The best exorcist in cinematic history has finally made it to Netflix, so we ranked the rest

polygon.com:

The pantheon of movie and TV exorcists is a vaunted group that includes regular people, religious zealots, disgraced clergy, and, of course, a man who reports to Catholicism’s highest earthly power himself. But while the congregation of cinematic demon-banishers is impressive, their actual rankings are more straightforward than you might think. In honor of The Pope’s Exorcist arriving on Netflix, we’ve put together a ranking of the best and worst exorcists pop culture has to offer.

Some of these exorcists have impressive power and effectiveness, while others fail their missions entirely. So, more than any other ranking, this one needs its criteria to be as tightly ordered and clearly spoken as the Prayer to Saint Michael in the presence of one of Satan’s generals.

First and foremost, we’re judging these exorcists (both professional and amateur) on their track records as stated by the films they’re in. Next, we’re judging them on their training. Unfortunately for the amateurs, if you need an exorcist, you want one that’s well studied. Another important criteria is real-world accuracy. More specifically: If they’re based on a real person, was that person full of shit? We accept no charlatans when an exorcism is needed.

So, without further ado, if you ever found your physical form in the clutches of a demon, be it Asmodeus, Pazuzu, or any of hell’s other hosts, here’s who you would want saving your soul.

The star of The Pope’s Exorcist is among the most storied and successful exorcists in modern history. He also has the distinct honor of being the subject of one of late great director William Friedkin’s last movies, a documentary called The Devil and Father Amorth, which covered his exorcism of a woman named Christina.