When del Toro pitched the film to Charlie Hunnam he told the actor "that he'd be playing the damsel in distress", and Hunnam was immediately sold on the movie.
Though the house was built in its entirety, it had to be torn down at the end of the shoot in order to make space in the studio.
Everything in the house was made for the house. Nothing was reused from salvaged parts.
Director Guillermo del Toro gave actress Jessica Chastain the script after working with her on Mama (2013), and thought she would play the role of Edith. After reading the script Chastain asked to play the character of Lucille, which she saw as more interesting and challenging. Del Toro agreed.