Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Beware of planted reviews from the Cinefear pirates!, November 28, 2004
This is not a review of "Abby" per se, but rather a warning to stay away from the pirate (yes, pirate) disc released by the bootleg store Cinefear, of which the reviews below (probably planted by Cinefear itself) rave. WAIT for the proper upcoming DVD of "Abby" instead of buying the high-price, horrible-quality, shoddily-made Cinefear disc. Why should you avoid Cinefear's bootleg disc? Well, it's detailed e.g. here - http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/read.php?ID=8516 - but for brevity, let me count some reasons:
- "Abby" was, of course, shot in widescreen. Cinefear's blatant lie on the cover is just an excuse for the fact that they made their bootleg disc full-screen only.
- Cinefear's "transfer" is an extremely ugly VHS transfer, full of tears, holes, smudges, artifacts, jumps and dirt. The sound is dull and hollow and the chapters freeze and skip. Their claim that this atrocity had been transferred from the original print is a blatant lie - you can actually find older pirate releases of "Abby" that look better than Cinefear's schlocky offer.
- There are no "many more" extras that Cinefear promises. A trailer, a radio spot, a description of the film and poster reproductions are there, and that's it.
- Cinefear asks the typical price of their pirate videos for "Abby", a price that is considerably higher than that of legal, high-quality DVDs.
Wait for the proper disc. Though Glen Danzig gave up its production, "Abby" *is* being prepared for a future release in a transfer from the actual film print, not an old VHS tape.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Good movie - Terrible DVD, September 11, 2005
Abby is something of a cult classic inspired by The Exorcist (1973). It features an excellent cast led by William Marshall, Terry Carter, Carol Speed, and Austin Stoker. The basic premise is scholar and minister Garnet Williams (Marshall) travels to Nigeria to work on an archaeological site. During the trip, he inadvertently releases a Nigerian demon which proceeds to possess his daughter-in-law, Abby (Speed). She soon manifests self-destructive and anti-social behavior and ultimately ends up in a mental hospital. After she escapes, she begins to prey on men in nightclubs, using promises of sex to lure them to places where she can destroy them. Eventually, Garnet, Abby's husband Emmett (Carter), and her brother (Stoker) must confront them demon and try to force it out of her before she perishes.
The film is absolutely based on or inspired by The Exorcist. Though there are many important differences, there are also a number of similarities that could be argued are derivative of the original work. This is presumably the basis of the Warner Brothers litigation that essentially killed the film. Regardless, this is a well made, well presented film that treats the subject matter and the actors with seriousness and respect. Despite being often classified as blaxploitation, the film lacks many of the stereotypes of the genre. Horror film fans should give it a chance.
Now for the awful DVD. Normally I don't do reviews here, but this DVD is so appalling as to almost be beyond words. The video transfer is so poor that the opening credits are almost unreadable. Not one moment of the video is clear or devoid of massive flaws. The original master, if indeed an actual film master was used, was in decrepit condition. The audio, though poor, is slightly better than the video. The so-called extras are worthless. The DVD is not worth purchasing at any price. It might be worth renting, but only if the viewer absolutely must see this otherwise difficult-to-find film.
At the time this review was submitted, there were two glowing reviews of the DVD. Both touted its high quality and superb extras. Lies. No reasonable reviewer can reach this conclusion. In case you doubt this, consider this one point. Both of these glowing reviews were submitted on the same day...December 14, 2004. Don't believe 'em. The DVD is absolute garbage.
With this said, the film itself is quite good. It absolutely deserves a complete and caring restoration done by a reputable company. My 1 star rating applies only to the Cinefear DVD. The film itself warrants 4 stars.
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Abby is a Collector's "Must-Have," Regardless of the Not-so-Perfect Picture Quality", October 14, 2005
I was very happy to see Abby again after over 30 years. I have always been a big fan of Carol Speed and her 1970's movies. Prior to reading the movie's ending credits, I was not aware that Carol actually wrote the song she sang in the movie. Also, I felt the overall duplication of Abby (on DVD) was not that bad. Having said that, do not expect to see and compare Abby to a recently-made movie you would normally buy today on DVD. Movies today are filmed with a lot better technology. Remember, Abby was filmed over 30 years ago and on a very low budget. I own several DVDs of movies filmed during the 70's and they all look the about same in overall picture clarity.
You can really tell Abby was duplicated from some type of film to DVD. We all have had or seen movies dubbed from a VHS tape to another. This Abby DVD is a little better quality than a first-generation-duplicated VHS tape product. The DVD does contain some grainy areas and lines which will remind you of something recorded on a VHS tape; however, it's still better than a standard bootleg movie recorded with a personal video camera. I do not believe the DVD was made from a digitally remastered and restored print direct from film--as advertised by Cinefear; more likely VHS to DVD!
If you do decide to purchase a copy of Abby, it will definitely be a product of Cinefear. They are the only company currently producing and distributing Abby on DVD. Thirteen years ago, Cinefear began selling Abby on VHS for over $70. Cinefear is currently selling Abby for $20 (DVD) on their website. There are many sellers where you can find on-line to purchase the movie--just find the one with the cheapest price. I bought my Abby DVD from Gold Medal Hair's website for $9.98. For myself, it was worth the price to see this 70's movie classic, regardless of the not-so-perfect picture quality--I would not have paid Cinefear $70 to buy Abby on VHS tape. Also, I can understand why people are upset over the shoddy DVD, especially if they paid $20 to $30 to get it. I gave an extra star just to be able to see Carol's performance again as Abby. The comments made by the previous reviewers were right on the money concerning the actual movie. I will always remember the line, "I don't need you, I've got Abby!"
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