Mabuse has learned how to control the minds of others through a form of radiation emitted by samples of moon rocks.

It was based on the character Dr. Mabuse created by Norbert Jacques and adapted into film in the 1920s by Fritz Lang.

[8] The film was shot between February 25 and March 12, 1971, right after production had completed on Der Todesrächer von Soho (1972).

[1] The film was shot on location in Spain between La Manga del Mar Menor and Alicante.

[2] It was the final film director Jesus Franco made from his partnership with producer Artur Brauner that began with Vampyros Lesbos (1971).

[9] Franco described Brauner as "a curious mixture of a producer-creator on the one hand and a cheap filmmaker on the other, he is very clever and his great knowledge of actors, editing and sound.

[1] The Spanish and German video releases are substantially different from one another, with alterations ranging from dialogue changes to new scenes and re-sequencing of the film.

"[16] Brauner was dealt with a court proceedings in the 1990s over La venganza del Doctor Mabuse on whether or not Franco's film was a Mabuse film as he would have breached his contract if he was directly involved with the production as he was potentially avoiding paying the heirs of Norbert Jacques.