The story of two kids on the opposite side of the law was a popular theme in other 30s films, such asManhattan Melodrama (1934)andDead End (1937).With a production budget of approximately $2.5 million, and box-office gross revenues of $25.5 million (domestic).Gorier and more violent (characteristic of splatter films rather than slasher films, with lots of random murders), and with more nudity, than the first film.) (aka Twitch of the Death Nerve).The R-rated film was threatened with an X-rating for its double-impalement scene, which was cut to receive an R-rating.Johnny recalled their childhood play when he scared Barbra in the same exact location when they were younger, and realized that she nervously continued to admit a phobia about cemeteries and the dead.