The Asphyx (1972)

Another of those early seventies independently produced British horror movies that used to be late night regulars on the BBC,  The Asphyx boasts a first class cast, including Robert Stephens, Robert Powell and Jane Lapotaire and is very nicely shot by former cinematographer Peter Newbrook.  It also boasts one of those bizarre premises which, within the film's own universe, makes perfect sense, but viewed objectively, is pretty much nonsensical.  Victorian scientist Robert Stephens notices that, in photographs taken of people nearing death, a black smudge can always be seen.  His colleagues surmise that this is a physical manifestation of the soul leaving the body, but Stephens has other ideas, noticing that, in his crude moving films of those nearing death, the smudge is moving toward them, not away.  Further examination reveals that the shape is actually some kind of ethereal being which comes for the soul at the moment of death: the asphyx.  Stephens' investigations suggest that everyone has their own, personal asphyx, leading him to conclude that if one could capture their own asphyx, they would become immortal.  All of which, sort of, makes sense within the context of the film.

The rest of the movie concerns Stephens' increasingly obsessive attempts to capture his asphyx, with the assistance of his ward, Robert Powell, and Powell's fiance, (Lapotaire).  Ironically, all of his attempts seem to result in other people dying.  Ultimately, Stephens gains immortality, but the cost of losing everyone close to him and ends up doomed to forever wander the earth, alone.  (Apart, that is, from the pet hamster whose asphyx he had trapped in an early experiment and which, earlier had bizarrely caused Lapotaire's death by chewing through a wire and causing her to be decapitated by a guillotine).  Yes, that's right, The Asphyx is essentially a morality tale about the perils of meddling in things that mortal men shouldn't.  Which is a pity as the original idea had a lot of potential but, sadly, instead of exploring the concept of the asphyx, the film just degenerates into a standard tale of an overreaching scientist getting his fingers burned by daring to investigate forbidden knowledge.  AS ever, the script just falls back on the old cliche of immortality being undesirable, (because, it is implied, it is 'against God'), and concludes that man should be satisfied with his three score years and ten.  Still, for a low budget horror film it is all very handsomely mounted and is quite entertaining while it is on.  It also represents an interesting attempt to break away from the standard British horror movie formulae established by Hammer and Amicus, even if does ultimately lose its nerve and reverts to cliche.