Review of The Black Abbot

With an eccentric bird like aunt who tweets constantly and a maid who seems like she's going to have a sneezing fit any moment, this has a great ensemble in what is essentially a filmed stage play minus the meat of a strong story. The story, what is of it, deals with an apparent ghost (the title) and a kidnapping. You barely notice the kidnapping of wealthy Englishman (Richard Cooper) occur, so engrossed in the nonstop clucking of the wacky ensemble where a good majority of the men are more effeminnate than the women. The use of some amusing malopropisms creates more laughs, overshadowing the premise of the presence of the ghost and the kidnapping. A few chills because of some spooky photography adds to the atmosphere, much more interesting than the romantic subplot involving young heiress Judy Kelly and stuffy John Stuart. The ending, of course, seems like a complete cop-out.