Cunningham concludes that the blur is not the soul but a force known as an "asphyx", a kind of personal Grim Reaper, told of in Greek mythology, which comes for every individual at the moment of their death.
Viewing the film with his adopted son and daughter's hopeful husband to be, Giles, Cunningham sees that the condemned man's asphyx was briefly held suspended in the spotlight's beam.
[3] The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "After a promising opening which involves some evocative glimpses of Victorian 'psychical research', The Asphyx soon changes course to become a very static account of Hugo's growing obsession with immortality.
The film is not helped by Robert Stephens' highly theatrical Hugo, or by a script which abounds in clichés and facile explanations while relegating the invention of the cine-camera to a minor parenthesis.
The idea of the Asphyx – nicely visualised in the elaborate experiments as a writhing, screaming shadow – is never sufficiently developed to succeed in being exciting; and the film emerges as an unrewarding endurance test, periodically enlivened by some of the non-dialogue sequences.
"[4] Budd Wilkins from Slant Magazine awarded the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, writing, "Not quite a genre classic, The Asphyx is a mostly intriguing mashup of Victorian ghost story and steampunk revisionism that occasionally threatens to degenerate into inanity with its strident morality-play storyline and escalating improbability factor.
[7] Bob Brinkman from HorrorNews.net gave the film a positive review, saying it "conjures a feeling of existential angst as it wrestles with some of the darker philosophical thoughts of life, death, and immortality.
"[8] TV Guide gave the film a mixed 2/5 stars, writing, "An unusual horror movie with an intriguing premise, The Asphyx is unfortunately marred by a weak script and unimaginative direction.
Slated to begin principal photography in early 2011, the new version was to star Alison Doody in the lead female role,[11][12][13] and Matthew McGuchan in the director's seat.