Writer Ruth Avergon was inspired by an article she had read about the real-life headhunters of Papua New Guinea. The idea of headhunting became the basis for this film.
Shot over five weeks in the spring of 1980.
The oddly-shaped knife used as the murder weapon in this film is known as a "Kukri." The knife has a distinct recurve in the blade and is used as both a tool and as a weapon in the Indian subcontinent. Traditionally, it was, and in many cases still is, the basic utility knife of the Gurkha. Some English-speakers refer to the weapon as a "Gurkha blade" or "Gurkha knife."