Full 4K Trailer: Ken Russell’s The Devils

Warner Bros. Clockwork has unleashed a potent new viewing experience by releasing the full trailer for Ken Russell’s infamous 1971 feature, The Devils, presented in an uncensored 4K re-release. Prepare yourselves: this is not a gentle viewing; it promises to be filled with rapidly flashing imagery.

This major restoration effort marks one of the most significant announcements in recent years for WBD’s new specialty label, Warner Bros. Clockwork, offering a fresh look at a film that has long occupied a contentious space in cinema history. It is the first offering from the new label to delve into Russell’s deeply unsettling and provocative vision.

The source material for this explosive film is Aldous Huxley’s novel, The Devils of Loudon, focusing on a rogue French priest named Urbain Grandier who becomes the target of a brutal political witch hunt.

At its core, the film plunges viewers into a harrowing landscape where hysteria and violence are amplified by religious fervor. Through the testimony of a deeply disturbed nun, Vanessa Redgrave plays a pivotal role, guiding the narrative as the hysterical inquisitor, Father Barre (Michael Gothard), employs torture and extreme violence to turn the city into a rabid, carnal frenzy.

The Devils is legendary for its graphic portrayal of sexual content fused with religious extremism, earning an X rating and facing bans or heavy edits in numerous countries upon its original release. It remains one of cinema’s most controversial works, a fact that only adds to the mystique surrounding its existence.

This new 4K restoration is built from the original camera negative and utilizes Russell’s most complete edit—the version he privately constructed and restored back in 2004. This version was screened privately at the National Film Theatre in London but never saw public release, making this presentation of the film a truly unique event.

Warner Bros. Clockwork is marketing this restored footage as the “uncut and unfiltered theatrical experience that Russell always envisioned.” By presenting the film in stunning 4K resolution, the studio aims to deliver the raw intensity that Russell first conceived.

This highly anticipated release will become available for a one-week global theatrical run on October 16th, offering audiences an unvarnished look at one of history’s most notorious cinematic confrontations with faith and savagery.