"With Premature Burial, Corman's talent for efficient direction and making the most of limited budgets actual works to the film's benefit. Corman strips the story of Burial down to its minimum, focusing almost exclusively on Carrell's unraveling mind and whether he's doing it all himself or being helped along. To achieve this, Corman turns Poe's tale into, essentially, a filmed play and puts the emphasis squarely on dialogue and the emotions of the main characters. There's a modest amount of Corman horror trappings on display (fog, Victorian sets, dim lighting) as well as bits of action, but they only serve as the framework for a grim personal drama. By putting the Carrell character under the intense scrutiny, Corman makes the film much more realistic and terrifying." - Kevin Nickelson, Classic-Horror