News The Devils Ken Russell’s Long-Banned The Devils Director’s Cut Releasing in Theaters This October You’ll finally be able to see the proper version of this “blasphemous” masterpiece By Matthew Byrd | Published on May 6, 2026 Photo: Warner Bros. Comment 0 Share New Share Photo: Warner Bros. Well, this is a surprise. After it was announced that a 4K restoration of director Ken Russell’s The Devils will be screened as part of the 2026 Cannes Classics lineup, Warner Bros. has revealed that they will also be releasing that restoration of the previously censored film in theaters the week of October 16. We don’t know when or how you’ll be able to buy tickets for the screening quite yet, but Warner Bros. has described the event as a “one-week” engagement that will likely only play on select screens. At the very least, it’s hard to imagine this one opening wide. Along with the aforementioned screening of this restored cut of the film at Cannes, rumors suggest that this version of the movie will also receive a physical media release sometime later this year. Details aside, this is really quite a big deal for horror fans and those who follow all forms of lost media. Ken Russell’s The Devils has been listed among the most shocking and controversial movies ever made ever since it received a somewhat surprising theatrical release in 1971. Based on Aldous Huxley’s 1952 non-fiction story The Devils of Loudun, it follows a French priest in the early 1600s who becomes the focus of both a social revolution and sexual awakening among the local nuns. Yeah, pretty risque material, especially when you consider that it was released in the early 1970s and by a major studio. However, Warner Bros. did not release Ken Russell’s complete version of The Devils in theaters at that time. They removed a few key sequences from the British release of the movie to receive an X rating and made additional cuts to ensure that the film received an R rating in the United States. The “holy grail” director’s cut of the film with the original scenes properly restored didn’t screen in theaters until 2002 when film critic Mark Kermode managed to reassemble a version of the movie as part of a documentary about The Devils called Hell on Earth. Since then, Kermode has stated that Warner Bros. has blocked most attempts to release that version of the movie in any format and have reportedly even shut down Criterion’s attempts to distribute the movie. Mind you, it’s been fairly difficult to watch any version of The Devils via any official formats over the years. Even censored versions of the movie can only be found on unofficial (or semi-unofficial) physical media releases and the occasional streaming service appearance. Various versions of The Devils have been banned and censored worldwide since its release, and the director’s cut of the movie has often been treated like a sacrilegious object by the studio. So what’s the big deal? Well… how should I put this? The most famous cut scenes from the movie involve sexual acts performed by the nuns. One involves a statue of Christ and the other involves a femur bone. I’ll let your imagination take it from there (and I am among the many who haven’t actually seen those scenes for myself). Yeah, it’s pretty wild stuff, and that is on top of a movie that is best known for its generally controversial nature anyway. Shocks aside, The Devils really is a pretty special movie in any form. I previously referred to it as one of the definitive erotic horror films, which honestly undersells its value as commentary on society, religion, sex, and the humanity that runs through it all. So while you probably won’t want to take the whole family to this one, we’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for further details as The Devils nears its theatrical re-release later this year. [end-mark] The post Ken Russell’s Long-Banned <i>The Devils</i> Director’s Cut Releasing in Theaters This October appeared first on Reactor.