"Last Caress" is commonly considered to be one of the Misfits' greatest songs, and has been covered by a number of artists, including Metallica and NOFX.
[7] Since reforming the band without original vocalist Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only had changed the lyrics of the song to omit references to rape and infanticide, and eventually removed "Last Caress" from the Misfits' live set altogether.
In a 2015 interview, Only cited seeing a television news piece about a couple raping, beating and starving their infant daughter to death as his reason for deleting Danzig's original "Last Caress" lyrics.
wrote that, with the song's opening lines, the Misfits "established themselves as everything creepier than everything else, and coined horror punk's unholy and everlasting legacy.
[12] In his book This Music Leaves Stains: The Complete Story of the Misfits, author James Greene, Jr. interprets the song's lyrics as outlining "the bold confessions of a remorseless killer and rapist", and writes that the lyrics "are delivered by Danzig with such romantic melody that the crimes almost seem like triumphs.
[18] American heavy metal band Metallica released a back-to-back cover version of both "Last Caress" and another Misfits song, "Green Hell".
writing that "This medley of two of Glenn's early best retains the speed and attitude of the punk originals — with an added Iron Maiden outro to boot, for extra ingratiating geekery.
"[24] In 2019, Matthew Wilkening of Ultimate Classic Rock named "Last Caress/Green Hell" as the best song from Garage Days Re-Revisited, calling it "an inspired medley".