In the mid-1970s, a horror movie was released that terrified audiences by featuring the demonic possession of an innocent young woman. If you assumed that this fits the description of The Exorcist (1973), you’d be right. But there was another film that many may not know about that was sued and banned from theaters because of its similarities.
After the success of Freidkin’s exorcism film, other studios, and filmmakers were eager to ride the wave of the emerging subgenre of religious horror. The Exorcist’s impact on the genre changed the way audiences viewed the horror genre, seeing the genre films as insightful narratives that they could connect with. The film went on to receive ten Academy Award nominations, which had not yet been done by any other horror film. Even today, the impact of The Exorcist can still be seen across genres. And William Girdler decided to capitalize on that trend.
The Post-Exorcist Rise of Religious Horror
Girdler’s sophomore film, Abby, was released on December 25, 1974– almost exactly one year after the December 26th release of The Exorcist. In the Blaxploitation horror film, Dr. Williams (William Marshall) finds an ancient relic while digging in a Nigerian cave. Dr. Williams mistakenly releases Eshu, a Yoruba sex demon. Eshu then travels across the world, attaching itself to Dr. Williams’ daughter-in-law, Abby (Carol Speed). As the film progresses, so does Abby’s possession. Abby’s husband and family are at a loss for her extreme change in behavior. A minister’s wife and a lead in her church choir, is now seducing men at random bars. Dr. Williams returns home, focused on ridding Abby of this demonic entity that makes her a sex-crazed housewife.
Girdler’s exorcism film is heavily influenced by Black and African culture, fashion, and music. Much like other Blaxploitation horror films of that time (Blacula, Ganja & Hess), Abby explored a scary scenario told through a Black lens. But let’s not shy away from the fact that Girdler was a white man. Looking back, it’s clear that the film’s writing is problematic in some ways. The only way for Abby to be deemed worthy of saving is for her to be a God-fearing minister’s wife. Her sexual desires are evil and demonic. Her body is not her own. Sound familiar (i.e., slavery)? In the documentary Horror Noire, Tananarive Due says Abby is “a really good example of both fear of Black women in general but fear of Black women’s sexuality in particular.” One thing that Girdler does differently in Abby is using a male voice for the demon, which drives home even more that Abby is controlled by men. It’s not until she is exorcised by her father-in-law, along with her husband and brother in tow, that she is freed from the monster that she had become.
Audience Impact and Cultural Resonance
When asked what it was like to see this film in 1974, @motomweusi836 responded with: “Me and some friends just had to sneak in and check this out. Worst mistake of my young life! This movie messed all of us up for months. We couldn’t sleep and were constantly thinking folks in the house were possessed. Needless to say our parents had no problems getting us to go to church after that.” And that’s relevant to the impact of this film. Seeing a Black woman being possessed on screen was fresh and scary as hell to Black audiences. And the box office reflected that impact.
Abby was in theaters for one month and was able to scare up $4 million, more than enough to recoup its $100,000 budget. But why was it only in theaters for a month? Because the film was so similar to The Exorcist that Warner Bros. contacted their lawyers to sue. It was even marketed as “The Black Exorcist”. The court sided with Warner Bros., and the film was pulled from theaters. Girdler admitted that Friedkin’s adaptation inspired his film, but it wasn’t a blatant ripoff. It isn’t clear from my research, but it is said that Warner Bros. not only had the film’s theatrical run halted, but they also seized the original reel to ensure that it wouldn’t be distributed.
A Lasting Legacy in Blaxploitation and Horror
Even fifty years later, the ownership of the original film is still a mystery. You may be able to find some not-so-stellar versions on YouTube and Plex. Despite not having any good quality versions out there, Abby has still become an underground Blaxploitation classic. I asked YouTube creator and director/screenwriter, Tyrone Williams what he believes the lasting legacy of Abby is in the context of both Blaxploitation and horror cinema. He responded, “When it comes to Blaxploitation and horror cinema, Abby leaves behind a legacy of pushing to the forefront a Black woman in a subgenre that they still, to this day, are barely represented in. Her possessed self being the exact opposite of a model housewife in the ’70s is the icing on this supernatural-filled cake.” I couldn’t agree more that there is a significance to Abby that continues to resonate with audiences.
Abby is a Blaxploitation horror gem that remains an underrated classic in cinema history. While it has a controversial legacy, Abby stands as an artifact of its time, pushing boundaries in ways that still spark discussion. Fifty years later, it remains a dynamic, provocative film that deserves more recognition and an appreciation within the context of horror and Blaxploitation cinema.