- The photos of mutations that play during the opening credits are not of atomic mutation, but birth defects caused by the use of Agent Orange in Vietnam.
- About 2 minutes were cut to achieve the R rating.
- The mutants were created by CGI, physical effects or both. Most of the mutants with full deformations were created by prosthetic makeup. But the deformed children who were playing were digitally distorted using tracking dots on their faces. Ruby was a mixture of the two, using the tracking dots for distortion and prosthetic teeth.
- In-between takes, the production crew would stage mock-fights with various prop weapons.
- Make-up artist Gregory Nicotero was featured as Cyst, the mutant with the halo head-gear.
- Over 16 different nationalities worked on the film, which was filmed in Morocco.
- The gas station set was built on location in Morocco. It was so authentic that occasionally someone not involved in the production would stop to buy gas.
- Temperatures soared in excess of 120 degrees Fahrenheit on the Moroccan desert set.
- To get round the difficulties of shooting inside a tiny trailer, production designer Joseph C. Nemec III built a set of the inside of the trailer that was actually 30% bigger than the real thing.
- The mini-series of _"Ten Commandments, The" (2006) (mini)_ was being filmed in Morocco nearby. The cast and crew of both productions were all staying at the same hotel.
- Producer Peter Locke played one of the mutants in the 1977 version, The Hills Have Eyes (1977).
- The nuclear crater that Doug encounters is completely computer generated.
- The car crash scene, where the family's car and trailer are sabotaged, took 3 days to film.
- This version runs approximately 15 minutes longer than the original.
- Almost all of Ted Levine's actions and lines were improvised.
- Alexandre Aja and art director 'Gregory Levasseur' originally planned to film in Morocco because of its similarity to the New Mexico desert. Initially the producers objected to this, for fear of terrorist attacks, but after Aja and Levasseur failed to find suitable locations in the US, they relented.
- Ivana Turchetto, who played Big Mama, agreed to have her head shaved for $1000.
- Wes Craven and producer Peter Locke originally wanted to film the new version in the exact same desert location as the 1977 film but when they went out to scout the locations they found a number of condominium developments had been built.
- The making of featurette on the DVD indicates that at some point during production, the character of Papa Jupiter was going to have a parasitic twin jutting out of his chest. The effect was scrapped for the final film, leaving him the only one of the "mutants" without any apparent mutation.
- The TV show that Big Mama is watching is "Divorce Court" (1999) This film's producer, Peter Locke, also produced a show called "Divorce Court" (1986).
- The service station was called 'Gas Haven' which rhymes with 'Wes Craven.'
- Body count: 17
>>> WARNING: Here Be Spoilers <<<
Trivia items below here contain information that may give away important plot points. You may not want to read any further if you've not already seen this title.
- SPOILER: With the Aaron Stanford character, the filmmakers were looking for someone similar to Dustin Hoffman did in Straw Dogs (1971), where Hoffman was an ineffectual nerd who rises to heroism in the end and commits ghastly acts of violence. Stanford in the films also markedly physically resembles this films director, Alexandre Aja.
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