The original version screened in 1974 was made up of five, not four episodes. Borowczyk removed one episode, 'The True Story of the Beast of Gevaudan', and expanded it to feature length as The Beast (1975). In 2010, a print of the original short film of 'The True Story of the Beast of Gevaudan' was discovered in a French archive. The uncut version was shown at New Horizons Film Festival in Poland on 24th of July 2013, and subsequeny included on the 2014 Arrow Blu-ray release.
Originally, the role of cousin Julie in "The Tide" (first part of the movie) was offered to Isabelle Adjani but she found the role too difficult for her to play. Finally, she declined and the role went to Lise Danvers.
"Bathory," the third of the film's four erotic stories, stars Paloma Picasso, the youngest daughter of artist Pablo Picasso. It is her only film role.
30 gallons of real blood (from pigs) were used for the Countess Bathory's bath.
Walerian Borowczyk revealed that the scene in which Charlotte Alexandra appeared fully nude (in the "Thérèse Philosophe" segment) was shot in a real church. "Thérèse was played by an English actress. She was only seventeen years old, I remember, and very shy. We had to film her nude scenes in complete seclusion, only my assistant and I were allowed to be there, and he was only twelve! We got permission to film in a real church, a very beautiful and quite famous one, an historical monument. There were no difficulties with the priest; I was very surprised. The man was very tolerant indeed, in spite of all this pipe organ business ! The film was even shown in the church cinema of the village, if you can imagine that!" - Borowczyk recalled.
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