If you still don't have a subscription to Shudder, you now have a big reason to change that, as the streaming service has added Ken Russell's controversial 1971 film, The Devils, to its eerie arsenal.
Featuring Oliver Reed in a powerhouse performance as a 17th century priest convicted of witchcraft, The Devils has been plagued by censorship since its initial theatrical release, receiving an X rating and multiple cuts that have made it difficult to find in its full form to this day.
While the completely uncut edition has yet to find an official release in the US, Shudder is doing their part to bring Russell's cult classic back into the spotlight by streaming the "longest surviving version" of The Devils, according to EW. To learn more and to watch the unrated version of The Devils, find a comfortable spot on your couch and sign up for Shudder online.
From Shudder: "In 17th century France, hunchbacked nun Sister Jeanne (Vanessa Redgrave) lusts after the town’s priest Father Grandier (Oliver Reed), a sinful but ultimately just man. But when the priest marries, jealous Jeanne accuses Grandier of using witchcraft on her convent, and the other nuns play along, behaving as obscenely as possible. Ken Russell’s savage portrait of religious hypocrisy earned the film the top spot on the list of most controversial horror films ever made - and an X rating. Available on streaming for the first time ever in the US, THE DEVILS is essential viewing."
NSFW clip and trailer:
Raised on a steady diet of R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps books and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Derek has been fascinated with fear since he first saw ForeverWare being used on an episode of Eerie, Indiana.
When he’s not writing about horror as the Senior News Reporter for Daily Dead, Derek can be found daydreaming about the Santa Carla Boardwalk from The Lost Boys or reading Stephen King and Brian Keene novels.
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