Ken Russell's The Devils

Ken Russell's The Devils is coming to HOME on Friday 30 October. It's a 1971 epic of obsession and corruption, based on the true story of Urbain Grandier, a 17th-century priest accused of bewitching a convent of nuns. Oliver Reed stars as Grandier, with Vanessa Redgrave opposite him, and the film brought together artists at the peak of their craft: cinematographer David Watkin, editor Michael Bradsell, production designer Derek Jarman in his feature film debut, and costume designer Shirley Russell. Warner Bros produced it, and it went on to win best director awards at the 33rd Venice International Film Festival and the US National Board of Review.

Russell himself was an Academy Award nominee for Tommy, Women in Love and Altered States, and he drew an Oscar-winning performance from Glenda Jackson here. The film has been championed by filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro and Mark Kermode, but it's spent more than half a century censored. This screening brings it back to the big screen fully restored in 4K and cut to Russell's own direction — a version first reconstructed under his supervision in 2004 and unveiled at the 79th Cannes Film Festival.

It runs 114 minutes and carries an 18 certificate, so it's definitely for an adult audience. If you've never seen it, it's a rare chance to catch it as Russell intended.