 The film was shot over six days on a budget of $26,000.After its release, science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein sued for plagiarism, asking for damages of $150,000, claiming that "The Brain Eaters" was based on his 1951 novel "The Puppet Masters".Corman insisted that he was unfamiliar with Heinlein's work, both while reading the script and during the film's production.