 John Mosher of "The New Yorker" wrote a negative review, remarking that "there is no real illusion in the picture" and "this whole vampire business falls pretty flat".The "Chicago Tribune" did not think the film was as scary as the stage version, calling its framework "too obvious" and "its attempts to frighten too evident", but still concluded that it was "quite a satisfactory thriller".The film was originally released with a running time of 85 minutes; when it was reissued in 1936, the Production Code was enforced.