The contemporary review in "Variety" indicated "A tarantula as big as a barn puts the horror into this well-made program science-fictioner, and it is quite credibly staged and played, bringing off the far-fetched premise with a maximum of believability". In "Video Movie Guide 2002", authors Mick Martin and Marsh Potter characterized "Tarantula" as "(a) pretty good entry in the giant bug subgenre of 1950s horror and science fiction movies". On Rotten Tomatoes is has an approval rating of 92% based on 13 reviews, with an average score of 6.3/10.