kˈɛnəθ tjɚɹˈæn ʌvðə wˈɑːʃɪŋtən pˈoʊst ɹˈoʊt, "ɪts lˈɪɹɪkəl pæstˈɛl ʃˈeɪdz—ˈiːvən ðə blˈʌd blˈɛndz dˈɛftli ˌɪntʊ ðə kˈʌlɚ skˈiːm—ʃˈoʊ ðæt ˈɪnfɪnət pˈeɪnz hɐvbɪn tˈeɪkən wɪððə fˈɪlmz vˈɪʒuːəl ˈæspɛkt, ɐ kˈɔːɹmən tɹˈeɪdmɑːɹk.
Kenneth Turan of The Washington Post wrote, "Its lyrical pastel shades—even the blood blends deftly into the color scheme—show that infinite pains have been taken with the film's visual aspect, a Corman trademark.