Streiner (uncredited) as Johnny. Streiner later served as a producer of the 1990 remake of the film, in which he also has a cameo appearance as Sheriff McClelland. Bill "Chilly Billy" Cardille as Himself. Cardille was well known in Pittsburgh as a TV presenter who hosted a horror film anthology series, Chiller Theatre, on late Saturday nights in the 1960s and 70s. Cardille would later make a cameo appearance as the TV news reporter in the 1990 remake. Steve Hutsko as Steve, Cardille's Cameraman Frank Doak as Dr. Grimes Scott Vladimir Licina as Reverend John Hicks Grant Cramer as Dan Adam Knox as Mike Debbie Rochon as Darlene Davis Heidi Hinzman as Rosie Scott Kerschbaumer as Prison Guard George Drennen as Arthur Krantz Julie Wallace as Hilda Krantz Dan Abraham as Garage Mechanic Diana Michelucci as Mom Dawn Michelucci as Daughter #1 Jessica Streiner as Daughter #2 Moshu as Moshu the Dog Grant Sullivan as Dan Aric Cushing as Andrew Mary Lou Russo as Armless Waitress Zombie Production Development and pre-production Romero embarked upon his career in the film industry while attending Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He directed and produced television commercials and industrial films for The Latent Image, in the 1960s, a company he co-founded with friends John Russo, and Russell Streiner. The trio grew bored making commercials and wanted to film a horror movie during this period. They wanted to capitalize on the film industry's "thirst for the bizarre", according to Romero. He and Streiner contacted Karl Hardman and Marilyn Eastman, president and vice president respectively of a Pittsburgh-based industrial film firm called Hardman Associates, Inc. They pitched their idea for a then-untitled horror film. A production company, conceived by Romero, called Image Ten, was formed that included Romero, Russo, Streiner, Hardman, and Eastman. The initial budget was $6,000 with the ten members of the production company, investing $600 each for a share of the profits. Another ten investors were found when it was found that another $6,000 was required but this was also soon found to be inadequate. Image Ten eventually raised approximately $114,000 for the budget ($ today). Writing Co-written as a horror comedy by John Russo and George A. Romero under the title Monster Flick, an early screenplay draft concerned the exploits of adolescent aliens who visit Earth and befriend human teenagers. A second version of the script featured a young man who runs