Edith Barrett, who played the mother, was only 3 years older than James Ellison, who played her younger son, Wesley. She actually was 2 years younger than Tom Conway, who played her older son, Paul.
Val Lewton did not like the article "I Walked With A Zombie" by Inez Wallace that had been optioned so he adapted the story to fit the novel "Jane Eyre" because he felt the article's plot was too clichéd.
Sir Lancelot wrote the song 'Shame and Scandal in the Family' for this movie. In the early 60s, Lord Melody used the melody and the chorus and an old humorous story to create a new song, initially called 'Wau Wau', though it became more familiarly known under its original title. The song was recorded by a variety of international artists (e.g. the Kingston Trio, Odetta, Peter Tosh and the Wailers), even becoming a number 1 hit in Australia. In the course of its life, the original writers have been ignored at times with the authorship being attributed to a duo of Donaldson and Brown, instead of Sir Lancelot and Ardel Wray (the writer of I Walked with a Zombie).
In the script, the fictitious island is very explicitly identified as being owned by the United States. None of these items (such as a prominent American flag flying at the harbor) made it into the film, and items like the Island's association with British Columbia (where Betsy is from) suggest that it might instead be a current or former British colony.
The legal disclaimer at the end of the credits, which roll at the start of the film, makes light of the film's subject. The disclaimer states: "The characters and events depicted in this photoplay are fictional. Any similarity to actual persons, living, dead, or possessed, is purely coincidental."
The two figures seen walking along the beach during the opening credits are Frances Dee and Darby Jones.