 The teleplay for "Battleground" was written by Richard Christian  Matheson, son of Richard Burton Matheson. "Battleground" is very  similar in plot to the elder Mathesons short story, "Prey."  (Trilogy of Terror, 1975) Both feature protagonists trapped in  apartments and hunted by unexpectedly deadly toys. The toy in "Prey"  is a Zuni fetish doll. In an even more direct homage, the fetish  doll from "Prey" appears on a shelf in Renshaws apartment in  "Battleground."