A 1958 article on Valda Hansen erroneously described "Night of the Ghouls" as "recently released". According to the recollections of cast member Paul Marco, the film had a small theatrical preview showing in 1959, and after watching it, Wood expressed dissatisfaction with the picture and felt it needed further editing. A letter from Wood to Anthony Cardoza, the film's associate producer, records some of his plans for the film, including removing some of Criswell's scenes and replacing them with footage of Bela Lugosi, as well as a possible title change. Wood, however, was never able to make the changes, as the film's ownership remained under the control of the lab.