Dead Europe received mixed to positive reviews, earning a 63% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Julie Rigg of ABC Online gave a positive review and called it "one of the most disturbing, and intelligent, Australian films for a long time.

"[3] Tim Robey of The Daily Telegraph also gave a positive review, calling the movie a "promising drama of alienation that slides into portentousness.

"[4] Joel Walsh of Little White Lies however gave a negative review, calling it "macabre, spiteful and all too bleak in its juxtaposition of generations and their transference of guilt.

He also observes that Dead Europe "is a puzzle film, a movie where one is asked to work hard at deciphering its strangeness.