The filmmakers had an initial budget of £50,000, raised from a house sale, but then ran out of money and had to halt production. All attempts at funding in the UK exhausted, they went to Cannes to see if they could recruit some sponsors but all they came away with was a quote for their poster from John Waters. Undeterred, they continued advertising in many magazines and papers with the ad "Film company seeks money for completion of feature film". A businessman reader of "Private Eye", a satirical magazine in the UK, then coughed up an additional £27,000. Production was resumed almost a year after the first shutdown, only this time the leading man was unavailable and his part had to be re-cast and all his scenes re-shot. All in all, the entire production took roughly 3 1/2 years.
When Ronnie finds her cat outside during the house siege she calls it Jones. This is an obvious nod to Sigourney Weavers Ripley and her cat Jones. Both characters are female leads who save the day.