Trivia / Cherry Falls

• Bad Export for You: It was never released theatrically in the US due to controversy surrounding the Columbine high school massacre, and complaints about violence in movies featuring teenagers. It was then released as a Made-for-TV Movie on the USA Network, with several explicit scenes cut.
• Dawson Casting: Likely a given, considering the movie's focus on teenage sex, and the climax happening at a big orgy. The teens were played by Brittany Murphy (23), Kristen Miller (24), DJ Qualls (21), Natalie Ramsey (25), Douglas Spain (26), Bre Blair (20), Michael Weston (27), Clementine Ford (21) and the kicker with Gabriel Mann being 28, but certainly not looking it.
• Follow the Leader: Conceived in the wake of subversive slasher films with Genre Savvy protagonists that followed after Scream (1996).
• Hostility on the Set: Geoffrey Wright and Jay Mohr didn't get on, after the former demanded a flexible schedule from all the actors. There were also clashes between him and the crew, with cinematographer Anthony B Richmond walking off set for two days because he felt Wright was using too much blood for a scene.
• Missing Episode: The uncut version was unable to be procured through USA Films for the 2016 Blu-Ray release, and Geoffrey Wright doesn't have access to it either.
• One-Take Wonder: As there was a tight schedule, there was sometimes only time for one take of certain scenes and shots.
• Playing Against Type: Kristen Miller was better known for playing Cute and Psycho characters such as Ashley Elliot in USA High, so playing the Ethical Slut of the class was different for her.
• Troubled Production: They had only thirty days to film everything, and quickly fell behind schedule and budget, with writer Ken Selden describing the set as "tense". Although they had permission to film at the Thomas Jefferson High School in Richmond during Easter Break, they weren't informed that the school was usually used during the holiday by GSGIS, a regional programme for the gifted, and neither were the latter. As the two schools were on different schedules, the GSGIS students were released from class after the filmmakers had blocked the hallways and locked the doors. To make matters worse, when the GSGIS administration was provided with the movie's plot (as were the concerned parents in a letter), they failed to mention that it was satirical - resulting in the school board getting bombarded with complaints from parents who thought pornographic films were being shot on school property. Because of censorship troubles in the wake of the Columbine massacre, it ended up released as a television movie on the USA Network with significant edits, though did enjoy theatrical release in the UK and Europe. Geoffrey Wright did at least win an award for Best Director at the Sitges Film Festival (the foremost festival for sci-fi, horror and fantasy), and Brittany Murphy was nominated for Best Actress at the 2001 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.
• What Could Have Been:
  • The script was far more comedic and obviously satirical, but Geoffrey Wright thought the subject matter should be treated more seriously. While he kept most of the satire in the script, he increased the horror elements.
  • The orgy was originally written as taking place under a several white sheets, and when the killer would chase Jodie, the audience would see various sheets with splashes of blood appearing on them as teens were killed. Geoffrey Wright shot it with the cast fully nude, but the scene had to be cut to avoid an NC-17 rating.
  • Michael Biehn initially passed on the film after reading only fifteen pages of the script, assuming it was a straightforward slasher. His agent had to instruct him to keep reading. On understanding the satire, he immediately signed on. Before he accepted, Stephen Lang was also in the running, but had a schedule conflict.