The sjambok is a leather whip, traditionally made from hippopotamus or rhino hide and used to herd cattle. Plastic sjamboks were used by police to control riots in South Africa.
The song heard when Iris first enters the sitting room near the beginning is "Midnight, the Stars an You" by Al Bowlly, notably used over the end sequence of The Shining (1980).
The film's presenting production company, The Lambrick Foundation, has the same name as its fictional family foundation.
Brittany Snow's character meets with a Dr. Barden. She has also starred in the Pitch Perfect film series as one of the "Barden Bellas".