Daughters of Darkness, directed by Harry Kümel, is a cult classic vampire film set primarily in Ostend, a key atmospheric element in the story.
In the presence of Harry Kümel.

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DAUGHTERS OF DARKNESS
HARRY KÜMEL — BE/FR/DE, 1971 – video – 100’

06/12 20:00 KAAP Ostend

Daughters of Darkness follows newlyweds Stefan and Valerie, who encounter the mysterious Countess Elizabeth Bathory (played by Delphine Seyrig) and her companion, Ilona, while staying at an eerie seaside hotel (Thermae Palace). The gothic architecture of the Royal Galleries of Ostend and the haunting seafront lend a surreal, dreamlike quality to the film, enhancing its themes of seduction, power, and supernatural intrigue.

Kümel’s choice of Ostend was intentional, reflecting his fascination with both surrealism and expressionism, which influenced the film’s visual tone. Seyrig’s character — a sophisticated, timeless vampire with links to the infamous Elizabeth Bathory — uses the location to manipulate and seduce the young couple, ultimately drawing them into her dark world. The contrast between the wintry Ostend landscape and the intense psychosexual drama of the characters amplifies the film’s sense of foreboding and suspense, making Ostend as much a character as any of the actors.

Critics have highlighted the film’s aesthetic elegance and its surreal, dreamlike quality, elevating it beyond traditional horror into the realm of art cinema. This is underpinned by the decadent hotel setting and haunting score, which add to the eerie, erotic atmosphere as Bathory slowly entangles the couple in her web of manipulation and desire.

For the first time, the recently completed 4K restoration of Daughters of Darkness is being shown in Ostend, in the presence of Harry Kümel.

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With the support of Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds and KAAP.

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Artistic coordination: Anouk De Clercq, Godart Bakkers
General coordination: Ditte Claus
Artistic team: Eric de Kuyper, Xavier Garcia Bardon
Production team: Bob Mees, Jef Declercq, Johan Opstaele, Noah Heylen
Communication: Cynthia Vandenbruaene
Graphic design: Michaël Bussaer. Webdesign: Dominique Callewaert.

With the support of Auguste Orts, CINEMATEK, KAAP, KASK School of Arts Gent, Onderzoeksfonds Universiteit Gent, Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds.

Whoever walks in Ostend today is confronted with a fantastic eclecticism: a brutal grey apartment block exists next to the glorious Thermae Palace. The mighty, almost Stalinist, building of De Grote Post dominates the Hendrik Serruyslaan. A former department store houses a museum for contemporary art. Belle-époque houses are hidden in the quiet but stately streets.

In 2017, one void struck artist Anouk De Clercq: that glorious film culture of Henri Storck, James Ensor or Raoul Servais had disappeared from the streets. With the closure of the Rialto cinema, the last independent cinema from the Ostend cinema circuit also disappeared. Against such an extraordinary backdrop, with the sea as a large projection surface for images, stories and histories, that is such a shame.

And so the idea of Monokino ripens: one room, marked by an equally fantastic eclecticism, where cinema can be itself again. One room where long and short films, film classics, auteur cinema, video art, experimental films, animation, or the work of young makers can find a place. Monokino shows, questions, responds, engages in conversation, invites, welcomes, puts in perspective. Monokino is a place of, by and for people from Ostend, for professionals and enthusiasts, for young and old, for those from here and those from there.

The films that Monokino wants to show don’t only live on the screen. They also spread between residents, spectators, and makers. In that sense, Monokino is also Kopfkino: a mental cinema, where images get the chance to live and multiply.

That’s how Monokino drifts nomadically through those eclectic streets of Ostend and settles in the heads and hearts of the people of Ostend. Soon it’ll moor for good.

Monokino wants to drive cinema into the 21st century and illuminate the adventurous side of film. While we strive for a permanent place as anchorage for cinefiles from Ostend and beyond, Monokino operates as a nomadic film platform.

The sea is Monokino’s favourite projection surface for images, stories and histories. In anticipation of our next screening, we’ve started to collect a list of films in which the sea plays a main or supporting role. Can you think of a film that’s not already on our list? We’d love to hear about it via info@monokino.org.

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