"Variety" deemed the film "competent" in a mildly positive review, while Roger Ebert gave the film one out of four stars, writing: "The classic horror films of the 1930s appealed to the intelligence of its audiences, to their sense of humor and irony. Movies like "Terror Train", and all of its sordid predecessors and its rip-offs still to come, just don't care. They're a series of sensations, strung together on a plot. Any plot will do. Just don't forget the knife, and the girl, and the blood." However, he conceded that "it's not a rock-bottom-budget, schlock exploitation film." Ed Blank of the "Pittsburgh Press" criticized the film for its lack of characterization, summarizing: ""Terror Train". A neat name. A nothing movie."