Spike, of the Spike and Mike Festival of Animation liked Chessmaster Theatre so much that he contracted John Wardlaw and Michael Wilcox to make a more "twisted" version for the Spike and Mike's Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation. The result was Chessmaster Theatre II Bloody Revenge (1997).
Prior to the Spike and Mike festival of Animation, Chessmaster Theatre was featured in the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
Shot on John Wardlaw's 16mm Bolex, using only a single light. Less than two 100ft rolls of 16mm film were used to complete shooting.
Chessmaster Theatre (1994) was actually a remake. John Wardlaw and Philip Haynes originally made a very similar film on super 8 film in 1983. While the script is nearly the same the production quality of the 1994 version is significantly higher. For example the original was shot entirely from one camera angle.