The concept of the film (originally scripted as "The Cropsy Maniac") is based on a campfire story told at summer camps in and around New Jersey and upstate New York. The story is still in circulation and is also the basis for the documentary Cropsey (2009), though this film is not referenced in the documentary.
The film's composer, Rick Wakeman, was originally offered a percentage of whatever profits the film made but he had decided to opt for a fee instead as he felt the film had no chance of being successful. The film ended up being the biggest grossing horror movie in Japan.
The wardrobe of the film is mostly the actual wardrobe of the cast. There was rarely a costume-person on set.
Tom Savini was not particularly happy with Cropsy's burn make-up as he was only given three days to work on it.