The movie was mostly shot in the garage and on the lawn of the house where director Josh Becker's long-time friend Bruce Campbell grew up.
Bruce Campbell was unable to reprise his role as Sgt. Stryker, from the original short film, because he had become a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG), which prohibits actors from starring in non-SAG productions.
Prior to filming, a 48-minute 8mm short version of the film was made to show to potential investors. It starred Bruce Campbell as Stryker. Sam Raimi was also in the short, as the cult leader, the role he reprised in the actual film.
Distributor Irvin Shapiro decided to change the title from "Styker's War" to "Thou Shalt Not Kill...Except" to help sell the film to oversea markets.