Candace Hilligoss, star of the original 1962 movie, saw it and hated it. She warned that if anyone ever sees the words "A film by Adam Grossman" in the beginning, they should run for the exit. She also blamed producer Wes Craven for putting his "signature crap" all over it, saying he should be "hung up by his thumbs at Hollywood and Vine for fans to stone, because he so devastated the intent of the original." She also thought it was ridiculous that they kept promoting the fact that star Bobbie Phillips was from Showgirls (1995) because that movie was so awful. Hilligoss said she saw Showgirls but didn't remember which "nude" Phillips was. "I didn't recognize her. Maybe because now she has clothes on."
Sidney Berger who played Mr. Linden in the original, plays a cop in this remake.
Most of the movie was filmed in San Pedro, California, a small port town in Los Angeles county. In the scene where Alex goes to buy a pump and sees her younger self, she is in a maritime junkyard called "Tally Ho!", on the corner of 22nd and Mesa Street. This junkyard has only recently gone out of business (as of 2020). Scenes that show the abandoned carnival were shot on San Pedro's harbor near the Vincent Thomas Bridge, which connects to the city of Long Beach. One of the beginning scenes where Alex is standing over a cliff overlooking the ocean was shot on Paseo Del Mar, a seaside road that runs in front of San Pedro's famous Korean Bell, into Palos Verdes and eventually the city of Torrance. Other scenes can be seen of Alex driving along the same scenic road as well.
Anna K. McKown said one of the reasons she was so excited to be in this film is that she usually plays a girl about 18 or 19 years old. But in this role, she's older and a mother.
Candace Hilligoss, star of the original 1962 movie, was also offered a cameo in this remake but declined.