The main character, Phillip, gets his name from the character Phillip Morgan in Alfred Hitchcock's Rope (1948). The two characters share the common plot point of being persuaded to perform a crime by their more charismatic best friend.
The character of Jessica is an homage to the actress Jessica Carol Clark who starred in the short film, "Does It Feel" (2004) as a character very similar to the role of Amber in the feature film. Jessica Clark also contributed to Pretty Vacants as the Acting Coach for the film.