"Star 80" was filmed on-location in Vancouver, British Columbia and Los Angeles, California; the death scene was filmed in the same house in which the murder-suicide took place. Hugh Hefner, disliking the way he was depicted in the film, sued the producers of the picture. In accordance with the family's wishes, Dorothy's mother is never mentioned by name in the movie and the names of her sister and brother were altered. Other names were also changed due to legal concerns. It is the second movie based on the murder of Stratten, preceded by the 1981 television film "" in which Jamie Lee Curtis portrayed Stratten and Bruce Weitz portrayed Snider.