Schizoid

Writer and Director David Paulsen was told by Producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus that he had one month to have a screenplay ready that could be shot for under a million dollars, and that could feature Klaus Kinski, who was under contract. Paulsen also had only one month to secure a crew and shooting locations.

According to his autobiography 'Kinski Uncut', Klaus Kinski had an on-set affair with actress "Catherine Burkett" (clearly Donna Wilkes). "Catherine Burkett plays my daughter in the Golan flick. When I fuck her in my hotel room, I really think I'm fucking my daughter. Scenes from the movie emerge in me: I see my daughter naked in the shower and I can't take my eyes off her, can't stop thinking how excitingly slutty she looked in ''my wife's' clothes," Kinski wrote. Wilkes never confirmed the relationship, but her co-star Flo Lawrence said, "I think Kinski was rough on Donna Wilkes, who plays Kinski's daughter in the film; she might have had a lot of black and blue spots on her. I think Donna Wilkes did get along with him regardless of any rough handling. Kinski presented her with some perfume as I recall."

Flo Lawrence said she felt somehow abused by Klaus Kinski in the scene just after the topless dancing one:"Kinski starts grabbing me and touching me in places that he had no business touching me. My acting chops went out the window, I should have slapped him, but I was just so shocked and no one yelled 'Cut' at that point. I guess it was a split decision in that moment on my part that I at least maintain my professionalism so I stayed in the scene. Kinski was way out of line. I don't think we shot that over and I think that scene is in the film also in the moment of what was going on."

The killer is depicted as driving a 1979 Mazda 626. Julie drives an orange 1973 Volkswagon convertible. Alison drives a 1971 Datsun 1200.

On a wall at the newspaper office where Julie works is a poster or print with the quote "You have not converted a man because you have silenced him" by British statesman John Morley (1838-1923). The art is by American artist Ben Shahn (1898-1969). There is also a poster of the cover of the March 29, 1976 cover of The New Yorker magazine by the Romanian-American cartoonist Saul Steinberg (1914-1999). It was parodied for the poster for the film Moscow on the Hudson (1984) which resulted in the artist successfully suing the studio.