The movie is dedicated to Sophie Lancaster (November 26, 1986 - August 24, 2007), who died after being attacked by youthful thugs in Lancashire, England for her Goth appearance.
Director Roy Karl Bedford had long been fascinated by films that were able to achieve a strong impact with little production resources. This has been best exemplified by horror films.
Curtis says he saw a character involved in a drug deal in Laurel Canyon. Director Roy Karl Bedford's earlier dramatic music video "Laurel Canyon" involved a character doing successive minor drug deals.
The script was shot mostly in sequential order over four successive days with film-noir inspired low-level lighting in North Hollywood, California. The make-up effects were done on the last day, which was the longest.
Director Roy Karl Bedford first met some Goths on a film set where they were working as extras and got to know them. He then did extensive research on the Gothic subculture. He had earlier read of militant Straight Edgers in the L.A. Times. Never having seen these characters put together in anything before, he came up with the premise of Goths and Straight Edger-types thrown into conflict in the same room. It was a new take on the age-old theme of prejudice and intolerance.