 This is believed to be the first feature film based on real life  serial killers Charles Starkweather (qv) and Caril Fugate (qv).  Mainstream Hollywood would not produce films inspired by the pair  until a decade after this one. A number of films were inspired by  the duo (some very loosely) and included such major examples as  Terrence Malick (qv)s _Badlands (1973)_ (qv) and  Oliver Stone (I) (qv)s _Natural Born Killers (1994)_ (qv)