The premise of the film was inspired by the radio shows hosted by Art Bell in the nineties where callers could phone the radio station to talk about whatever they wanted (usually government conspiracies or the paranormal) on air. One evening a distressed man called into the show claiming to have worked in Area 51 and attempted to expose the government. However in the process the station was suspiciously cut off all together. Despite the rather unlikely nature of the call, Art Bell decided to listen. Art Bell himself was contacted to provide a voice-only cameo in this film, however he declined stating that he had no interest in being in any film or TV-show, a statement he has made many times throughout his career.
All of the scenes taking place in the radio station were filmed in one long session. It was one of the hottest days of the year, was filmed in the attic of a bar which had no ventilation system and the only window had to remain closed to prevent sound leakage. The days shoot lasted over 10 hours, all of which Des O'Gorman had to spend underneath three 750 watt lights. Near the end of the day, shooting had to be paused as O'Gorman nearly passed out due to the heat.