Production on the film was delayed numerous times. It was initially expected to start filming in 2005, then in summer 2007, followed by October 2007, before finally starting in February 2008. This led to three initially cast actors having to drop out, first Ethan Hawke as Gyorgy Thurzo and later Radha Mitchell as Anna Darvulia and Vincent Gallo as Dominic Vizakna.
The real Elizabeth Báthory has been speculated (such as by author Raymond T. McNally) as being Bram Stoker's main influence for his famous character Dracula, rather than or along with the real Vlad Tepes. Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror (1922) (an unofficial adaptation of "Dracula") was filmed at Báthory's historical resident and later prison, the Cachtice Castle, which appears in its final shot.
Julie Delpy revealed in a 2014 interview with entertainment reporter Darby Maloney that the film was a huge success in France, so successful that she is practically guaranteed financial backing from French financiers for any project she wants to pursue in the future.