Executive producer Hunt Stromberg declared his dissatisfaction with the original opening sequence of Edgar G. Ulmer's own daughter Arianne Ulmer who played the young Jenny - she was purportedly not nasty enough - and so he and Hedy Lamarr enlisted Douglas Sirk to re-shoot the scenes using Jo Ann Marlowe who had appeared in Sirk's own Ein eleganter Gauner (1946) earlier that year, and who had also featured as Joan Crawford's daughter Kay in Michael Curtiz' Solange ein Herz schlägt (1945).
In an article for Screenland, Hedy Lamarr stated: "I'm happier than I have ever been in my life because for once I'm in a picture I know will give me an opportunity to act. The girl in "The Strange Woman" is a sadist, tempting and feminine, but cruel. It's a part you can get your teeth into. People will either like or dislike me intensely, but at least they will be aware of me. It's a part any actress would love, touching many emotions and delving into strange situations. It's dramatic and forceful."
Despite being second-billed to Hedy Lamarr, George Sanders does not make his first appearance on-screen until more than 50 minutes into the film, just over halfway through.
This was Hedy Lamarr's first film after being released from her long-term contract with M-G-M. She was one of its producers and, even though it was a box office success, was partially responsible for it coming in over budget, thus limiting its profitability to her production company.
The title comes from the Bible, the Book of Proverbs 5:3. "The lips of the strange woman drip honey and her mouth is as smooth as oil," and is quoted in the sermon scene.