fˈɪlm hɪstˈoːɹiən mˈaɪkəl stˈiːvənz ɹˈoʊt: "bˈʌmstɛdz sˈɛts nˌɑːt ˈoʊnli kˈæptʃɚd ðə stˈaɪl əvə smˈɔːl tˈaʊn ɪnðə sˈaʊθ, bˌʌt ˈɔːlsoʊ ðɪ ˈætməsfˌɪɹ ʌv ɹᵻpɹˈɛʃən ænd dˈeɪndʒɚ ðæt hˈʌvɚz ˌoʊvɚ ðə stˈoːɹi."
Film historian Michael Stephens wrote: "Bumstead's sets not only captured the style of a small town in the South, but also the atmosphere of repression and danger that hovers over the story."