Suzanna Love is the sister of co-star Nicholas Love, who plays her brother. She was also married to director Ulli Lommel. She and Lommel co-authored the screenplay.
Albert Zugsmith suggested to Ulli Lommel that he should cast John Carradine in a secondary role in order to enhance this film's overall commercial appeal. Carradine's scenes were all shot in a single day.
The house used for the exterior shots of Lacy and Willy's childhood home is located in La Plata, MD,, and in 2004 was severely damaged by a tornado.
The film was given a limited release theatrically in the US by The Jerry Gross Organization with screenings beginning on 11/14/80. It grossed approximately $25 million, though little of its significant income went to the filmmakers and performers, as the distributor, was in the midst of bankruptcy at the time of its release.
Vipco released it on VHS in the UK in November 1981. In October 1983 it was listed as a Video Nasty and removed from shelves. It never had the chance to build the reputation the true notorious Video Nasties gained due to it being dropped from the list in July 1985.