The working title of the movie was "L'Ombra dell'Orco" (Shadow of the Ogre). It may derive from the extracts in the book by E.T. Hoffman that Simone finds and read in the movie. The character of Sabrina also describes Peppe Servillo's character as an ogre.
The movie's tone and style seems to be inspired by the work of Mario Bava, one of the most famous and appreciated italian Horror directors, and author of Classics like Black Sunday (1960) and Black Sabbath (1963), and whose style influenced movies by affirmed directors like Joe Dante, Tim Burton, Quentin Tarantino, Martin Scorsese and Edgar Wright. Bava is also directly referenced in the scene that introduces the character of Simone, where his Cinema professor is analyzing a scene from an unspecified Bava movie.
Italian censorship visa # 106288 delivered on 13 June 2012.