Film Ken Russell’s film designed by Derek Jarman, newly released in a 4K restoration, mirrors the horrors unfolding outside our windows.

October 29, 2026 — 3 min read

Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave in a scene from Ken Russell's 1971 film The Devils (photo Screen Archives via Getty Images)

Before Derek Jarman became known for his anachronistic, queer film adaptations of the lives of Saint Sebastian, Caravaggio, Edward II, and even the Passion of Jesus, the English artist and activist worked as a set designer. This facet of Jarman, who died from AIDS-related illnesses in 1994, has recently come to the fore with the hyped release of the 4K restoration of Ken Russell's scandalous 1971 horror film The Devils , screening at the IFC Center, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Nitehawk cinemas in New York in the coming weeks.

Adapted from Aldous Huxley's 1952 book The Devils of Loudun and John Whiting's 1961 play The Devils , the film is set in the castled town of Loudun, France, in 1634, in the aftermath of the…