Sex of the Devil

The Devils is a 1971 historical psychological horror drama film directed, written, and co-produced by Ken Russell, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed. Based in part on the 1952 non-fiction book The Devils of Loudun by Aldous Huxley, as well as John Whiting's subsequent 1960 play The Devils, the film dramatises the fall of Urbain Grandier, a 17th-century Catholic priest accused of witchcraft after the possessions in Loudun, France. The plot also focuses on Sister Jeanne des Anges, a sexually repressed nun obsessed with Grandier, who inspires the accusations. An international co-production between the United Kingdom and United States, United Artists initially pitched the idea to Russell, but bowed out after reading his finished screenplay, as they felt it was too controversial in nature. Warner Bros. agreed to produce and distribute, and filming largely took place at Pinewood Studios in late 1970. The film's graphic portrayal of violent and sexual content, combined with its religious themes, ignited harsh reaction from censors, and it originally received an X rating in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It was banned in several countries, and heavily edited for exhibition in others. Critics largely dismissed The Devils on initial release for its explicit content, though it won awards for Best Director at the 33rd Venice International Film Festival, as well as from the U.S. National Board of Review. The Devils has been recognised as one of the most controversial films ever made by numerous publications and critics, and remained banned in Finland until 2001. Although a director's cut supervised by Russell was given its first theatrical release in the UK in 2004, it has not been made officially available on home media, and edited releases on DVD and streaming services remained scant. Following a debut at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival on 14 May 2026, Warner Bros. Clockwork theatrically released a 4K restoration of the director's cut, titled Ken Russell’s The Devils, in North America for one week beginning 16 October 2026, and in the UK and Ireland on 30 October in partnership with BFI Distribution; it received an official NC-17 rating from the Motion Picture Association for "sexual content/graphic nudity". The restoration received widespread critical acclaim and was successful at the North American box office, leading its initial run to be extended indefinitely due to audience demand.