The movie was originally supposed to go straight to video. However, director Gary Sherman felt that the movie was good and strong enough to go into a general theater release. MGM was more interested in putting the film direct to video on account of the lucrative profits it stood to make from it. Nevertheless, MGM allowed the movie to go into a limited theater release of about 200 theaters over a weekend. The movie made four million dollars in that one weekend prompting Sherman to push for a wider release. However, MGM eventually declined and put the movie straight to video and on HBO from which they made a substantial amount of money.
The last MGM/United Artists release to be released on home video by CBS/Fox Video.
Richard is loosely based on Richard Ramirez, the notorious "Night Stalker" who killed fourteen people in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas between April 1984 and August 1985. Victims reported the smell of "Leather" and had scary eyes.
The movie was originally supposed to be filmed and set in Chicago. Director Gary Sherman wanted to do this on account of the fact that in 1989 many people in Chicago were residing in renovated lofts whereas many Los Angeles area neighborhoods had not yet gentrified, thus making residing in a converted loft not a common thing. Budgetary concerns convinced Sherman to film in Southern California, choosing Venice as he felt that neighborhood would be the most likely place where someone would reside in a loft. However, a suitable building in Venice could not be found and thus although most of the movie was filmed in Venice, shots of Lisa and Katherine's apartment building, the street leading up to their neighbor Allison's house (who is murdered by the Candlelight Killer), and the local grocery store where they shop were all filmed in and around some of the seedier areas of downtown Los Angeles. The movie portrays these areas as being in Venice. This is why Lisa's neighborhood looks very much rundown with many stores and houses having security bostwick gates protecting their windows whereas other places that were filmed in Venice look quite affluent.