In his review for the DVD Talk, Jason Bovberg praised the episode for its "spooky wonderfulness",[1] stating that the episode scared his daughter.[9] Paul Mavis of DVD Talk said, "A fun, 'scary' (for little kids) SpongeBob that adults will appreciate, 'Graveyard Shift' uses the old standby of the headless/handless/legless (take your pick) killer-seeking-revenge stories we all told as kids, and cleverly grafts it onto a 'SpongeBob at work' storyline."[17] Mavis added, "I always enjoy it when Rodger Bumpass, the voice actor for Squidward, gets quiet and manipulative when he's shining SpongeBob on, and here's one of the best examples of that."[17] He praised Count Orlok's cameo, "especially when they animate the vampire's face into a goofy, giddy smile."[17] Mike Jackson of DVD Verdict said the episode is one of his "personal faves."[18] He also said "The episode has everything that makes the show great: funny dialogue (the whole story of the Hash-Slinging Slasher is hilarious), clever sight gags (especially SpongeBob's regenerating limbs), and that aforementioned outta-nowhere ending that made me bust a gut."[18]