Jack Meredith of the "Windsor Star" described the film as a "far-out bit of froth" that "nevertheless packs continuing suspense and a what's-going-to-happen-next element that never lets down through about 1½ hours of sustained action." Writing for the "Edmonton Journal", Barry Westgate was critical of the film, noting: "Even contrived cinema has to have its share of rhyme or reason, and this effort by John Hancock doesn't have so much as a touch of either." Ann Guarino of the "New York Daily News" commented on the film's ambiguous plot, writing that it "presents the problem and leaves you to solve it...  The film may not take the curl out of your hair, but it will hold your interest even if the title will throw you off—there actually is no plot to scare Jessica." She also praised the performances of Lampert and Costello, as well as those of Heyman and O'Connor, but noted of the latter that their "characters are not well developed by the script." The "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette"s Donald Miller wrote that "after the first ten minutes...  I thought director John Hancock...  was onto something—if not a new genre, then perhaps something as arresting as "the Cat People"," but felt that it devolved into a "routine vampire romp," though he did praise the cinematography and visuals.