{"podcast":{"title":"General Witchfinders: The British Horror Podcast","slug":"general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772","podcast_index_feed_id":3516772,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/5fd77337c08ac45a2c50d003","website_url":"http://www.generalwitchfinders.com","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/5fd77337c08ac45a2c50d003/1772694982754-eb0af34b-8742-48c8-a3e1-0d3fc0433f39.jpeg","author":"Ross Cleaver, Jon Pountney, James Randall","episode_count":82,"summary":"General Witchfinders: The British Horror Podcast Welcome to General Witchfinders, a podcast dedicated to the dark heart of British horror and classic Hammer horror films – officially selected for permanent preservation in the British Library’s National Sound Archive. If you are passionate about British horror cinema, Hammer films, classic folk horror, Nigel Kneale’s Quatermass, and the chilling legacy of British supernatural television, this is the podcast for you. Hosted by lifelong friends Ross, Jon, and James, General Witchfinders dives deep into the world of British horror, gothic cinema, and unsettling archive television. We explore everything from Hammer horror’s blood-drenched vampire classics – starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing – to the eerie landscapes of The Wicker Man, Tigon’s The Creeping Flesh, and Amicus anthology films. Whether it is cinematic British horror icons like Dracula AD 1972 and The Curse of Frankenstein, modern independent UK folk horror like Possum and In The Earth, or sci-fi horror thrillers like Event Horizon and The Medusa Touch, we unearth the films that shaped the genre. We cover the definitive British sci-fi horror of Nigel Kneale – includ…","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772"},"episode":{"title":"66: The Asphyx (aka Spirit of the Dead) (aka The Horror of Death) (1972) – Glendale Film – Dir. Peter Newbrook – Robert Stephens, Robert Powell & Jane Lapotaire – Freddie Young Shot","slug":"66-the-asphyx-aka-spirit-of-the-dead-aka-the-horror-of-death-1972-glendale-film-dir-peter-newbrook-robert-stephens-robert-powell-jane-lapotaire-freddie-young-shot","published_at":"2026-02-07T00:01:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772/66-the-asphyx-aka-spirit-of-the-dead-aka-the-horror-of-death-1972-glendale-film-dir-peter-newbrook-robert-stephens-robert-powell-jane-lapotaire-freddie-young-shot","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772","url":"http://www.generalwitchfinders.com/","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/5fd77337c08ac45a2c50d003/e/698462c714b868743df46419/media.mp3","summary":"The Asphyx (1972) In this episode, we dive deep into the 1972 British science fiction horror cult classic , The Asphyx (also known as Spirit of the Dead or The Horror of Death ). Set in the Victorian era, this unique period chiller follows a wealthy philanthropist and amateur scientist, Sir Hugo Cunningham, who stumbles upon a way to photograph the \"Asphyx\"—the Ancient Greek spirit of death that appears at the precise moment of a person's demise. A Quick Mea Culpa on Picture Quality Before we get into the meat of the film, we have to address the elephant in the room: the visuals . Throughout the episode, you’ll hear us absolutely tear into the \"pan and scan\" and the ropy, grainy picture quality of the version we watched. Full disclosure: We’ve since realized we were watching a particularly bottom-of-the-barrel DVD. It turns out there are actually stunning, high-quality HD versions of The Asphyx available for free on YouTube! From the Todd-AO 35mm widescreen transfers to beautifully restored prints, the real film looks pretty good. If you want to see what Freddie Young actually intended, go search for it—it’s easy to find and looks worlds better than the disc we suffered through. Inside the Episode: Behind the Lens of a Horror Oddity. Despite our technical hurdles, The Asphyx is a fascinating piece of British cinema history. We explore the career of director Peter Newbrook , who rose from a messenger boy to the second unit photographer for the legendary mirage shot in Lawrence of Arabia . Key Discussion Points: The Legend Freddie Young: How a three-time Academy Award-winning cinematographer ended up shooting a 70s mad scientist flick. The Ghostbusters Connection: We examine the theory that this film’s spirit-trapping tech was the direct blueprint for the 1984 Ghostbuste…","meta_description":"The Asphyx (1972) In this episode, we dive deep into the 1972 British science fiction horror cult classic , The Asphyx (also known as Spirit of the Dead o…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5585,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772/episodes/66-the-asphyx-aka-spirit-of-the-dead-aka-the-horror-of-death-1972-glendale-film-dir-peter-newbrook-robert-stephens-robert-powell-jane-lapotaire-freddie-young-shot/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/general-witchfinders-the-british-horror-podcast-3516772/66-the-asphyx-aka-spirit-of-the-dead-aka-the-horror-of-death-1972-glendale-film-dir-peter-newbrook-robert-stephens-robert-powell-jane-lapotaire-freddie-young-shot.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}