In 1959, following the completion of "The Little Shop of Horrors", Roger Corman assembled a small cast and crew and arrived in Puerto Rico to direct "Last Woman on Earth" and produce a World War II film titled "Battle of Blood Island". According to Corman, "I had discovered that tax incentives were available if you 'manufactured' in Puerto Rico. That included making movies." When Corman still had unused footage left over from "The Last Woman on Earth", he decided to make another film.