Trivia

The film's music budget was about $15,000. Most of the artists featured on the soundtrack allowed the filmmakers to use their songs at bargain basement prices. David Bowie wanted $100,000 to use his song "Heroes" during the final scene and credits, so Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" was substituted. In exchange for the use of two of his songs, and in light of the difficult subject matter of the film, musician and activist Peter Gabriel requested that his affiliation and support of the human rights organization Amnesty International be included in the film's post-credits.

Keith Gordon can be heard on the phone laughing at Jerry Renault.

Doug Hutchison, who portrayed 16-year-old Obie Jameson, was 27 when the film was made.

The seminary school that was used as a main location only charged $3000 for shooting at their school. The bulk of this movie was shot at the abandoned seminary school; this includes the interiors for the homes for both Jerry and Archie. The production was completed in 24 days, with a 96-page script that had already been tailored for a fast-paced shooting.

All the cast members were paid scale.