Now, I’m not sure if that’s at all remarkable (it’s probably not) but I would have never thought even 100 people would actively choose to follow this blog, much less 200.

As a thank you to all followers past, present and future, Halloween Shindig offers some insane gifs from Ken Russell’s highly controversial and heavily edited 1971 picture The Devils.

The film tells the true story of a French town named Loudon, where an order of Ursuline nuns falsely claimed to have been possessed of devils. The resulting public exorcisms led to the conviction and murder of Father Urbain Grandier in 1634, the priest accused of orchestrating the possessions with Satan himself.

Given its highly religious context, its explicit scenes of sexual and religious imagery, its bizarre tone and even more bizarre music, coupled with it’s indictment of religious and political corruption and power-mongering, it’s no wonder the film was edited to hell, banned in some countries and largely swept under the rug.

It remains, however, a singular viewing experience unlike any I’ve ever seen, with a fascinating story, some insane imagery, and 2 great performances from both Vanessa Redgrave and Oliver Reed. If you can dig up a copy of the restored version, I highly recommend it.

The following gifs are mostly from a long missing and thought destroyed scene, aptly referred to as “The Rape of Christ.” A scene the studio itself removed from the film initially, before the censors could even have a chance.

Enjoy Shindiggers, and thanks for all the follows and notes. More Halloween nonsense to come.