When Nikkatsu studio executives saw the finished product, they thought it was too terrible to be released, so they shelved it. Seijun Suzuki along with others in the film business, film critics, and students protested in unfairness since, by contract, Nikkatsu was supposed to release the finished film theatrically. It went to court, with a ruling in favor of the director. Nikkatsu had to pay for damages and have the film released. Suzuki's contract with Nikkatsu was terminated, and with the bad reputation, was unable to work on a feature film for the next 10 years.
The film was edited in only one day.
According to Annu Mari, what attracted her to the role of Misako was her morbid attitude because she was going through suicidal depression at the time of filming.
Seijun Suzuki explained that he wanted to present a quintessentially Japanese killer, by having him develop a habit for sniffing rice: "If he were Italian, he'd get turned on by macaroni, right?"
Post-production was completed on June 14, 1967, the day before the film was released.