As of 2011, remains the only zombie-related film to be nominated for an Academy Award in any category (in this instance, Best Original Score for a Dramatic Picture).
In the presskit for this film, Monogram blatantly advised exhibitors to sell "it along the same lines as Paramount's The Ghost Breakers." The Bob Hope horror/comedy was a runaway hit at the time.
Produced and released prior to Pearl Harbor, the film oddly dances around blatant references to Nazi Germany. While the villain is decidedly Germanic, radio traffic is spoken in German and there's spoken references to spying, neither Germany or Nazis are ever overtly mentioned. The plot, described in the presskit describes the evil Dr. Sangre as "a secret agent for a European government." The powers at Monogram were probably acutely mindful of the problems independent producer Ben Judell encountered when trying to exhibit Hitler - Beast of Berlin two years earlier. That film was unable to pass local pro-Germany censorship boards and Judell went broke.
The role of Dr. Victor Sangre was designed for Bela Lugosi. When he became unavailable, furious negotiations ensued to obtain Peter Lorre for the part, but a deal could not be reached. Veteran character actor Henry Victor was signed just prior to the date of filming.