Vincent D'Onofrio later admitted that his wife refused to sleep in the same bed with him for two weeks after seeing his performance in the movie.
Eiko Ishioka was recruited for the film after her costume design received Academy Award recognition in Drácula (1992). Director Tarsem Singh fell in love with her extravagant costume design in the film and asked her to collaborate with him on all of his future projects. They worked together on all of his films until her death in 2012.
Jennifer Lopez wanted the costumes to be comfortable to wear. Costume designer Eiko Ishioka advised Lopez to feel uncomfortable because her character, Catherine, is "tortured".
(At around one hour and three minutes) When Catherine talks with Carl while he is "cleaning" his first victim, the scenery resembles the music video "Losing My Religion" by R.E.M.. That music video was directed by this film's director, Tarsem Singh.
(At around forty-four minutes) The scene in which the horse is cut into segments suspended in glass cases is inspired by the work of British artist Damien Hirst (e.g., the installation "Some Comfort Gained from the Acceptance of the Inherent Lies in Everything").
Tarsem Singh: [Imaginative and colorful visuals] The film contains many imaginative and colorful visuals that explore and elevate the fantastical nature of the human mind and dreamworlds. Other Singh films with these types of visuals are The Fall (2006), Inmortales (2011), and Espejito espejito (2012).