Abby (film)

Abby
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWilliam Girdler
Written byG. Cornell Layne
Produced byWilliam Girdler
Mike Henry
G. Cornell Layne
StarringCarol Speed
William Marshall
Terry Carter
Austin Stoker
CinematographyWilliam Asman
Edited byHenry Asman
Corky Ehlers
Music byRobert O. Ragland
Distributed byAmerican International Pictures
Release date
  • December 25, 1974 (1974-12-25)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$100,000 (inflated figure reported as $472,529)
Box office$2.6 million[1]

Abby is a 1974 American blaxploitation supernatural horror film about a woman who is possessed by a Yoruba sex spirit. The film stars Carol Speed as the title character, William H. Marshall and Terry Carter. It was directed by William Girdler, who co-wrote the film's story with screenwriter Gordon Cornell Layne.

The film was a financial success, considering its modest budget at the time. It grossed $4 million in a month, but was pulled from theaters after the film's distributor, American International Pictures, was accused of copyright violation by Warner Bros., which saw the film as being derivative of The Exorcist and filed a lawsuit against AIP.[2] Girdler himself told the Louisville Courier Journal: "Sure, we made Abby to come in on the shirttail of The Exorcist." The film is also inspired by 1968's Rosemary's Baby.[3]

  1. ^ Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 300. ISBN 978-0-8357-1776-2. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  2. ^ Gary A. Smith, The American International Pictures Video Guide, McFarland 2009 p 9
  3. ^ "William Girdler: Kentucky Films".