While the tongue-in-cheek "horror" film garnered largely positive reviews in the genre press, including such publications as Canada's Rue-Morgue, the U.K.'s Gorezone, and America's Fangoria, its Midnight Movie structure and social critiques also served to polarize audiences. The film can be read as a dark satire of George W. Bush's War on Terror and the rise of Neo-Con politics, as well as a Lynchian fable of sexual repression. "(SEA is) at once a black slapstick comedy, a twisted horror tale, a stylish period piece and a biting religious satire," wrote Fangoria.