Reflections on ... Abby (1974)

Abby (1974). Taglines: “Abby doesn't need a man anymore... The Devil is her Lover Now!” “The Story of a Woman Possessed!” 

I’m using this period of enforced social isolation to explore the weirder corners of YouTube for long forgotten and obscure movies. (My boyfriend Pal is accompanying me only semi-willingly). Think of this one as The Blackorcist. Dr Garrett Williams (William Marshall, best remembered from Blacula and Scream, Blacula, Scream!) is an esteemed authority on pagan African religions. While working on an archaeological dig in Nigeria, he inadvertently unleashes an evil Yoruba “sex spirit” called Eshu – which promptly possesses the body of his devoutly Christian daughter in law Abby across the globe in Louisville, Kentucky! (The movie doesn’t even attempt to make sense of this, so don’t worry). Williams must rush back to the US to perform an emergency exorcism. Can he save Abby’s soul? 

Aside from Marshall, the biggest name in the virtually all-black cast is African American character actress Juanita Moore (from great fifties Hollywood films like The Girl Can’t Help It and the Douglas Sirk masterpiece Imitation of Life) as Abby’s mother. Full credit to the gutsy star Carol Speed, who is totally game and really goes for it once Abby is possessed and transformed into a lewd, vomit-spewing, sexually insatiable and foul-mouthed devil. The film is at its unintentionally hilarious best when the formerly virtuous Abby begins growling dialogue like, “I’m gonna fuck the shit outta him!” and “You ugly motherfuckers, I’ll see you in hell!” in a demonic guttural male voice. (None of the characters ever think to ask, “Abby? What’s happened to your voice?”). The climactic finale takes place at a dive bar, where “bad Abby” has been wantonly flirting and reveling in vice. (The film seems to imply that dim nightclub lighting, drinking cocktails and dancing to disco music is the height of sin! In which case: hail, Satan!). 

As you may have guessed, Abby is freaky so-bad-it’s-great fun. No wonder kitsch connoisseur John Waters himself has cited it as a favourite. If Abby sounds like The Blaxploitation Exorcist, Warner Brothers certainly thought so too – they successfully accused the distributors (American International Pictures) of copyright violation, the film was yanked from cinemas and subsequently legally suppressed. (Before that, Abby had been an instant box office smash, grossing $4 million in its opening month against an estimated budget of $100,00 - $200,000). Long considered a “lost film”, the version of Abby available online is apparently from an inferior 16 mm print and is in faded, grainy (but still watchable) condition. In theory, there is a pristine original master print languishing in a vault somewhere for legal reasons. Hopefully, this will eventually be resolved, and we’ll get the digitally re-mastered deluxe director’s cut edition of Abby the world has been waiting for! 

/ Apparently being possessed by a demon = a glue-on pair of werewolf eyebrows /

Watch Abby below.