During the original release of the film in the UK in 1960, an English film critic for "The Spectator" was nearly fired for writing a positive review of it after the general critical reaction to it had been negative.
Director John Carpenter once suggested that the selection of the rubber mask that Michael Myers wore in Carpenter's film Halloween (1978) was influenced by the overall appearance of Edith Scob's mask from this film.
The original release of the film in France in 1960 was met with negative reactions from film critics. One French film critic stated that it was "in a minor genre and quite unworthy of his [director Georges Franju] abilities." Franju responded by saying that it was his attempt to get the so-called "minor genre" to be taken seriously in France.
Originally released in the U.S. by Lopert Pictures in 1962 in a dubbed and edited version titled "The Horror Chamber of Dr. Faustus" - an odd title indeed, considering that there is no character named Dr. Faustus in the film.
Director Georges Franju never considered the film to be a horror story, but instead felt it was a tale of anguish.