Ernest Borgnine revealed at a convention panel in 2010 that the movie was financed with Mafia money and that he was never paid for his work on the film.
In his 2010 book Showgirls, Teen Wolves, and Astro Zombies, Australian film reviewer Michael Adams ironically called The Devil's Rain "the ultimate cult movie": "It's about a cult, has a cult following, was devised with input from a cult leader, and saw a future superstar indoctrinated into a cult he'd help popularize."
The shooting of the film was plagued by eerie events and accidents. Because of this Ernest Borgnine vowed to never work on a project with this subject matter again.
Years later, in an interview with VH1, John Travolta was reminded of this film. "Oh, that's a terrible movie!" he quipped, with a big laugh. "And there are so many big stars in it."