The Italian ratings board asked for a brief six-second cut in "The House by the Cemetery" where Dagmar Lassander's character Laura Gittleson is murdered; ironically, Fulci obliged only because of his dissatisfaction with the effects in certain shots. The film opened in Turin on 14 August 1981. and was distributed by Medusa Distribuzione. The film grossed a total of 1,407,981,297 lire in Italy, making it Fulci's most financially successful horror film of the 1980s. Prior to the films theatrical release in France, it was shown at the "Festival International du film fantastique et de science-fiction" in Paris with Fulci's earlier film "The Black Cat". It was released in France on 24 March 1982.