Dan Walker said he got the idea for the movie when a friend of his was doing some urban exploring and found the abandoned Santa's Village amusement park an hour and a half from Los Angeles. Walker visited it and loved it. He wrote the script and decided to film location shots there.
Susan Slaughter almost wasn't cast because she co-starred in the reality show Ghost Hunters International (2008). Director Dan Walker wanted actresses, not reality stars. Then the casting director pointed out she had a theater background and was very good, so Waller invited her to audition. He thought she was perfect, especially when she offered to do a topless scene.
Actress and YouTuber Hannah Minx (aka Hannah Wagner) didn't attend the movie's premiere in November 2018 because she had been missing for almost a year. Kristina Klebe said in an interview that the last time she saw Minx was New Years Eve 2017 when Minx stayed at her house.
Susan Slaughter's first nude scene.
Director Dan Walker has been a big fan of Barry Bostwick since he saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) when he was 13. He reached out to Bostwick's agent about casting him as Santa but his agent said they didn't pay enough. He pointed out that Bostwick could make more money signing autographs at a convention in one day. But about a week later, Bostwick called Walker saying he read the script, loved it, and wanted to do it.