Film & TV3 min(s) read
A notoriously controversial horror film that caused outrage when it was released more than five decades ago is finally set to receive its first legal screening in the UK.
Ken Russell's The Devils first arrived in 1971 and immediately became one of the most divisive films of its era.
The movie was so controversial that it received an X-rating in Britain, even after cuts were made before it could be shown publicly.
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A combination of religious imagery, sexuality, and particularly disturbing subject matter proved explosive and led to the Vatican itself condemning the film.
Now, 55 years after its original release, The Devils is being restored in 4K and will return to UK and Irish cinemas in what is being billed as a definitive restoration.
The restored version has received an enthusiastic endorsement from acclaimed filmmaker Guillermo del Toro, whose expertise is particularly applicable to the genre of horror.
Del Toro was quoted as saying: “The restoration of the material is like cleaning the Sistine Chapel with saliva. I’ve never seen the movie until I saw this restoration.”
Warner Bros. said more than 164,472 individual frames of 35mm film were restored as part of the painstaking process, with the new version giving audiences an opportunity to experience Russell's infamous film in substantially improved picture quality.
The movie stars Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave and draws inspiration from the real-life story of Urbain Grandier, a 17th-century French Catholic priest.
Grandier became embroiled in a notorious episode involving a convent where a group of nuns were reportedly affected by mass hysteria and claimed to have been possessed.
The adaptation took those historical events and turned them into a deliberately provocative horror film, with its treatment of religion and sexuality quickly making it a controversial topic.
Ann Guarino of the New York Daily News described it as: “Could not be more anti-Catholic in tone or more sensationalized in treatment,” while Los Angeles Times critic Charles Champlin called it “anti-humanity.”
The Vatican's reaction was even more damning, reportedly describing the movie as “an insult to cinema.”
The British Film Institute is now partnering with Warner Bros. Clockwork to bring the restored movie to audiences in Britain and Ireland.
Stuart Brown, BFI Director of Programme and Distribution, described The Devils in glowing terms: “Ken Russell’s The Devils is one of the great masterpieces of British cinema: a film of astonishing imagination, searing power and dazzling formal brilliance,” he said.
“The BFI is thrilled to be partnering with Warner Bros. Clockwork to present the new restoration, which reveals anew the extraordinary artistry of Oliver Reed, Vanessa Redgrave, Derek Jarman, and the many others who collaborated to create a truly singular work.”
He added: “The BFI has long supported Ken Russell’s film and television work across BFI Southbank, BFI home entertainment, and BFI Player, and so it is a fitting privilege to help bring this landmark restoration to audiences across the UK and Ireland.”
People discussing the restored version online have offered very different assessments of Russell's work.
One viewer wrote on X: “Insane film. Freaked me the hell out the first time I saw it.”
Another remembered watching it at the New Beverly Cinema in the late 1980s, writing: “Saw it at the New Beverly in the late 80s two times. Incredible film.”
A third simply responded: “take my money.”
The restored The Devils is scheduled for release in the US on October 16, 2026, before arriving in the UK and Ireland on October 30.
BFI Distribution and Warner Bros. Clockwork will bring the 4K restoration to cinemas, while the film will also be available to watch through BFI Player.
After decades of censorship and controversy, audiences will finally get the opportunity to watch Russell's infamous horror firsthand.
