If you caught Red Rooms (Les chambres rouges) during its 2024 run, you already know that Pascal Plante doesn't do "comfort watches." He specializes in a specific brand of clinical, high-tension dread that lingers long after the credits roll. After conquering the world of modern cyber-psychological thrillers, Plante is pivoting to something even more visceral. His next project, King's Daughters Pascal Plante, is trading the dark web for the dark waters of the 17th century, and the early buzz suggests we are in for a historical nightmare that could rival The Witch.
The film has already been boarded by WTFilms for worldwide rights, signaling massive international confidence in Plante’s transition from psychological thriller to Quebec cinema folk horror. While Red Rooms was a masterclass in what we don't see, King's Daughters (also known by its French title, Filles du Roi) looks to be a sprawling, "ambitious" production that blends survival drama with the supernatural. Here is everything we know about the most anticipated survival horror of 2027.
What is the movie King's Daughters about?
King's Daughters is a 2027 historical folk-horror film directed by Pascal Plante. It follows a group of orphaned women (Filles du Roi) sent by King Louis XIV to New France in 1663, focusing on their harrowing 111-day transatlantic voyage. The story explores the intersection of isolation, superstition, and survival as these women face a crossing plagued by disease, famine, and a crew that may be as dangerous as the sea itself.
The Plot: A Cursed 111-Day Voyage to New France
The year is 1663. King Louis XIV is desperate to stabilize his faltering colony in New France (modern-day Quebec). His solution? Send hundreds of "orphan virgins" across the Atlantic to marry settlers and populate the territory. These women were the Filles du Roi, and while history books often frame this as a nation-building exercise, Plante is framing it as a 17th century maritime horror.
The narrative centers on a specific transatlantic voyage that lasted 111 days—a grueling amount of time even by 1600s standards. This wasn't a cruise; it was a floating prison. The film focuses on the psychological and physical decay that occurs when you trap dozens of young women, a superstitious crew, and an outbreak of vermin and disease in a wooden hull for nearly four months.
Among the exiles is the youngest girl in the group, 13-year-old Catherine Moitié. Through her eyes, we see the "promiscuity, disease, famine, and apathy" that define the journey. But the "folk horror undertones" mentioned by the production team suggest that the threats aren't just biological. In an era where the line between religious fervor and pagan superstition was razor-thin, the isolation of the ocean becomes a breeding ground for something much darker.
The True History: Who Were the Real 'Filles du Roi'?
To understand the stakes of this film, you have to look at Filles du Roi historical accuracy. Between 1663 and 1673, approximately 800 women were sent to the Quebec colony under the sponsorship of the King. This wasn't a choice for many; these were often impoverished orphans or women from "charity schools" in Paris who were given a small dowry and a one-way ticket to a wilderness they couldn't imagine.
The real-life 1663 voyage was particularly brutal. Historical records show that the mortality rate on these crossings was staggering. When you consider the 1663 history of the program, the "folk horror" label makes perfect sense. These women were essentially state-sponsored reproductive tools being sent to a "New World" that was, to them, a literal void.
By focusing on Catherine Moitié—a real historical figure—Plante is grounding the horror in the very real terror of being a child-bride-to-be in a colony that didn't yet have the infrastructure to support its own people. This isn't just a scary movie; it’s a reclamation of a foundational, and often sanitized, part of Quebec’s cultural identity.
Pascal Plante’s Directorial Style: From Red Rooms to Folk Horror
Why is the director of a sleek, modern thriller moving into 17th-century survival? If you look closely at Pascal Plante’s directorial style, the jump isn't as wild as it seems. In Red Rooms, Plante proved he was a master of "spatial horror"—using sound and framing to make a courtroom or a small apartment feel claustrophobic and predatory.
Moving that sensibility to a ship in the middle of the Atlantic is a natural evolution. The Pascal Plante Red Rooms follow-up will likely retain his signature technical precision. We expect to see the return of his key creative collaborators, including cinematographer Vincent Biron and Plante himself in the editing suite, ensuring that the film's visual language remains as sharp and unsettling as his previous work.
Comparing King's Daughters to The Witch is inevitable, but where Robert Eggers focused on the isolation of the forest, Plante is focusing on the isolation of the transit. It’s the "in-between" space—the 111 days where these women belong to neither the Old World nor the New—that provides the most fertile ground for psychological collapse.
Cast and Creative Team: Sandrine Bonnaire and the Power of 'Sisterhood'
The casting for King's Daughters folk horror is a heavy-hitting blend of legendary talent and rising stars. Leading the pack is the iconic Sandrine Bonnaire, whose career spans decades of French cinema excellence. Joining her is Laurie Babin, who delivered a haunting performance in Red Rooms, alongside Lauréna Thellier, Zoé Adjani, and Marguerite Champoux.
The production is being led by a powerhouse trio of women: Dominique Dussault (Nemesis Films), Stephanie Morissette (La Maison de Prod), and Caroline Bonmarchand (Avenue B). This female-led perspective is crucial, as the producers have stated the film is a story of "female solidarity, survival, and resilience."
From a feminist film theory perspective, this movie is positioning itself as an exploration of "sisterhood" born from systemic oppression. These women were sent by King Louis XIV as commodities, but the film aims to show how they forged their own agency in the face of a "cursed" fate.
Key Production Details
- Director: Pascal Plante
- Writers: Pascal Plante & Dominique Dussault
- Starring: Sandrine Bonnaire, Laurie Babin
- Production Companies: Nemesis Films, La Maison de Prod, Avenue B
- World Sales: WTFilms
- Release Window: 2027
Production Status: From Montreal to St-Malo
The scale of this Filles du Roi movie 2027 is significantly larger than Plante's previous outings. Filming kicked off in Montreal earlier this year to capture the gritty, colonial atmosphere of the Quebec colony. In June 2024, the production moved to St-Malo, France, a historic port city that serves as the perfect backdrop for the women’s departure from the Old World.
While specific budget figures haven't been leaked, the "epic" nature of the shoot—involving period-accurate ships and international locations—suggests this is one of the most well-funded Quebec productions in recent years. The film will be primarily in French, staying true to its historical roots, though its themes of survival and dread are universal.
Key Takeaways
- King's Daughters Pascal Plante is a 2027 historical folk-horror film about the Filles du Roi.
- The plot centers on a 111-day transatlantic voyage in 1663 filled with famine, disease, and superstition.
- The film stars Sandrine Bonnaire and Red Rooms breakout Laurie Babin.
- It is being described as a "historical survival drama" with supernatural or folk-horror elements.
- Production is currently taking place in both Montreal and St-Malo, France.
- The project explores themes of female solidarity and the origins of modern Quebec identity.
The Future of Quebec Horror
As we look toward the 2027 release, King's Daughters is positioning itself as more than just a genre flick. It’s a high-stakes gamble on the idea that historical drama can be just as terrifying as any modern thriller. By blending the survival drama of the 1660s with the "naturally terrifying" reality of the King's Daughters program, Pascal Plante is set to deliver a film that is both a haunting history lesson and a masterclass in atmospheric dread.
Will there be a direct connection to the Red Rooms universe? Likely not in a narrative sense, but the "spiritual" connection of exploring human depravity in isolated spaces is definitely there. Keep your eyes on the festival circuit in late 2026; if Plante’s track record is any indication, this voyage will be one for the history books.
