Film

The Asphyx

Name: The Asphyx
Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction
Released: 1972
Cast: Robert Powell, Robert Stephens, Jane Lapotaire, Alex Scott, Ralph Arliss

A Victorian scientist discovers that death itself has a visible form—a shadowy apparition captured in photographs of the dying—and becomes obsessed with capturing and controlling it. Genuinely eerie 1972 sci-fi horror with real conviction about its premise. For anyone who loves slow-burn dread and filmmaking that trusts the audience to be unsettled by suggestion rather than jump scares.

TMDb rating

3.0

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Frankenstein1931

The definitive mad scientist parable, built on the same architecture: obsession, moral blindness, the conviction that you can improve on nature. Karloff's creature haunts you because the film actually cares about what it means to play God.

But Nearly a century old, which means patient pacing and the specific rhythms of 1930s horror—some will find it stately rather than gripping.

The Invisible Man1933

Another scientist-becomes-monster tale, but about power and corruption rather than ambition. The sound design and perspective-play are extraordinary. It's playful where Frankenstein is tragic, and somehow more cruel.

But The tone is uneven—it lurches between suspense and dark comedy in ways that can feel jarring if you're expecting straightforward horror.

The Fly1986

Cronenberg's remake strips the 1958 camp and goes visceral: a scientist's experiment becomes his slow, agonizing transformation. It has The Asphyx's fascination with what happens when you try to cheat death, plus body horror that feels earned rather than gratuitous.

But Genuinely difficult to watch in stretches. The transformation is deliberately repulsive, and some of the imagery sticks with you in uncomfortable ways.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Asphyx

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Dead Ringers1988

Both are about brilliant men whose certainty becomes a prison. Both suggest that the mind's ability to rationalize is as monstrous as what it rationalizes away.

Cronenberg again, but this time it's about twin gynecologists descending into obsession and symbiosis. It shares The Asphyx's fascination with how intelligence and control can become psychosis. Clinical, invasive, quietly nightmarish.

But Deeply uncomfortable and genuinely misanthropic. The film isn't warm or generous to anyone in it. Some will find it simply bleak rather than illuminating.

Possession1981

A 1970s-adjacent fever dream about obsession and the horror of watching someone you love become consumed by something you can't reach. Surreal, deeply strange, anchored by raw performances that make the impossible feel urgent.

But The plot is deliberately opaque and the film revels in chaos. If you need clear narrative stakes explained, this will frustrate you.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan1982

Yes, Star Trek. But this one is about an obsessed man pursuing the protagonist across dimensions, unable to let go of past failure. The parallel to Hugo's fixation is real—it's sci-fi about the cost of refusing to accept limits.

But If you're not already invested in the Star Trek universe, the emotional beats won't land. You need to care about Kirk first.

Altered States1980

A neuroscientist uses sensory deprivation and drugs to explore consciousness itself, convinced he's accessing fundamental truths. Like The Asphyx, it's about a brilliant man whose methods become dangerous precisely because he believes in them completely.

But The special effects haven't aged gracefully and the third act veers into cosmic body-horror that some find risible. Tonal whiplash is real.

The Elephant Man1980

Lynched's most restrained work: obsession again, but this time the obsessed man is trying to help. It's about the distance between humanitarian impulse and exploitation. Profoundly sad where The Asphyx is creepy.

But Bleakly slow and shot in stark black-and-white. There's very little catharsis. Some find it depressing rather than moving.

Forbidden Planet1956

A 1950s space opera that's actually about a scientist whose god-like power corrupts him. Colourful and accessible where The Asphyx is dour, but the core idea—that knowledge can make you monstrous—is identical.

But The tone is campy by modern standards. Robbie the Robot is delightful but not exactly threatening, and the gender politics are of their era.

Quatermass and the Pit1967

British sci-fi at its most intellectually ambitious. A scientist uncovers something genuinely alien and becomes convinced he understands its implications. Methodical, eerie, and built entirely on dialogue and atmosphere.

But More talk than action. If you prefer horror that moves quickly or entertains visually, this is dense and sometimes ponderous.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker1972

Both commit entirely to their central conceit and refuse to wink at the audience. Both treat the implausible as simply real, which is where real dread lives.

A TV movie (yes, really) about a journalist investigating the genuinely supernatural. It's written by Richard Matheson and it's tense in ways most 70s horror films aren't. Treats the weird with absolute seriousness.

But Television production values from 1974. It looks like TV, which means soft lighting and interior scenes shot on soundstages. Takes commitment to accept.

The Seventh Seal1957

The same question asked two ways: can we bargain with death, or must we simply accept it? One says yes obsessively; the other says no, finally. Both are about what we owe the inevitable.

Bergman's meditation on death: a man plays chess with Death itself to buy time. It's about confronting the inevitable rather than controlling it, which makes it the moral inverse of The Asphyx. Transcendent, funny, devastating.

But Swedish, in black-and-white, and preoccupied with faith and meaning. It's deliberately philosophical. If you want a film to entertain you rather than haunt you, this is a ask rather than a gift.