FAQ

Truddi Chase was a real person, although it is uncertain if "Truddi Chase" was her real name. She died on March 10, 2010.

Truddi and the Troops worked very closely with the film's producers to make sure that the adaptation was as accurate as possible.

The Troops rejected the idea of integration and remained a functioning collective until Truddi's death in 2010.

Not exactly. The movie is more an autobiography of Chase (and the Troops) than a direct adaptation of their book.

Truddi's mother died shortly before the release of "When Rabbit Howls" in 1987. As of 1990, the time of this film's release, the stepfather was alive and well. He denied any abuse had taken place. Other members of the family stated that Truddi's story was true.

Since Truddi could not remember the abuse itself, she interpreted her guilt about the abuse as guilt that she herself had done something wrong, and came to the conclusion that she must have killed someone. At the end of the film, Truddi meets the stepfather again, but leaves him alive.

In the book, there is a confusing end sequence in which the Troops seem to visit the stepfather and proceed to kill him. Close reading will reveal that this sequence is a fairy tale of revenge being told to the children as a Christmas present, and did not actually occur.