Creator Recovery: This was the last novel Stephen King wrote before becoming completely sober. His addiction, and his desire to go sober, are reflected in the book's themes of dual personalities.
Write What You Know: The story was part autobiographical, as it was inspired by the events that led to Stephen King revealing his own writing pseudonym of "Richard Bachman".
Cast the Runner-Up: George A. Romero originally considered Michael Rooker for the lead role(s), but the studio wanted a more traditional actor. He was ultimately cast as Sheriff Alan Pengborne.
Timothy Hutton and George A. Romero clashed over their different working methods. At one point, Hutton quit the production, but was coaxed back. Eventually, their working relationship improved.
Michael Rooker clashed with fellow co-stars who had a more "trained" approach to acting.
Method Acting: Timothy Hutton stayed in character even when off-camera, even going so far as to having two seperate trailers for both his characters. One crewmember described him as a pain in the ass.
Portrayed by Different Species: In total, four thousand five hundred Cut Throat Finches were used for the sparrows in the film. The birds would consume one hundred pounds of birdseed, and fifteen gallons of water on a daily basis during the production.
