THE CHARMIN BEARS WARN YOU OF THE ASYPHX: PART OF THE BRITERION COLLECTION

 


The Charmin bears warn consumers about “not getting clean down there” with cheap imitations. That is certainly a problem. It can lead to The Asyphx.

This “wish.com” Hammer interpretation certainly smells of discount toilet paper. Yet, it is not without its own Charm(in). Stunning cinematography, beautiful English filming locations, stellar acting, and grisly carnage make up for a monster that is straight out of Jim Henson’s Muppet production line. Hey, it was 1972. So what if they borrowed a creature nearly a decade past from the Outer Limits?

The Asyphx pushes the “PG” rating (this was prior to PG-13) to the limit. Without spoilers, it leverages heightened anticipation of death in a way that actually tricks the mind into thinking it saw something gruesome and then cuts away suddenly. This is actually more terrifying that practical effects when employed correctly.

The Asphyx, once thought to be a Greek myth, is actually an escort for the soul once it thinks that you are about to die. Dr. Cunningham (Robert Stevens) and his assistant, Mr. Cunningham (Robert Powell), realize they can trick the creature into arriving early in anticipation and thereby cheat death. Then, they simply capture the hapless specter in 19th century Ghostbusters technology and Bob's your uncle.

Since there is a one to one ratio of Asphyxes (Asphyxs?), if you capture one – that specific person won’t ever die. Even if, say, they got their head chopped off.  The duo find reluctant participants to test their theory to a comedy of terrors. Mishaps ensue. Moral – you don’t f**k with Mr. Death.

All in all, it is a very close Hammer film approximation. Very engaging and worth its weight in premium toilet paper. It is for these reasons that The Asphyx (AKA The Horror of Death) earns its place in the Briterion Collection.

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