Both 'Jennifer Lynch (I)' and Vincent D'Onofrio have stated they would have preferred that the title of this film be "Rabbit".
While the length of time is never explicitly stated in the film, Rabbit has been held prisoner for 10 years by the end of the story.
In the original script, Rabbit left the house to discover that an entire subdivision had been built up unbeknown to him, filled with children and families, all unaware of the horrors going on inside the house.
When asked about her favorite scene in the movie, director Jennifer Lynch says it is the game with the drivers licenses, which was originally much longer and partially improvised by the actors.
The original focus of the story involved detectives actively pursuing Bob, who they nicknamed "The Dicer" for his habit of cutting women up before killing them. The relationship between Bob and Rabbit was secondary.