The film was made at Christopher Lee's insistence that Hammer do a movie based on a Wheatley fantasy novel.
Christopher Lee called this his favorite Hammer film. One of his other favorites was The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll. Not only were both directed by Terence Fisher, but Lee got to play a person other than a monster or a formidable, dangerous villain in each. Here he's the good guy, and in Jekyll, while he's a scoundrel, he's a regular person.
The movie's U.S. title was changed to "The Devil's Bride" because its original title, "The Devil Rides Out", made it sound much too much like a Western.
Roddy McDowall was scheduled to play Simon. However, he had to pull out at the last minute in order to stay in New York to care for his good friend Louise Brooks, who was stricken with emphysema and arthritis. Patrick Mower replaced him at very short notice.
Mocata was based on the notorious Satanist Aleister Crowley in the original novel. Author Dennis Wheatley invited him to dinner for research purposes.