20 Cult British Films You Need To See Before You Die

3. The Devils (1972)

A handsome Catholic priest captures all of the hearts of the women in a French town called Loudon during the persecution of the Huguenots. One of Grandier's fans is a hump backed Mother Superior called Sister Jeanne of the Angels. Filled with animosity that Grandier has 'married' a woman, Sister Jeanne tells lies about Grandier possessing her and that he is the devil. The nuns all go wild and fling their clothes off providing a very entertaining spectacle for the residents of Loudon, eventually the authorities are sick of looking silly and Grandier is the fall guy. Notorious film by Ken Russell (he had to make the list somewhere), The Devils caused a huge stink with the British censors and it is a film that is hard to find in its original uncut form. Even in cut versions the material is strong - with naked nuns going bananas and Grandier having his legs crushed. Ken Russell's anti-clerical film still has the power today to provoke controversy with its contentious religious imagery. Oliver Reed is simply fantastic as Grandier and Vanessa Redgrave is equally as good as the tormented nun. The sets by Derek Jarman are amazing and the film has very idiosyncratic aesthetics.