Trivia

Director Jim Jarmusch was dismayed to discover all the money he paid for the rights to Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You" went to the record company, with nothing going to Hawkins himself. When the film earned a profit, Jarmusch took it upon himself to track down Hawkins (who was living in a trailer park, at the time) and give him some money. It was the beginning of a friendship that lasted until Hawkins' death. According to Jarmusch, Hawkins continuously swore he'd pay him back, despite Jarmusch's insistence that the money was a gift.

In the scene where Willie and Eddie pick up Eva from the Hot Dog stand, director Jim Jarmusch can be seen eating a hot dog while wearing a beanie in the background.

The film's scenes are each a single shot followed by a few seconds of black screen.

Started out as a 30-minute short subject film (shot in 1982) and was later expanded into a 3-part feature. The first section, "The New World," takes place in New York, the second, "One Year Later," in Cleveland, and the last, "Paradise," in Florida.

The whole film is a sequence of shots with live sound. Editing consisted simply of putting them end to end.