The subway used in the film is the MARTA system in Atlanta, Georgia.
The high school scenes briefly depicted were filmed at North Miami Senior High School, in North Miami, Florida.
The opening scenes showing how Bobby died in a car crash in a "chicken run" is a recreation of the famous race scene in La Fureur de vivre (1955). Joe is even wearing a red jacket like James Dean.
In an attempt to cash in on the success of Retour vers le futur (1985) the German release was named "Zurück aus der Vergangenheit" which translates as "Back from the Past".
The working title for this movie was "Heavenly Bodies".