Lawrence D. Cohen was hired as the screenwriter, and produced the first draft, which had closely followed the novel's intentions. United Artists accepted the second draft but only allocated De Palma a budget of $1.6 million, a small amount considering the popularity of horror films at the time.
Lawrence D. Cohen was hired as the screenwriter and wrote the first version, which closely followed the novel's original concept. United Artists accepted the second draft but provided De Palma with only $1.6 million in budget, a modest amount compared to the popularity of horror films at that time.