Ken Russell’s “The Devils” is getting a long-awaited, uncut and unfiltered 4K theatrical run this fall—reclaiming the version fans have barely been able to hunt down on outdated DVD copies. The repertory rollout begins October 16, coinciding with the flagship
By the time the trailer hits, it’s already clear what’s at stake: Ken Russell’s “The Devils” isn’t being treated like a relic anymore.
For years. cinephiles who missed its 1972 impact have had to make do with a patchwork DVD release that’s been hard to find—and even harder to feel fully confident about. Now. Russell’s famously recut and censored historical horror drama—starring Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed—will finally be presented this fall as intended: uncut and unfiltered. and in 4K.
The theatrical push, billed as a repertory rollout under the new banner “Ken Russell’s The Devils,” starts October 16. That date also marks the flagship release of Warner Bros.’ new specialty arm, Clockwork.
The trailer release comes ahead of a 35mm world premiere at Il Cinema Ritrovato in Bologna. Before that, though, the film’s 4K premiere is already on record—“Ken Russell’s The Devils” officially premiered in 4K at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
Russell’s film is Russell’s sixth feature, made just two years after adapting D.H. Lawrence with “Women in Love,” also starring Reed. “The Devils” turns to the story of Urbain Grandier (Reed). a 17th-century Catholic priest who was burned at the stake amid accusations of witchcraft. Redgrave plays Sister Jeanne des Anges, described as sexually repressed and hunchbacked, who becomes sexually obsessed with Grandier.
The movie is loosely based on true events and on the way those events were interpreted—first through Aldous Huxley’s 1952 novel “The Devils of Loudun. ” and then through John Whiting’s 1960 play inspired by the novel. Russell, however, took massive creative liberties that scandalized audiences and led to global censorship.
Even when the studio requested significant cuts at the time, the film still received an X rating. The new 4K restoration. described as restoring what it calls Russell’s definitive vision. is not presented as a wholly different version so much as a restoration of the previously seen-but-not-widely-available material. It restores two sexually explicit scenes, including the infamous “Rape of Christ.”.
Some of that material has circulated over the last 50 years in various cuts. including a sequence involving Redgrave’s character masturbating with Reed’s charred femur after he’s burned at the stake. That history of partial access is exactly why the release is being framed as more than a technical upgrade.
IndieWire previously characterized the film as “blasphemous, bawdy, and relevant today as it was when banned in 1971.” The new 4K version is being positioned as a chance to finally see what the censorship left behind.
The restoration work itself points to why this matters for viewers who care about how films look and sound. The 4K restoration was assembled from the film’s original camera negative. Sound has been remastered from the original English Composite 35mm mag film, transferred at 96kHz. In selected spots, additional original film elements were used as needed. The picture and sound restoration was performed by Warner Bros. Post-Production Creative Services, Water Tower Color, and Warner Bros. Sound.
Clockwork will release “Ken Russell’s The Devils” in select theaters starting October 16 for a one-week engagement. with more dates to follow. The company is also already preparing another genre-adjacent headline: back in April. it announced that it will distribute Oscar-winning “Anora” director Sean Baker’s next film. “Ti Amo!”.
Ken Russell The Devils Vanessa Redgrave Oliver Reed Clockwork Warner Bros. 4K restoration Il Cinema Ritrovato Bologna 2026 Cannes Film Festival Urbain Grandier Sister Jeanne des Anges Rape of Christ film censorship