The episode was previously titled "The Killing of a Sacred Deer". That title comes from Yorgos Lanthimos' and Efthymis Filippou's 2017 psychological horror film of the same name.
This episode is a nod to the movie Judgment Night (1993). Both the movie and the episode have a plot of 3 friends trying to survive a dangerous night.
When Malachai storms Pop's Diner- his face makeup is reminiscent of the Crow and his nail covered baseball bat is a nod to Neagan's bat Lucille.