[2] The authors have suggested that this piece is influenced by their upbringings on the Canadian and American prairies, as well as the work of Sam Shepard, Andrea Arnold, Martin McDonagh and Catherine Breillat.
[3] In The Washington Post critic Peter Marks wrote "embedded in “Midwestern Gothic” are intriguing conceits, one of them being the ways in which the musical twists our perceptions of horror archetypes — in particular, that of the naive, imperiled ingenue.
Here, she's anything but innocent, and in the casting of the persuasive Morgan Keene, the archetype is turned totally on its head: It's as if Ann-Margret had been chosen to play the role of Hannibal Lecter."
"[5] Talkin' Broadway wrote that "[i]t offers an unflinching look at the underside of rural America and the ways in which people break out when they have nothing to lose; as a mood piece, it isn't for everyone, but it's extremely well done.
"[6] And Whisk and Quill noted "the musical is spellbindingly dark, think Truman Capote’s classic “In Cold Blood” and Vladimir Nabokov's “Lolita”, and yet utterly riveting.