10 Incredible Female Horror Directors You May Not Have Heard Of

Karen Arthur's forgotten The Mafu Cage (1978) should have taken the film world by storm, but instead tragically fell into obscurity. This psychological chamber play follows two grown daughters residing in their late father's home where the youngest daughter, Sissy, torments pet apes in a cage.

Lee Grant and Carol Kane's portrayals of Ellen and Sissy are groundbreaking, offering up fully fleshed characters which are typically uncommon within the genre. The audience simultaneously pities, understands, and condemns. Explicit gore is not shown in The Mafu's Cage but Arthur's use of camera angles and close-ups provide more cinematic tension than an audience could ask for. This paired with Grant and Kane's stunning performances offers up a horror film for the ages.

The dread is palpable and the behavior disturbing.

Although The Mafu Cage premiered at Cannes the year it was released, Arthur was not granted the opportunity to direct another film for a decade. In 1987 an impressive Lady Beware was released but after this Arthur turned to television direction for a wider range of opportunities.