In a 1992 retrospective, Jon Nalick of the "Los Angeles Times" described it as "a well-executed film in a genre that is littered with dimwitted slasher flicks". Bloody Disgusting rated the film 4/5 stars and called it "a gothic story of love, loss, vengeance, and redemption". Joshua Siebalt of Dread Central rated the film 4/5 stars and wrote that film "stands as a timeless, dark fairy tale". Reviewing the 2000 DVD release, G. Noel Gross of DVD Talk rated it 3.5/5 stars and wrote that the film is "too good to pass over", despite its lackluster presentation. Nick Nunziata also criticized the 2000 DVD release and wrote that the film does not hold up. Nick Schager of The A.V. Club called it an endearing, pulp film that lacks subtlety. Reviewing the film on Blu-ray, Ken Hanley of "Starlog" said it is "one hell of an impressive directorial debut". Writing in "Horror Films of the 1980s", critic John Kenneth Muir called it "a meditation on vengeance" that is "surprising and rewarding" for its rejection of vigilante justice, a popular theme in the 1980s.