A controversial 4K restoration, then 8 movies to watch if you love Russell’s Devils, from Viridiana to Häxan

A film rooted in Loudun

The Loudun possessions took place in 17th-century France and involved allegations of mass demonic possession. The events were blamed on local priest Urbain Grandier, who was executed for political purposes.

Aldous Huxley’s 1952 nonfiction book The Devils of Loudun and John Whiting’s 1960 stage play The Devils both inspired Russell’s 1971 film. Its graphic sexual imagery and blasphemous content provoked controversy, and it was heavily censored. The film has since been recognized as one of its era’s greatest works.

Buñuel challenges religious dogma

Luis Buñuel’s Viridiana follows a devout novice nun who gives up her vows to shelter local vagrants after her fetishistic uncle dies by suicide. The film is a critique of religious dogma and naive idealism, told through surreal imagery.

Silvia Pinal leads the film, which is described as more overtly sacrilegious than The Devils. Its confrontational view of religion and idealism makes it a notable companion for viewers drawn to Russell’s film.

Häxan explores witchcraft

Its focus on religious hysteria, state control through religion and institutional persecution makes it a cinematic ancestor to The Devils. The film combines an atmospheric approach with scholarly dimensions.

The Wicker Man’s sacred conflict

In Robin Hardy’s The Wicker Man, a devout Christian police officer travels to a remote Scottish island to investigate a missing girl. He discovers that the local pagan community has drawn him there as a human sacrifice intended to address a failing harvest.

Like The Devils, the film examines sexual repression as a tool of oppressive forces and sets the sacred against the profane. It is regarded as an influential British horror film and a defining work of folk horror.