The Troop

As Nick Cutter states in the Acknowledgements section of The Troop, parts of his novel were inspired by other contemporary horror novels, as well as by tropes from the longstanding horror genre. Specifically, Cutter acknowledges Stephen King for two notable works: It (1986) and Carrie (1974). Although the “monsters,” villains, and plots of It and Carrie bear little resemblance to those in Cutter’s novel, he borrows structural strategies as well as character development strategies from the “master” of contemporary horror, Stephen King. Cutter intersplices the main narration of The Troop with (fictional) newspaper articles, scientific lab notes, witness testimonies from the Canadian Federal Investigatory Board (FIB), and other documents. In Carrie, Stephen King also intersplices the narration with other documents in order to grant the reader access to information that the characters aren’t aware of. This intersplicing creates dramatic irony, which in horror novels, usually has the effect of heightening suspense and terror.

Cutter also explains that the inspiration for Shelley Longpre’s character came from several “sociopathic” children in various novels, including Patrick Hockstetter from It. Neither Shelley nor Patrick are the “main” villains or “monsters” that other characters are concerned about in their respective horror novels.