The film was originally scheduled to be directed by John Huston before Ivan Passer was assigned the job.
Ken Russell filmed the same story with Gothic (1986) just 2 years earlier; Remando al viento (1988), covering the same events, was released in the same year.
The film takes place in 1816.
Eric Stoltz and Laura Dern previously appeared in Mask (1985). According to an interview, Stoltz landed the role on this film by Dern's suggestion.