Due to the gruesome tones of the film, it took seven years to find a company willing to produce and distribute the film. It eventually wound up at The Asylum, the only studio willing to commit to such a dark and violent story.
Based on a novel by writer Charlie Higson, who also wrote the screenplay for the film. Actor George Wendt read the novel and contacted Higson about a film adaptation. Higson replied that there had been interest in the past but nothing had materialized. Wendt then brought the novel to Stuart Gordon's attention, and they were able to get the project off the ground. Wendt and Gordon had previously worked together in Chicago theater.
Several years after the film's release and before his death in 2020, director Stuart Gordon admitted that after making King of the Ants, he had expressed optimism that the Asylum would become a successful arthouse film distribution/production company, rather than the Mockbuster/So Bad It's Good outfit they ended up being.
The first film to be produced by The Asylum; the company had previously worked exclusively as a distributor.
When Ray is telling Sean the story of the barking dog, there is a dog barking in the background. When Ray asks how far Sean is willing to go to finish a job, Sean replies "To get rid of a barking dog?" The dog stops barking.