A docile black law student is possessed by a 1940's mobster in mid 1970s New Orleans, Louisiana. The mobster seeks revenge upon the people who killed him and his sister. The previous comment is misleading. The story starts out with JD a 1940's Gangster and all around pretty "bad" guy. His woman is killed by another gangster with a slash to the throat. Another gangster comes in and sees him standing over the body and shoots him to death. Flash forward to the 70's, a mild mannered law student and taxi driver goes to a hypnotists show. He is plucked from the audience and hypnotized. After the show he starts acting strangely and violently (even beats up his girlfriend). Somehow he is now possessed by the gangster. It also turns out that the man who killed him (Lou Gosset Jr.) is now a preacher in the neighborhood. Then things get even more interesting. A solid standout from most Black flicks of the middle 70's, JD's Revenge provided an early platform for Glynn Turman (Cooley High) to prove his acting prowess. By playing essentially two characters at once, Turman's passion for the roles combines with the spookiness of the New Orleans setting for memorable results. Louis Gossett plays an excellent preacher with a sordid past. The horror edge of this film is a little heavy-handed, but it is considerably better than most of the genre. A great Black thriller.
Sakvalio replied
366 weeks ago