The name of a school portrayed in the movie is "João Carpinteiro", which translates to "John Carpenter". Director Mendonça Filho is a fan of Carpenter's work and even included one of his tracks ("Night") in Bacurau's soundtrack.
Bacurau is a fictional place. It was actually shot in the also small village of Barra, near the city of Parelhas, in Rio Grande do Norte, a community with 80 inhabitants - most of whom worked in the production, as extras and as part of the crew. A year after filming wrapped, the filmmakers held a special screening of the film there and almost three thousand people showed up.
Udo Kier cried in a premiere for the first time in his 50-year career during Bacurau's Cannes big day. He stated it wasn't just because of the film itself but the whole experience of filming it.
Bacurau is the portuguese name for nightjar, an iconic bird with nocturnal habits, very common in southeast Brazil.
Brazil's runner-up for the 'Best Foreign Language Film' category at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020; the official submission went to Invisible Life (2019). Both were deemed as favorites by audiences and critics.