Filmed on a budget of $4 million with the giant crab alone costing $1 million.
Unable to find a distributor, the film never had a theatrical release. It sat on the shelf before debuting on late night television in 1984 under the title "Night of the Claw".
The screenplay was written by Jack Cowden and Ricou Browning, the creators of family-friendly films and series like Flipper (1964), Flipper (1963), and Salty (1973).
Robert Lansing and Barry Nelson previously appeared in episodes of THE TWILIGHT ZONE (1959-1964) during the show's 5th Season "The Long Morrow" and "Stopover in a Quiet Town," both episodes having to do with isolation.
Horror author Guy N. Smith said this film was based on his successful killer crab novels, the first being Night of the Crabs, published in 1976. Island Claws, which told a similar story about giant crabs on the coast of Florida, was an adaptation of his work, though neither Smith nor his novel were credited on the film.
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