Upon the film's release in Germany, Pabst was accused of making a "scandalous version" of Wedekind's plays, in which the Lulu character is presented as "a man-eater devouring her sexual victims." Critics in Berlin particularly dismissed the film as a "travesty" of its source material. The film's presentation of the Countess as a lesbian was also controversial, and Brooks was castigated as a "non-actress." According to film historians Derek Malcolm and J. Hoberman, the ire Brooks received for her performance was largely rooted in her being an American.