yuukimaiko

While perusing the 50cent rental section at the local video store, I came across "The Mafu Cage." Reading the flipside of the box led me to believe that this would simply be a run-of-the-mill 70s horror flick. However, it was hardly that; And very perversely bizarre. Cissy falls into the depths of insanity and general crackness while living with her older sister after her ape/monkey researching father dies...

Riddled with tribal music, inferred incest and a living room converted to a jungle, I'd recommend "The Mafu Cage" to any who desire a high weirdness factor in their movies.

While agreeing to an extent with other reviewers with regards to the movie's slow pace, I cannot, however, dismiss it entirely. I suppose I must qualify by noting that I'm a fan of the satanic horror genre in general (Rosemary's Baby, The Omen, Mephisto Waltz, etc). With that in mind, I found the ritualistic scenes somewhat refreshing in comparison to other similar films. There was an element of 'crackness' that the others did not have, so to speak, which I found helped draw attention despite the somewhat lethargic plot. Naturally, the nudity and sex was likely written in for the standard trashy money-grubbing reasons, but the direction and use thereof makes it less for the sake of showing "T&A" and more for creating an "unkosher" feel. The ritualistic use and the juxtaposition of sex with religion made for an uneasy or perhaps amusing feel. All in all, while by no means a classic, I think that because of its bizarre slant toward the sexual, To The Devil A Daughter stands unique in its genre.

Additionally, the excommunication(I think) ritual at the beginning can be found sampled in White Zombie's "Super-Charger Heaven." Additionally, Henry is played by Denholm Elliot in a role contrasting with the perhaps lovable Marcus Brody in the Indiana Jones films.