Ken Russell's 'The Devils'

The Devils is coming to Phoenix Picturehouse on Friday 30 October, and it's not just a one-off — it runs through to Wednesday 4 November. It's Ken Russell's 1971 drama and horror, set in 1634 France, and it's a proper piece of cinema history that's hard to catch on the big screen.

The story centres on the charismatic Father Urbain Grandier, who finds himself the target of witchcraft accusations brought by a sexually obsessed nun. Those accusations are then exploited by corrupt church and state officials, and the whole thing sits at the heart of the French authorities' efforts to seize control of the fortified city of Loudun. It's a heavy, provocative bit of business that doesn't hold back on the religious and political tension of the era.

Russell's cast is a strong one, with Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed leading the way, supported by Dudley Sutton, Max Adrian and Gemma Jones. The film runs for 112 minutes and carries an 18 rating, so it's definitely for an adult audience.

It's playing at Phoenix Picturehouse, the century-old Oxford cinema on Walton Street, which has two screens and a friendly upstairs bar. The cinema also runs 'Phoenix Nights', a series of cult classics handpicked by the Phoenix team, so this fits right in with the kind of thing they do. There are four screenings to choose from: Friday 30 October at 6.00pm, Sunday 1 November at 2.00pm, Tuesday 3 November at 2.30pm, and Wednesday 4 November at 6.10pm. If you're planning to go, you've got a few dates to pick from across the weekend and the following week.