Warner Bros. Clockwork has officially announced a 4K director's cut restoration of Ken Russell’s infamous 1971 feature, The Devils. Long buried and notoriously difficult to find outside of collector back channels, the film returns to the big screen with a stylish, strobe-heavy presentation that highlights its enduring reputation as a masterpiece of pure filmmaking. Based on Aldous Huxley’s book The Devils of Loudun, the narrative centers on a secluded convent in Loudun descending into mass hysteria.
At the core of the controversy is Father Urbain Grandier, portrayed by Oliver Reed, who faces fabricated charges of witchcraft orchestrated by corrupt church members and political figures like Cardinal Richelieu. Sister Jeanne, played by Vanessa Redgrave, serves as his primary accuser, fueling a satanic-panic trial that masks institutional corruption and the joint machinations of church and state. Despite its grim subject matter, the film balances biting campy satire with graphic horror, featuring unforgettable sequences such as Grandier parrying a sword with a taxidermied crocodile.
The newly restored version runs for 114 minutes, showcasing Derek Jarman’s striking set design and a tone that effortlessly shifts between dark comedy and harrowing distress. Through a modern lens, the film's fierce lampooning of institutional corruption and the manufacture of pariahs resonates deeply. Warner Bros. Clockwork has scheduled the theatrical run for The Devils to begin on October 16 for a limited one-week engagement.
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