Trivia

Besides internal on-set conflicts, William Friedkin said that approximately fifty people "had to leave the film for either injury or gangrene," as well as food poisoning and malaria. In The Friedkin Connection he added that "almost half the crew went into the hospital or had to be sent home." Friedkin himself lost fifty pounds (23 kg) and was stricken with malaria, which was diagnosed after the film's premiere.

William Friedkin attempted to complete the picture "without relying on dialogue" and "telling the story through imagery" instead. In the film's pressbook Friedkin states that for him creating a film is multi-faceted experience: "Every film is actually three films. There is the film you conceive and plan. There is the film you actually shoot. And there is the film that emerges with you in the editing room."

The film opened in America at Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood on June 24, 1977. Audiences were so anticipating it that the week of its release the lines at Mann's went around the block. However, a film called Star Wars (1977) was also released at about the same time. It had initially been released in only a few theaters across the nation, but when it was put into wide release it became a phenomenon and, by the second week of the release of "Sorcerer," the crowds in front of Mann's Chinese Theater had dissipated to almost nothing. One San Francisco movie house, which had broken box-office records when it showed "Star Wars," found that its business dwindled to nothing when "Sorcerer" replaced it for a week. In the end "Sorcerer" only recouped $9 million of its original $21 million budget making it a financial disaster.

Despite its look, the rope bridge was actually quite elaborate in its construction and contained numerous safety devices as well as hydraulic lifts in order for the special effects crew to manipulate it into motion. It cost $1 million to build. After it was completed the original river for the scene (in the Dominican Republic) went almost completely dry for the first time in its history, due to a drought. The bridge had to be torn down and a new location was found in Tuxtepec, Mexico. It was then rebuilt at the cost of another $1 million. However, the raging river that the bridge was built over began to dry up. The crew had to put a 24-hour guard around the bridge because the superstitious locals threatened to blow it up believing it was the bridge and the "intruders" that caused the river to become shallow. By the time filming began the water was only 18 inches deep and looked completely nonthreatening. The crew didn't have the time or the money to find another location so William Friedkin decided to add an artificial current and rainstorm (using helicopters, wind machines, and men on towers with giant hoses). The bridge itself was so rickety that, despite the safety precautions, the truck (often with an actor inside of it) slid off the side and into the shallow water five times during rehearsals and filming. The entire sequence took three months to shoot. Friedkin stated it was by far the most difficult sequence he ever filmed in his career.

Tangerine Dream wrote the musical score using only a draft of the script given to them by director William Friedkin. At no time did the trio see any actual footage of the film. Their main title track, "Betrayal," was recycled two years later for the original theatrical trailer of Walter Hill's The Warriors (1979).