In the original short, Butterfield is a demon in human disguise and the main antagonist. In the film adaptation, Butterfield was made into a human acolyte of the new villain Nix, a cult leader who becomes a vessel for demonic power. In an interview with "Cinescape" in 1995, Barker explained, "Halfway through shooting this picture, somebody came in with a newspaper with a headline about these mass deaths in a cult in Switzerland [the Order of the Solar Temple]. I don't think we even yet know quite what happened there. The craziness of Waco, the craziness of Jonestown, the Manson stuff - Nix is the embodiment of the charismatic leader who says, 'Follow me to death,' which is something that's part of our culture. So I thought, supposing we had a villain like that, but instead of this guy just being somebody who can weave words and make promises, he genuinely has a greater power? That, to me, is scary and interesting."