The episode was written by Edithe Swenson and Joel Metzger, and directed by Garth Maxwell; it first aired on October 9, 2000.

The series, set in Ancient Greece, focuses on Xena (Lucy Lawless), a ruthless warrior seeking redemption for her past actions.

The trio also realize Xena's childhood home is haunted and that the demon Mephistopheles (Anthony Ray Parker) is responsible for the current situation in Amphipolis.

"The Haunting of Amphipolis" was originally written by an unnamed writer who was replaced by Metzger because the dialogue he wrote was unsuitable.

When Metzger was hired, the writing staff requested numerous changes to the original script, which featured a murdered man and his daughter.

According to Metzger, besides focusing on the haunting of Xena's childhood home, the final product bears no resemblance to the original script.

[2] By the end of the final draft, most of the original plot and scenes had been changed, with only the core concept of Xena's house being haunted remaining.

Inside the water, prop skeletons and "slimy" pieces of fabric were inserted alongside O'Connor and stunt performers portraying the ghouls.

[13] Michelle Erica Green, writer for TrekNation, said "The Haunting of Amphipolis" would have made "an excellent Halloween episode" due to its content.

She described it as a highly effective, horror-themed episode, praising Eve's encounter with one of her victims and the dragging of Gabrielle underwater by ghouls.

Green also considered many scenes in the episode to "pack real power", including those in which Xena hallucinates about her mother blaming her for her brother's death and Eve is confronted by the spirits of children she had killed.

[14] Xenaville gave the episode 8/10 stars, describing it as a "very enjoyable and fast paced adventure", giving praise to the use of special effects, the flashback sequences, and Eve's encounters with her victims and Livia.

[15] In the book Killing Off the Lesbians: A Symbolic Annihilation on Film and Television, writers Liz Millward, Janice G. Dodd, and Irene Fubara-Manuel single out this episode—specifically, Xena almost replacing Mephistopheles as the ruler of Hell—as one of many examples in the sixth season displaying the show darkening in tone.