Abby (1974)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Absolutely Fantastic

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

Though I knew there were some DVD copies around, I guess I should thank YouTube for finally being able to watch this movie since that's where I discovered it. Having seen it, I can see why Warner Brothers sued and won their lawsuit against American International for blatantly copying WB's hit The Exorcist. Sure, the differences are that one involved a girl child and the other a grown woman but they both have shaking furniture and demonic possession in which they both say very vulgar things involving sex. Okay, with that out of the way, let me say what I think of it. I thought it was hilarious whenever the title character played by Carol Speed had-through the voice of Bob Holt-said all those blatantly provocative remarks to various people but after that, I managed to also find some genuine scares and thrills. Both Ms. Speed and William Marshall as Bishop Garnet Williams who tries to get the demon out of her provide great presence in their scenes together. But the supporting players of Terry Carter (Rev. Emmett Williams, Abby's husband and Garnet's son), Austin Stoker (Abby's brother Det. Cass Potter), and especially Juanita Moore (Miranda "Momma" Potter) also hold their own against them. If there's one thing I have a beef with, it's the print I watched. Perhaps because of that lawsuit, no one's bothered to restore it. So the one I saw looked washed out. Still, the sound wasn't bad so that's a plus. Really, all I'll say now is if you get the chance to watch Abby, go for it! P.S. How interesting that after not sharing a scene in The Mack, Ms. Speed and Ms. Moore played daughter and mother in this. And nice to hear Carol's writing and singing skills with the song "My Soul is a Witness".

Abby (1974) *** (out of 4) Infamous blaxploitation film about a young woman named Abby (Carol Speed) who lives with her preacher husband and lives her life for the Lord. That is until one day when the devil possesses her, turning her into a slut but have no fear because her father in law priest (William Marshall) is on the case. This is a rather hard to see film because Warner sued the producer's calling this a rip of THE EXORCIST and it was pulled from theaters and hasn't been released since, which is a real shame because this is one of the better horror blaxploitation flicks out there. There were so many rip-offs of THE EXORCIST that it's just amazing to me that after forty-years ABBY still can't get an official release when all of the others are out there in restored versions. I'm really not sure if director William Girdler meant for this to be a serious horror film or a spoof but I look at is as a spoof as there are some hilarious moments including some funny dialogue that includes "I ain't cho ho". Abby, when possessed, shouts out all sorts of perverted language, which at times is very funny. As with most blaxploitation films, this one here features all sorts of jive talk, which again produces several laughs. The performances in the film are very good with Speed doing fine work as the possessed girl and Marshall clearly steals the film with that strong voice and iron hand. Terry Carter also comes off very good as Abby's husband. Technically speaking the film certainly shows its low-budget but at the same time it just adds to some of the charm. I really hope Warner/AIP/MGM come together one day and clear the legal issues to get this film released officially. While history has written this film off as a rip of THE EXORCIST, that claim really isn't fair. This is no more a rip than BLACULA was a rip of Dracula.

I had always heard of this 70s film, since my childhood in the late 80's. I had seen that it was seen on television, always missed it... even in Mexico , I had seen movie posters of it being shown years after its release from the 70s. About two years ago, through Cinefear, I finally got a DVD print of it.I actually had many expectations from it and also considering it low budget history. I had certain expectations upon viewing it as home entertainment. Now, this film back then had caused many problems from Warner Bros. I actually thought it was shame that this film was not allowed to have its official release.It does not compare to the high budget of the "Eexorcist", and riding on its antics belonging to Black exploitative cinema, "Abby" stand on its own and it's main actor, Carol Speed actually delivers although it's a little over the top acting, but she definitely owns the character. For me, its most interesting scene, Abby (Speed) who seems to be choking during a church mass. As the preacher is delivering his ceremony, Abby's choking worsen and causes a distraction in the church. I like it because it seems real, no special effects. I had read of possessions of people during church masses, people reacting to physical conditions.Of course, this film by no means is genius at work, but one can appreciate filmmakers like Girder to produce movies out side of the Hollywood environment. Abby's demonic possession are "ghetto fabulous" creating a climatic situation that would have never happen with Linda Blair.

I just had the pleasure of watching the Cinefear DVD that's been released of this forgotten treasure. What a treat!!! It's really a very good film, and considering the source for the transfer was a 16mm print, overall the picture is very good. It's full-frame, but they even have a disclaimer on the back of the DVD box that explains it was filmed in Scope, so therefore it has never been, or will be, available in widescreen. With that being said, I don't understand why Warner Bros. sued, and won, for this being a rip-off of "The Exorcist"----two, completely different horror films---in story and style. This actually reminded me more of "The Evil Dead", than "The Exorcist". I won't belabor the readers with a synopsis of the story, as it's been told here on the boards many, many times. I'll just end by saying this was highly entertaining, had some good jumps, an overall creepy atmosphere, and I'd take watching this film over any of the Hollywood crapfesthorror wannabees like "The Grudge" any day. Great popcorn fodder----turn down the lights, and enjoy!!