For me and my comic Numb, old horror movies were great inspiration. Like Carrie (-76), Dario Argento's stuff, Halloween and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. There was great work with slow buildup in those ones and the surreal mood they all have going on. Since Numb is a mystery/horror/drama I wanted to reach that momentum in it as well.
As for the story, it's something that came from a very personal place and has been forming in my head for years. Couple months ago I had very first talk about for real with my sister and it was great. Before that I've kept it all to myself so I guess I can say that outside other media I consume and the experiences I have in life my infulence list doesn't go that far. It's Character driven so I take the most care to make them feel real and layered folks.