Sonja Davis, Angela Bassett's stunt double, died in an accident on the set. Davis' family filed a wrongful death suit against Paramount and Eddie Murphy's production company, alleging that proper safety protocols were not met, and that Davis herself was hesitant about doing the stunt. Eventually, California's Division of OSHA issued 4 citations to Paramount and fined them $29,000. However, the plaintiff in the wrongful death suit passed away in 1996, and there's no information about the case after that (presumably it was dropped).
Despite its initial commercial failure, the film has garnered a reputation as a cult classic over the years. Eddie Murphy's daring performance, the unexpected blend of genres, and Wes Craven 's unique direction have made it a memorable entry in the 1990s horror-comedy canon.
On The Directors (1997), Wes Craven suggested that Eddie Murphy ignored his requests to play the character vulnerable, and felt compelled to showcase his comedic talents.
Wes Craven: [the main character experiences traumatizing nightmares that reflect or affect reality] In this film, Detective Rita Veder has nightmares about vampires. Other Craven films such as A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), The Serpent and the Rainbow (1988), and Cursed (2005), respectively, also explore the theme of nightmares being linked to reality through trauma.
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