Time Out by Staff (Not Credited)

Corman at his intoxicating best, drawing a seductive mesh of sexual motifs from Poe's story through a fine Richard Matheson script.

The Telegraph by Catherine Gee

Watching this film as a child, the piercing image of Medina's wife Elizabeth's (Barbara Steele) wide eyes in the iron maiden stayed with me for years.

Empire by Kim Newman

A highly effective merging of star power (both in front and behind the camera) and finely honed horror sensibilities.

The Dissolve by Keith Phipps

The film plays like a companion piece to Usher, but one eager to push beyond its limits, particularly in its tinted flashback sequences. It also lets Price begin the film as a delicate gentleman and end it as a madman.

TV Guide Magazine by Staff (Not Credited)

Screenwriter Richard Matheson did a fine job of adapting Poe's rather limited (for films) short story by saving the dungeon sequences for the climax and then creating a rather interesting plot line to lead up to it. One of Corman's and AIP's best.

Variety by Staff (Not Credited)

A physically stylish, imaginatively photographed horror film which, though needlessly corny in many spots, adds up to good exploitation.

The Guardian by Philip French

Corman enhances the narrative with assorted shocks and tinted flashbacks reminiscent of the silent cinema.