Pop quiz, film fiends: when is a horror movie a bit like food? Every now and then, somebody will suggest a food combo that sounds utterly crazy (like peanut butter and chili) right until you try it and discover how tasty this combination really is. In that vein, I’d like to recommend you stream The Pope’s Exorcist on Netflix, a surprisingly entertaining film that is basically what you’d get if you mashed The Exorcist and The Evil Dead into a single movie.

The Pope’s Exorcist

If you’re wondering what The Pope’s Exorcist is all about, this is one of the few times that a movie’s title basically sums everything up.

We follow the misadventures of the Pope’s personal exorcist, someone whose weird sense of humor helps him deal with freaky demonic possessions all over the world.

However, a routine investigation into a possessed boy in Spain threatens more than this priest’s life…it also threatens to uncover secrets that could shake the church to its very core.

Russell Crowe Stars

The Pope’s Exorcist has a generally solid cast, including Daniel Zovatto as exorcism sidekick Father Esquibel and Alex Essoe as the frightened mother to a possessed young child.

However, from his very first scene, Russell Crowe steals the show as the titular exorcist who must battle the demons inside of himself even as he deals with actual demons in the wider world.

I mean this in the best possible way, but Crowe goes for it with an accent so goofy that it would make Tom Hardy blush, and his line delivery of “no sh*t!” to a fellow priest had me cackling like the Joker in sheer delight.

Based On A Real Person?

While the movie obviously takes more than a few liberties with the man’s story, part of what makes The Pope’s Exorcist so fun is that it is nominally based on a real guy.

Russell Crowe brings to life the story of Gabriele Amorth, a controversial figure who really did work as an exorcist on behalf of the Pope, performing a minimum of 60,000 exorcisms in his lifetime.

He sadly died in 2016 but wrote quite a bit about his experiences, and the movie helpfully reminds us that “the books are good.”

A Solid Hit With Audiences

Audiences certainly found The Pope’s Exorcist good, with the movie making $77 million against a budget of only $18 million. It provided more proof (not that we really needed it) that horror is the most reliably profitable film genre, though the movie didn’t wow critics.

On Rotten Tomatoes, The Pope’s Exorcist has a critical rating of 50 percent, with critics complaining that the movie is run-of-the-mill “holy horror.” However, the audience rating is a much higher 81 percent because those who saw it realize this combination of creepy and campy is anything but run-of-the-mill.

Russell Crowe Carries The Pope’s Exorcist

I honestly walked into this film with no real expectations and was blown away by how good it was on every level.

I’m giving The Pope’s Exorcist a solid 4 out of 5 stars because it has a few rough edges around its worldbuilding, but the effects, scares, and laughs are all top-notch.

Plus, it’s always fun to see Russell Crowe having this much fun, and this talented actor deserves to ham it up outside the increasingly stale world of Marvel movies.

Streaming The Pope’s Exorcist

Will you think The Pope’s Exorcist was sent from heaven, or is it the kind of film you’d rather send to the bad place? You simply won’t know until you give it a shot and stream it on Netflix. And don’t hold it against me if you hate it…somehow, the Catholic Church has yet to hire anybody capable of exorcising the love of shlock cinema out of my body.