"Le Corbeau" was produced by Continental Films, which aside from being a German company established during Occupation, was known for making detective films "with a light, even comic tone" and often featuring Pierre Fresnay, who played Germain in this film. Clouzot previously worked with Fresnay on another Continental Films project, "The Murderer Lives at Number 21" (1942). Writer Joseph Kessel later criticised the film's Continental origins, noting "Le Corbeau" was funded by the Germans, and in that context could be seen as a statement on French corruption. Kessel questioned if the film would be made if it were set in Germany.