FrightFest Premieres Kümel’s Gothic Gems in 4K

Radiance Films is set to revive two of Harry Kümel’s most provocative works in sparkling new 4K restorations at FrightFest 2025 this August. The Belgian visionary behind Daughters of Darkness and Malpertuis will be on hand in London’s Leicester Square for a Q&A following the UK premieres of both films. Daughters of Darkness will unfurl its decadent horrors on Saturday 23 August, while the surreal terror of Malpertuis follows on Sunday 24 August.

Daughters of Darkness (1971) stands as a landmark of European vampire cinema. Newlyweds Stefan and Valerie arrive at a deserted seaside hotel only to fall under the thrall of Countess Bathory and her enigmatic companion. Delphine Seyrig, in a mesmerising turn as the blood countess, leads an intoxicating cast that includes John Karlen and Danielle Ouimet. The restoration, overseen by Kümel himself, restores every candlelit corridor and silken shadow to its full moody splendour. The forthcoming Limited Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray and Blu-ray box sets, available 13 October, will include audio commentaries by Virginie Sélavy and Lindsay Hallam, interviews with Kümel and critic Anne Billson, a visual essay by Kat Ellinger and a wealth of archival shorts and behind-the-scenes footage, all housed in a rigid collector’s box with an 80-page booklet.

Equally ambitious is Malpertuis (1971), a hallucinatory descent into myth and madness. Orson Welles delivers a towering late-career performance as the enigmatic patriarch who has imprisoned his heirs within a decaying mansion where ancient gods masquerade as mortals. Mathieu Carrière and Susan Hampshire populate this labyrinthine house of horrors, now rendered in razor-sharp clarity thanks to a fresh 4K scan. The Limited Edition Blu-ray box set will include Kümel’s early shorts, an audio commentary with the director and assistant Françoise Levie, interviews with Jonathan Rigby and rare outtakes featuring Welles, alongside the Cannes cut and the full archival documentary Malpertuis Archive.

Both restorations arrive in UK shops and online from 13 October 2025, inviting a new generation to experience Kümel’s daring blend of gothic romance, queer subversion and high-art style. With the director in attendance at FrightFest, fans and critics alike will have the rare chance to explore the unsettling depths of these cult masterpieces on the big screen before securing definitive editions for their own collections.

Daughters of Darkness trailer