Umberto Lenzi, originally hired to direct, had a falling out with the producer just as production started and wanted to be taken off the film. He stated in a 1996 interview that he found the story "too similar to his earlier film Seven Blood-Stained Orchids (1972)" and decided before shooting began that his name would not appear on the film. Screenwriter Harry Kirkpatrick, also known as James Justice, was given the job of directing, and received sole directorial credit, though he convinced Lenzi to remain on the set in an uncredited advisory capacity throughout the entire production. For years, many horror film fans thought Harry Kirkpatrick was an alias for Lenzi, but Lenzi has stated in interviews that there really was a Harry Kirkpatrick who wrote & co-directed that film. He explained, "My contribution consisted solely of providing technical assistance. Nightmare Beach (1989) should be considered the work of Harry Kirkpatrick."

How does the motorcycle killer ever come to know about the secretive prostitute working at the hotel? He has never previously visited this location, or been aware of her deception. Nor has he even met the woman in his civilian identity.

In order to get a FSK-18 rating, German VHS release by Skyline Video was cut by almost a minute to reduce some violence. Despite that, the BPjM still indexed the movie which results in various sales and advertising restrictions. The DVD and Blu-ray releases in Germany are uncut, although released unverified (distributor didn't bother with a FSK re-rating test) despite no longer being indexed since 2015.

Featured in Nightmare Beach: Nightmare Rock - An Interview with Composer Claudio Simonetti (2018)