Cry Baby Lane was apparently originally envisioned as a $10-million dollar theatrical production, but Nickelodeon's parent company, Paramount, didn't see it that way. The project went through various early stages of development and it was eventually scrapped. A year later someone at the studio decided to proceed with it, but for a television premiere and with a budget of only $800k.

The movie gained notoriety over the years as a "lost film" since its one and only broadcast on Nickelodeon back in October 2000. Rumor is that parents complained to the network about it being "too scary" and "inappropriate" for younger viewers, after which it was never seen or heard from again. That is, until recently when footage was found and made available online. Naturally genre fans such as myself flocked at the chance to catch the now recognized name, but does it really live up to the "hype" that surrounded its disappearance? Sadly no, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable.