I just recently finished watching the new netflix series “The Watcher.” Although it has been on Netflix for a couple of weeks, I just never got around to putting it on the TV. If that’s also the case for you, I am here to tell you to stop ignoring this phenomenal show.
A quick synopsis
“The Watcher” has 7 episodes that are about an hour long each. In my opinion, 7 episodes is way too short for the show. However, it is based on a true story (more details below), so it would quickly turn more fictional with more episodes. The show takes place in New Jersey but very close to New York City, and it is focused on a four person family.
The family moves from the busy city of New York to a large, multi-million home in the suburbs of New Jersey. Very early in the story, the family learns that the neighborhood is a bit odd–to put it lightly. Soon after purchasing the home, anonymous letters from someone named “The Watcher” begin to get delivered to the house. This someone is watching the family and their home, essentially stalking them. Overtime, these letters get creepier and really take a toll on the family–especially the parents. The mother and father slowly begin to go crazy, constantly fearing the lives of themselves and their children.
Everyone seems to be a suspect to this family, and with very little help from the police, they are forced to take matters into their own hands. From installing security cameras to hiring a private investigator, mom and dad are determined to find the person harassing their family. People lie, friendships break and this house shares some of its secrets.
Creeps and chills
Please believe me when I tell you that I had trouble sleeping the night that I finished this show. I wouldn’t call “The Watcher” a horror show exactly, but it is definitely a thriller. It is full of mystery and suspense, every episode leaves you more confused than the last. Honestly, every ten minutes had my jaw dropping in shock and my eyes wide, looking at my boyfriend like “Did that really just happen?!” As the episodes went on, the story got creepier and really fit into that thriller category.
Writer and director Ryan Murphy has created many thriller shows that all of you likely know of. Popular shows from Murphy include “American Horror Story,” “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and now “The Watcher.” Murphy intertwined fiction and nonfiction pretty perfectly through this series. The storyline is immaculate with so many twists and turns that glue your eyes to the screen. It is likely that you will finish the show within two nights (like me!).
It’s true!
The real watcher letters arrived in the mailbox of Maria and Derek Broaddus in 2014. There was eventually an article published about this true experience in 2018. The Watcher sent letters professing his or her displeasement with the house renovations and threatening the Broaddus’ children, among other things. The family never did move into the home, the letters spooking them off quickly (for good reason). There was a lot of speculation about who could have been, but The Watcher was never found. The Broaddus couple sold their house eventually, however they did take a loss financially. As of October 2022, letters from The Watcher have not been delivered to the new owners.
Now, there is obviously a whole lot of fiction in the Netflix show, but the fact that it is even based a little bit on a true story is mind blowing. First, the actual location is somewhat changed in the show. The actual house location was in New York, not New Jersey, but the street address is the same. The family in the show is also not very similar to the real-life Broaddus family, as they requested for the family to resemble them in the least possible way. I’m sure there are a lot of fictional aspects to the show, such as the added inspector character or the security guy. It’s hard to know what was embellished but based on truth, or completely made up. Regardless of what is completely fake, the fact that even the idea of this show is based on a true story is mind blowing.
If spine-chilling entertainment usually freaks you out, make sure you prepare yourself for “The Watcher.” And if you are a horror freak, make sure you watch this show as soon as you can. Like I said before, it’s not necessarily a “horror” show, but it’s definitely not all puppies and rainbows.