At the time of its release, film critic Carrie Rickey dubbed the film "the first feminist exploitation movie."
Director Janet Greek had her name listed as "A.K. Allen" due to complaints over the way the finished film was marketed. Lead actress Karen Austin also complained about New Line's advertisements: "I think the way the film is being marketed is tacky," she said, referring to taglines like "Men who attack women have two big problems. 'The Ladies Club' is about to remove them both."