‘Ken Russell’s The Devils’ Restoration Trailer: The Heretical Masterpiece in All Its Uncensored, Unfiltered, and F**ked-Up Glory

One of the most controversial films of all time returns to theaters this fall, courtesy of Warner Bros.' new specialty outfit Clockwork.

For cinephiles who weren’t kicking around in 1972, the only way to see the epic religious horror movie “The Devils” has long been on a poorly assembled DVD cut that’s now barely available on eBay. Now, Ken Russell‘s infamously recut and banned historical drama starring Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed will finally be presented in theaters as intended this fall: uncut and unfiltered, and in 4K.

The repertory rollout of “Ken Russell’s The Devils,” starting October 16, will also mark the flagship release of Warner Bros.’ new specialty arm, Clockwork. The trailer arrives ahead of the 35mm world premiere at Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna, though “Ken Russell’s The Devils” officially premiered in 4K at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. You can watch the trailer for “Ken Russell’s The Devils” 4K restoration below.

For his sixth feature and just two years after adapting D.H. Lawrence with “Women in Love” (also with Reed), the filmmaker turned his attention to the story of Urbain Grandier (Reed), a 17th-century Catholic priest who had been burned at the stake amid accusations of witchcraft. Redgrave, meanwhile, plays the sexually repressed, hunchbacked Sister Jeanne des Anges, who becomes sexually obsessed with him. “The Devils” is loosely based on true events and their interpretations in Aldous Huxley’s 1952 novel “The Devils of Loudun” and John Whiting’s 1960 play inspired by it. Obviously, though, Russell took massive creative liberties that scandalized audiences and led to global censorship.

Russell made significant snips at the studio’s behest at the time, though the film still received an X rating. The new 4K version — which is really not a new version at all, as it promises to be Russell’s definitive vision — restores two sexually explicit scenes, including the infamous Rape of Christ (IYKYK), that were not widely seen at the time. (Though cuts include these sequences, including one of Redgrave’s character masturbating with Reed’s charred femur after he’s burned at the stake, have played in various cuts over the last 50 years.)

IndieWire previously called the film “blasphemous, bawdy, and relevant today as it was when banned in 1971.”

The new 4K restoration was assembled from the film’s original camera negative. The sound has been remastered from the original English Composite 35mm mag film, transferred at 96kHz, with additional original film elements used in selected spots as needed. The picture and sound restoration was performed by Warner Bros. Post-Production Creative Services, Water Tower Color, and Warner Bros. Sound.

Clockwork releases “Ken Russell’s The Devils” in select theaters starting October 16 for a one-week engagement. More dates will follow. Back in April, the company announced that it will also distribute Oscar-winning “Anora” director Sean Baker’s next film, “Ti Amo!”