Hancock agreed to direct the film only as long as he was allowed to redraft the screenplay, and proceeded to rework Kalcheim's original script in both tone and thematic content, but retained certain elements at the request of the producers; the mute girl, played by Gretchen Corbett, for example, was a character from Kalcheim's original script that Moss requested Hancock retain in his redraft. The scene in which the group attempt a séance was also requested to be kept in the film by both Kalcheim and the producers. Hancock stated that "the scenes didn't make much sense to me, but the Mosses felt they would be particularly enjoyable and scary. I trusted their instincts because they had a concrete experience of audiences." Kalcheim is credited as a co-writer on the film under the pseudonym Norman Jonas. Certain elements of the film were drawn from Hancock's own life, such as the apple orchard settings and farmhouse, as he had grown up on an apple orchard, as well as Norman's career as a bassist, as Hancock's father was a professional double-bass player.