Emby Mellay

The film is a fairly typical example of a sub-genre in '60s and '70s American horror movies -- satanic ritual in rural America -- but experienced renewed interest in 1998 when a heavily edited version was lampooned on cult TV program Mystery Science Theater 3000 (1988).

Mellay's performance in the film was good and there was continued interest in her from Hollywood -- for instance, she was cast in a film with Brandon De Wilde to be titled "God Bless You Uncle Sam," eventually retitled Black Jack (1972) and then shelved for years due to DeWilde's untimely death in a car accident. But having now experienced the emotional demands of film-making first hand, she decided to take a different path.

Soon she was cast as the lead in the supernatural horror film for which she is known, The Touch of Satan (1971).

Emby Mellay was born on October 31, 1946 in Trenton, NJ, relocating during her childhood first to Montreal and, later, to Los Angeles. Her unusual first name was her mother's creation, a shortening of Emmabeth. She graduated from Fairfax High School in West Hollywood and attended Pierce College. While working as secretary for the legendary Hollywood acting coach Estelle Harman, the petite beauty took an interest in acting herself, auditioned for Harman and was accepted as a student in her workshop. Mellay had a natural aptitude and advanced quickly, hired an agent and quickly began to get work.