The film was originally intended to have the same name as the original film, Medo (2003), before it was changed to The Uninvited.
Emily Browning originally auditioned for the role of Alex, the older sister of her character, before being cast as Anna. Coincidentally, the exact same thing happened with the original film, Medo (2003), where Lim Soo-jung originally auditioned for the other sister, Soo-yeon.
The film is supposed to be set in Maine, but it was actually shot in Vancouver, British Columbia. Most of the film was shot at a single location, a waterfront property on British Columbia's Bowen Island, a short ferry ride west from mainland Vancouver.
When producer Walter F. Parkes was asked about the shooting location, he said: "80% of the story takes place at the house, so we couldn't make the movie without the right one. It couldn't have been more important. We scouted Louisiana, an environment which is both beautiful and slightly threatening. We had two houses which were terrible compromises, but both of them fell through. We had a difficult time finding anything that had both the connection to the story and the right logistical possibilities. But then we were lucky to find in Canada a place that seemed as if it had been built for our movie. It was perfectly evocative and suggestive of a family that is both welcoming and forbidding. The fact that the house was within 30 miles of Vancouver was a greater plus than the minus of having to get everyone on boats to get them over there; water taxis and ferries are a way of life up there. In fact, I don't remember ever having a more pleasant time on a location. Getting onto a boat and having a cup of coffee and then going up the little pier and the stairs we built, it focused us. We were isolated with one thing on our minds, which was making this movie. It was great."