[1] His 1971 vampire feature Daughters of Darkness (Les lèvres rouges; Fr, "The Red Lips"), starring Delphine Seyrig became a cult hit in Europe and the United States.

He also directed the film version of Malpertuis (1971), featuring Orson Welles and adapted from the 1943 novel by Jean Ray.

He also directed Monsieur Hawarden[2] (1969) about the cross-dressing Meriora Gillibrand whose two male lovers fought a duel in Vienna.

The film is a fictionalised account; her grave can still be seen near Malmedy in the German-speaking part of Belgium.

From 1969 until the present, Kümel has taught cinema at several film institutes, including The Dutch Film and Television Academy – Amsterdam (NFTA), Institut des Arts de Diffusion – Brussels (IAD), Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema and Sound – Brussels (RITS), and the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB).