Dave Dunwoody from "Oh, The Horror!" gave the film a positive review, complimenting the film's direction, acting, gore, and make-up and calling it "a standout among Lovecraft movies". In their book "Lurker in the Lobby: A Guide to the Cinema of H. P. Lovecraft", Andrew Migliore and John Strysik write: ""Castle Freak" is a solid, even near-classic horror movie. Unlike the gory roller-coaster rides of "Re-Animator" and "From Beyond", it is very serious and very adult. The only major flaw is one unnecessary and detestable scene of brutal violence." Joel Harley from "HorrorNews.net" praised the film, writing, ""Castle Freak" is a gem. It’s scary, gruesome and disturbing. It’s excellently acted by Jeffrey Combs and Barbara Crampton. The cinematography, location, gore and special effects are outstanding. The creature design is awful (in a good way). Stuart Gordon’s direction is, of course, great. The plot with Reilly’s blind daughter seems somewhat obvious, but thankfully it doesn’t take as distasteful a turn as the one with the prostitute. It’s a minor work when compared to "Re-Animator" and "From Beyond", but no less effective. In spite of its flaws, it ranks amongst the best Lovecraft adaptations of all time."