Hell Returns to the Big Screen: Ken Russell’s The Devils Unleashes a Restored and Uncut Trailer

More than five decades after it shocked audiences and courted controversy around the world, Ken Russell’s The Devils is preparing to return to cinemas in a newly restored and remastered form.

A new trailer for Ken Russell’s The Devils has been released, offering a glimpse at the notorious 1971 psychological horror drama in the form Russell originally envisioned. The film, starring Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, has long been regarded as one of the most provocative and uncompromising works in British cinema.

Set in 17th-century France, The Devils dramatises the infamous Loudun possessions and the downfall of Urbain Grandier, a Catholic priest whose defiance of political and religious authorities makes him the target of accusations of witchcraft. Redgrave plays Sister Jeanne des Anges, a nun whose obsession with Grandier becomes intertwined with the increasingly disturbing accusations surrounding him.

The new trailer wastes little time reminding audiences why the film remains so divisive. Visually intense, confrontational and filled with religious imagery, the footage captures Russell's distinctive filmmaking style, which deliberately pushed sexuality, violence and religious iconography into uncomfortable territory.

That uncompromising approach made The Devils a target for censors when it was first released. Warner Bros. required cuts before the film could reach audiences, while different versions were subsequently shown in various territories. The film was banned in several countries and remained difficult to access in its original form for decades.

Now, audiences will finally have an opportunity to experience a version much closer to Russell's original vision.

The restoration was created in 4K using the original camera negative, with the restored director's cut premiering at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival as part of Cannes Classics. The project is being released through Warner Bros. Clockwork, the studio's contemporary label behind the theatrical re-release.

For longtime admirers of Russell's work, the restoration represents more than a simple return of a cult classic. The Devils has spent decades existing almost as much through its reputation as through its actual availability. Its censorship history helped turn the film into something of a cinematic holy grail, with generations of filmmakers, critics and cinephiles continuing to debate its confrontational imagery and themes.

Yet beneath the controversy is a film that remains firmly connected to Russell's fascination with power, repression and the collision between faith and human desire. The director's visual excess is not simply there to provoke; it becomes part of a larger examination of how religious and political authority can manipulate fear and belief.

Oliver Reed delivers one of his most memorable performances as Grandier, while Vanessa Redgrave brings an unsettling intensity to Sister Jeanne. Their performances remain central to the film's enduring reputation, particularly as the story gradually descends from political intrigue into psychological and religious hysteria.

The restoration also arrives at a time when audiences have shown renewed interest in historically controversial cinema. Films once considered too extreme for conventional distribution are increasingly being revisited through archival restorations, giving modern viewers the chance to assess them within a broader cinematic context.

Ken Russell's The Devils will return to Australian cinemas on October 21, 2026, following its restoration and renewed international theatrical rollout.

For viewers familiar with the film's reputation, the new release offers the chance to finally see what the controversy was about. For newcomers, it promises something considerably more dangerous: a confrontation with one of the most audacious films of its era, restored for the big screen and ready to shock a new generation.

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