This film was Joe Dante's official directorial debut, with his colleague at New World Pictures Allan Arkush co-directing it. They were both editors (making trailers and stuff) working for Roger Corman and his New World Pictures. The movie shares several things in common with Dante's later opuses: 1. His love of B-Movies and the labor of filmmaking itself is apparent from the first frame. 2. His fondness for drive-in screens. 3. (Most importantly) The one and only Dick Miller!!!