Loosely based on actual events which occurred in Mexico in 1989. A group of "narcosatanicos" were discovered to have killed at least 20 people and used their body parts in ritual sacrifices. Cult members lead by Adolfo Constanzo and Sara Aldrete were responsible for the abduction and murder of Mark Kilroy, a Texan pre-med student who disappeared in March 1989 during a spring break in Mexico.
In the movie, a member of the cult says that the sacrifices they conduct make their drug smuggling vehicles invisible to law enforcement. In real life, the arrest that led to the discovery of the cult that kidnapped and murdered Mark Kilroy, happened after a drug courier and member of the cult, was arrested hauling drugs across the border in broad daylight. The suspect thought he was invisible due to the human sacrifices being carried out by the cult.
Fictionalization of the real life events depicted in the documentaries Rituales de Sangre: The True Story Behind the Matamoros Cult Killings (2008), Palo Mayombe (2019) and El padrino (2009), that to some extent also influenced the story of the film Perdita Durango (1997).
The song,"La Frontera" was written by Andrés Levin, Cucu Diamantes and Beto Cuevas and performed by Cucu Diamantes and Beto Cuevas. Cuevas played main villain Santillan in the film.
Stars Rider Strong and Sean Astin have both starred in entries in the Cabin Fever movie series. Rider Strong in Cabin Fever (2002) (with a cameo in the second film) and Sean Austin in Cabin Fever 3: Patient Zero (2014).