The 01632 dialing code used by characters throughout the movie does not exist - it is specifically reserved for use in works of fiction created in the UK such as movies, TV shows and books.
Strickland commented that when writing the script he drew inspiration from both the curious nature of second-hand shops and his memories of being taken to department stores as a child, in particular the now closed Jacksons head branch in Reading, Berkshire. He wanted to interrogate the reactions people have to clothing. The dress itself was therefore very important. It also needed to fit a range of body types, so costume designer Jo Thompson made a simple red silk wrap dress.
In the catalog, the color of the dress is listed as "artery red".
Amongst the newspaper headlines that are visible on the front page of The Report: "Finalists Announced For Rudest Waiter of the Year", "Larry the Pool Attendant Wins Trip of a Lifetime to New York", "More Garlic Mustard Needed For Orange Tip Butterflies", "Catalogue Model Killed at Zebra Crossing", "Landlady Caught Night Gardening in Tenant's Properties", "Vandals Destroy Edgar the Snowman", "Bird Droppings on Window Mistaken For Sea Monster", and "Photographer Apologises for Pretending Smooth Snake was Found in Thames Valley-on-Thames Last Summer".
Ideological related to Sigmund Freud's theories of fetishism, and Cornell Woolrich's novella "I'm Dangerous Tonight" (1937).