▁into ▁the ▁mot el ▁for ▁a ▁two - week ▁stay , ▁during ▁which ▁time ▁he ▁wrote ▁the ▁initial ▁script . ▁Sav age ▁was ▁created ▁on ▁a ▁limited ▁budget , ▁as ▁O j eda ▁and ▁the ▁film ' s ▁producer ▁Jason ▁G ur v itz ▁"[ called ] ▁in ▁a ▁lot ▁of ▁fav ors ▁[ due ▁to ] ▁the ▁quality ▁of ▁work ▁that ▁Michael ▁was ▁able ▁to ▁deliver ". ▁Am anda ▁Adri enne ' s ▁head shot ▁was ▁the ▁first ▁one ▁that ▁O j eda ▁saw . ▁Adri enne ▁( a ▁natural ▁br un ette ) ▁had ▁bl onde ▁hair ▁when ▁she ▁aud ition ed ▁for ▁the ▁role . ▁"[ O j eda ] ▁wanted ▁a ▁bl onde ▁because ▁the ▁blood ▁would ▁look ▁better ▁on ▁the ▁hair ▁and ▁[ Ad ri enne ▁would ] ▁look ▁more ▁ang el ic ". ▁Production ▁took ▁place ▁in ▁ 2 0 1 2 ▁and ▁film ing ▁took ▁place ▁at ▁an ▁abandoned ▁gold ▁mine ▁outside ▁of ▁Los ▁Angeles . ▁ ▁Re ception ▁Crit ical ▁reception ▁for ▁Sav aged ▁has ▁been ▁positive , ▁and ▁Hor ror News . net ▁r ated ▁it ▁at ▁five ▁out ▁of ▁five ▁stars . ▁F ear net ' s ▁Scott ▁Wein berg ▁commented ▁that ▁" even ▁at ▁the ▁peak ▁of ▁its ▁gru es omen ess , ▁there ' s ▁still ▁a ▁small ▁sense ▁of ▁rest raint ", ▁which ▁he ▁felt ▁" hel ps ▁Sav aged ▁go ▁from ▁a ▁potential ▁" ra pe ▁f lick " ▁to ▁a ▁broad ▁yet ▁brut al ▁action / hor ror