"The Devils" received significant critical backlash upon its release due to its "outrageous," "overheated," and "pornographic" nature. The film was publicly condemned by the Vatican, who, though acknowledging that it contained some artistic merit, asked that its screenings at the Venice Film Festival be cancelled. Judith Crist called the film a "grand fiesta for sadists and perverts", while Roger Ebert of the "Chicago Sun-Times" gave the film a rare zero-star rating. Pauline Kael wrote of the film in "The New Yorker" that Russell "doesn't report hysteria, he markets it." Vincent Canby, writing for "The New York Times", noted that the film contains "silly, melodramatic effects," and felt that the performances were hindered by the nature of the screenplay, writing: "Oliver Reed suggests some recognizable humanity as poor Father Grandier, but everyone else is ridiculous. Vanessa Redgrave, who can be, I think, a fine actress, plays Sister Jeanne with a plastic hump, a Hansel-and-Gretel giggle, and so much sibilance that when she says "Satan is ever ready to seduce us with sensual delights," you might think that Groucho Marx had let the air out of her tires."