Indignant catholic associations protested Eddy Mitchell playing a monster within the church of Fosses.
Variety stated that Alain Jessua and Paul Gégauff "manages some facile but amiable comic situations" but that "Jessua gropes unsuccessfully for the right macabre-satiric tone." The review stated that Eddy Mitchell was "an inveterate film buff" and "no doubt had fun with the part," but that "Jean Rochefort and other players seem less at ease."