Scenes were filmed on Cotton Avenue in Macon, Georgia, which was made to look post-apocalyptic. Some buildings were damaged by pyrotechnic effects, including a bus explosion that damaged several businesses. Some residents called the city, wanting them to pick up the trash on the streets.
On August 31, 2015, Chloë Grace Moretz revealed that she read the novel this movie is based on 3 times. She said that she was very excited to play her favorite character from the book.
In the book, Reznik is male.
A sex scene between Cassie and Evan was cut from the film.
In the book, Oompa is meant to be an overweight 7-8 year old.