The film had its world premiere at the Cannes International Film Festival on May 14, 2018. It was reported that more than a hundred audience members - including some critics - walked out during the premiere, though a six-minute standing ovation followed the screening. Some of the upset audience members continued to condemn the film on social media for its extreme violence and nihilistic tone.
The old nursery rhyme "The House that Jack Built" was quoted in Lars von Trier's feature film debut The Element of Crime (1984).
In the scene when Jack is first using photos in the mirror to mimic human expression and emotions, one photo shows a man who looks terrified while his eyes are being held open. This photo was taken in 1862 by Dr. G.B. Duchenne de Boulogne and is titled "Fright Mixed with Pain, Torture." The original photograph is now part of the Wagstaff Collection at the Getty Museum.
The House That Jack Built (2018) was originally announced as an eight-part miniseries in September 2014 when the completed version of Nymphomaniac: Vol. I (2013) / Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013) premiered at the Venice Film Festival, but in February 2016, Lars von Trier announced via a David Bowie-themed video on his official Facebook page that "The House That Jack Built" would be his next theatrical release, due in theaters in 2018.
Lars von Trier split the filming into two parts to allow the opportunity for editing in between, something he has never done before.