/horror hybrid from director Josh Becker features many names from the Evil Dead team, both...
- 4/11/2012
- by Bradley Harding
- Planet Fury
Producer Jonathan Sothcott dropped us a line today regarding the remake of Peter Newbrook's 1972 classic The Asphyx as well as the first word and concept art for the next film on the burner, The Sorcerers. Dig it!
With regard to The Asphyx Sothcott says, "Essentially, last week my partner, Billy Murray, and I sat down with writer/director Matthew McGuchan and ripped our story apart in order to put it back together again and make the film we really want to. What we had was (like the original) a personally-motivated version of Frankenstein - and while it was a quality piece of writing, it wasn't quite what we want to give audiences. The Asphyx is a film I want to be judged on - I'm really proud of some of the others, but this one needs to be the special one. Where we are now is having Dr. Christina...
With regard to The Asphyx Sothcott says, "Essentially, last week my partner, Billy Murray, and I sat down with writer/director Matthew McGuchan and ripped our story apart in order to put it back together again and make the film we really want to. What we had was (like the original) a personally-motivated version of Frankenstein - and while it was a quality piece of writing, it wasn't quite what we want to give audiences. The Asphyx is a film I want to be judged on - I'm really proud of some of the others, but this one needs to be the special one. Where we are now is having Dr. Christina...
- 8/31/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
One flick we're really looking forward to around these parts is the remake of Peter Newbrook's 1972 classic The Asphyx. If you've never heard of that little known classic, do yourself a favor and track it down! With production of Matthew McGuchan's new take on the material gearing up, the filmmakers have gotten in touch with a lot of goodies for you!
Black & Blue Films' The Asphyx remake, which is written and directed by Matthew McGuchan and produced by Jonathan Sothcott, has landed its first two leads -- Danny Dyer and Alison Doody.
"I love working with Danny Dyer," says producer Sothcott. "He's without a doubt the biggest star in the Brit indie film market, but he's also an utterly compelling screen actor and he's going to be at the top of his game in The Asphyx. His role is one that will really stretch him as an actor,...
Black & Blue Films' The Asphyx remake, which is written and directed by Matthew McGuchan and produced by Jonathan Sothcott, has landed its first two leads -- Danny Dyer and Alison Doody.
"I love working with Danny Dyer," says producer Sothcott. "He's without a doubt the biggest star in the Brit indie film market, but he's also an utterly compelling screen actor and he's going to be at the top of his game in The Asphyx. His role is one that will really stretch him as an actor,...
- 6/14/2010
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
Putting trust in the seasoned hands of experienced film directors and screenplay writers to successfully, and sometimes miraculously, produce a film that will shock, awe and make a shit ton of money is as easy as throwing a coin into a fountain, but putting trust into unknown directors and even unknown writers on one, solitary project is risky business and usually by the end's ordeal, you'll willing want to struggle to throw those amateur auteurs into the heart of the Pacific Ocean. Glendale Production Company did what I just had laid out as they brought in long time camera operator and cinematographer (Teenage Tramp and Hell House Girls) Peter Newbrook to direct and the Beers - no, not the kind you get shitfaced to - but screenwriters Christina and Laurence Beers to tackle an intriguing, yet outdated, science fiction horror film of the early 70's - The Asphyx! What could...
- 5/9/2010
- by Steven Tee
- HorrorYearbook
As far as remakes go, 1972's The Asphyx is a curious choice. Yet, writer-director Matthew McGuchan is going to take a crack at it for Black & Blue Films in 2010. "I've had my eye on it for a while," says producer Jonathan Sothcott, whose currently overseeing Dead Cert 's production in London. "There were a load of films made in the '70s that had really, really interesting concepts, but the filmmaking limitations of the time, and the budget and all kinds of things, stopped them being what they could be. The idea of scientists trying to isolate the spirit as it leaves the body I think is fantastic." Directed by Peter Newbrook, The Asphyx (the only film he directed in his career) concerned about a scientist whose experimentation with the...
- 11/9/2009
- shocktillyoudrop.com
The exclusive pics from the UK vampire movie Dead Cert just keep coming; producer Jonathan Sothcott sent over some more, which you can check out below. He also gave us a few words and the first poster for another upcoming project: a remake of the 1972 cult chiller The Asphyx.
“We are just going into our fourth week of production on Dead Cert, and are now based in a studio in Essex,” Sothcott tells Fango. “Next week we start all the wirework for the mother of all vampire battles. Our gang of vamps looks amazing—Billy Murray as Dante has this amazing, dangerous stillness and so much dignity. Dave Legeno [the villain from The Cottage] is an absolute powerhouse, and Andy Tiernan is just hypnotic on screen.”
Dead Cert, which we last covered here, is being directed by Steven Lawson and also stars Craig Fairbrass and Steven Berkoff. “We have some incredibly gorgeous girls in this film too: Lisa McAllister,...
“We are just going into our fourth week of production on Dead Cert, and are now based in a studio in Essex,” Sothcott tells Fango. “Next week we start all the wirework for the mother of all vampire battles. Our gang of vamps looks amazing—Billy Murray as Dante has this amazing, dangerous stillness and so much dignity. Dave Legeno [the villain from The Cottage] is an absolute powerhouse, and Andy Tiernan is just hypnotic on screen.”
Dead Cert, which we last covered here, is being directed by Steven Lawson and also stars Craig Fairbrass and Steven Berkoff. “We have some incredibly gorgeous girls in this film too: Lisa McAllister,...
- 11/3/2009
- by no-reply@fangoria.com (Michael Gingold)
- Fangoria
Ask many of today's horror fans if they've ever seen The Asphyx, and you're bound to be met with an odd glance. Nope. Not many people have heard of Peter Newbrook's 1972 classic, but apparently someone remembers because the flick is next on the old remake block.
According to Screen Daily Black & Blue Films has acquired the remake rights to the early Seventies cult horror film, and it will be written and directed by Matthew McGuchan.
Check out the trailer for the original below after the plot crunch.
Synopsis
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? Hugo brings to a family boating party his newest invention - a motion picture camera.
According to Screen Daily Black & Blue Films has acquired the remake rights to the early Seventies cult horror film, and it will be written and directed by Matthew McGuchan.
Check out the trailer for the original below after the plot crunch.
Synopsis
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? Hugo brings to a family boating party his newest invention - a motion picture camera.
- 10/30/2009
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
The 1972 film The Asphyx is the next film on the remake chopping block. Matthew McGuchan is writing and directing for Black & Blue Films; Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 's Alison Doody is locked to star. According to Screen Daily, production begins next June in London. Peter Newbrook's original Asphyx was a period piece about a scientists whose experimentation with the "asphyx," or spirit of death, grants him immortality. Further research only brings death to those he loves. Robert Stephens starred in the leading role. Black & Blue Films is behind the vampire gangster film Dead Cert which we introduced you to this week .
- 10/30/2009
- shocktillyoudrop.com
In this incarnation of our Videolog column (which began in 1982 with VHS and Betamax and later laserdisc), Starlog posts information weekly regarding selected genre titles being released (or re-released) now on DVD and Blu-ray. Prices listed are Msrp, though any clickable links lead to Amazon where the savings can be significant.
DVD Releases for October 27, 2009
Adult Swim In A Box (Turner, $69.98): This set includes six full seasons of Adult Swim’s most popular series: Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume Two, Space Ghost: Season Three, Moral Oral: Season One, Robot Chicken: Season Two, Metalocalypse: Season One and Sealab 2021: Season Two. Five never-before-released pilots are also included.
The Asphyx (Hen’s Tooth, $19.95): The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes’ Robert Stephens stars as Sir Hugo Cunningham, a 19th-Century amateur scientist and dabbler in psychic phenomena. His experiments in the new art of photography lead him...
DVD Releases for October 27, 2009
Adult Swim In A Box (Turner, $69.98): This set includes six full seasons of Adult Swim’s most popular series: Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume Two, Space Ghost: Season Three, Moral Oral: Season One, Robot Chicken: Season Two, Metalocalypse: Season One and Sealab 2021: Season Two. Five never-before-released pilots are also included.
The Asphyx (Hen’s Tooth, $19.95): The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes’ Robert Stephens stars as Sir Hugo Cunningham, a 19th-Century amateur scientist and dabbler in psychic phenomena. His experiments in the new art of photography lead him...
- 10/27/2009
- by no-reply@starlog.com (Allan Dart)
- Starlog
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