This was originally set to air after 1x2 Wendigo (2005). However, Eric Kripke felt that the episode wasn't scary enough so he allowed director David Jackson more time to build in some more scares by bumping it down the schedule.
Based on two different urban legends. The hook killer and the lovers lane killer.
When Sam and Dean are going over the arrest records, Sam finds the origin of the hookman, to which Dean says, "Nice job, Dr. Venkman.", a reference to Ghostbusters (1984).
Although this film uses the name of the real town of Ankeny, Iowa, it creates an entirely fictional town around it. The real Ankeny is a major suburb of Des Moines in Polk County, while the town portrayed in this episode is a sleepy little town in "County." The events of the episode also take place at the fraternities and sororities of the fictional "Eastern Iowa University" (Ankeny is in central Iowa). There are three colleges in Ankeny Faith Baptist Bible College, Upper Iowa University and the main campus of Des Moines Area Community College, or DMACC. But, the "Eastern Iowa University" has the same colors as University of Northern Iowa.