Abby (1974)

A possession film about a marriage counselor who becomes possessed by the demon of sexuality, when her father in law, an exorcist, freed it while in Africa. He returns home, along with his ... See full summary »

Director:

William Girdler

Writers:

William Girdler (story), Gordon Cornell Layne (screenplay) (as G. Cornell Layne)

Stars:

Carol Speed, William Marshall, Terry Carter

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Marshall	...	Bishop Garnet Williams
Terry Carter	...	Rev. Emmett Williams
Austin Stoker	...	Det. Cass Potter
Carol Speed	...	Abby Williams
Juanita Moore	...	Miranda 'Momma' Potter
Charles Kissinger	...	Dr. Hennings
Elliott Moffitt	...	Russell Lang
Nathan Cook	...	Tafa Hassan
Nancy Lee Owens	...	Mrs. Wiggins
William P. Bradford	...	Dr. Rogers (as Billy Bradford)
Joann Holcomb	...	Lois
Claude Fulkerson	...	Benny
Bill Wilson	...	Dan
Charles Broaddus	...	Joe (as Chuck Broadus)
Don Henderson	...	Flip

Storyline

A possession film about a marriage counselor who becomes possessed by the demon of sexuality, when her father in law, an exorcist, freed it while in Africa. He returns home, along with his son and a policeman to perform an African exorcism on her.

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Plot Keywords:

character name as title | one word title | forename as title | grindhouse film | psychotronic film | 

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Taglines:

...the story of a woman possessed!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 December 1974 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Blaxorcist

Filming Locations:

Marengo Cave, Marengo, Indiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

American International Pictures (AIP), Hollywood West Entertainment, Mid-America Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Ryder Sound Services)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In addition to the devastating tornadoes that struck during filming, there were more instances of bad luck on the set. Actor Terry Carter broke his ribs filming one scene, and whenever Carol Speed would appear on the set dressed as the demon, the generators would fail.

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Quotes

Sue: [Abby is preparing to counsel a young married couple. Emmett arrives, and the demon in Abby takes over] Hi there, pastor.
Rev. Emmett Williams: Hello, Sue. This must be George Preston, huh?
George: Pastor. I didn't know you were coming down.
Abby Williams: Why Emmett.
[Abby slowly lapses into the Demon's voice]
Abby Williams: I have a few special tips for Sue, and I didn't want to pass up this golden opportunity.
Sue: What do you mean, Abby? Tips?
Abby Williams: [demon voice in full force] Like the facts of life, stupid! All men are not created equal; better make sure what ...

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: Rod Stewart (1981)

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Soundtracks

Will We Find Our Tomorrows
Music by Robert O. Ragland (uncredited)
Lyrics by William Girdler (uncredited)
Sung by Patti Henderson

User Reviews

Pulled from initial release -- for good reason!

"Abby" made it into the Golden Turkey Awards book as a nominee for the Worst Blaxploiotation Film of All Time and it's easy to see why! The film was released within weeks of "The Exorcist" and, as the story goes, was yanked from theaters and locked away in a vault since it bore such libelous similarity to the now classic blockbuster which so terrified audiences and caused infinite controversy of its own. No doubt, audiences that attended the few screenings of "Abby" before the film was summarily retired were pretty scared too, but in a much different way! "Abby" is truly a dreadful film on just about ALL levels, but what is most pathetic about it is it's lame attempt to exploit legitimate African-based Vodou iconography and lore into what is quite obviously a mad pastiche designed solely to trade on black heritage in order to copy "The Exorcist." The addition of Vodou-inspired and gospel religious references which could have potentially added a culturally-correct flavor to any other film does little more here than betray the attempt to "cash in".... Now, all this said, "Abby" is a hoot to watch! Dialogue, direction, and editing are lousy through and through. The acting is terribly stilted, and this film must have been a devestating dissapointment to all involved, especially then-rising star Carol Speed. Her nothing less than lewd performance (with tongue action) is splendidly embarassing. "The song" (sung by Carol Speed) is a dog you'll be tempted to howl along with. If you are lucky enough to land a copy of this shlocky African-American Blaxploitation gumbo (and check on eBay -- there's usually a copy floating around!), pair it up with another misguided masterpiece (which features one of Richard Burton's most horrendous performances as well as a bewilderingly coquettish, re-possessed Linda Blair): "Exorcist II: The Heretic" Magnificent movie masochism!