{"id":22757,"date":"2022-09-27T17:40:55","date_gmt":"2022-09-27T15:40:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1712664"},"modified":"2022-09-27T18:09:16","modified_gmt":"2022-09-27T16:09:16","slug":"what-is-the-true-story-behind-the-watcher-on-netflix","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/what-is-the-true-story-behind-the-watcher-on-netflix\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the true story behind The Watcher on Netflix?"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Lidia Molina-Whyte\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Tuesday, 27 September 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Ryan Murphy\u2019s upcoming Netflix<\/a> series\u00a0 The Watcher<\/a>\u00a0is set to land on the streamer next month, following hot on the heels of his latest true crime dramatisation, Dahmer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The limited series centres on a wealthy family who become the targets of a mysterious stalker who calls themselves \u2018the Watcher\u2019 when they move into their supposed dream home.<\/p>\n

Much like Dahmer, The Watcher features a stellar cast that includes includes Bobby Cannavale (Blonde), Naomi Watts (Mulholland Drive) and Margo Martindale (August: Osage County). A trailer has already been released, teasing what\u2019s to come for their characters.<\/p>\n\n<p>And like Dahmer, the series is inspired by true events. Want to know the full story behind The Watcher? Read on to find out.<\/p> <h2><strong>What is the true story behind The Watcher on Netflix?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>The Watcher is inspired by the events detailed in a New York Magazine\/The Cut <a href=\"\/\/www.thecut.com\/article\/the-haunting-of-657-boulevard-in-westfield-new-jersey.html"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""noopener" noopener noreferrer\">article<\/a> by Reeves Wiedeman, first published in 2018. It tells the true story of Derek and Maria Broaddus, a couple who in 2014 bought 657 Boulevard, a sprawling house in the idyllic New Jersey suburb of Westfield. They\u2019d hoped it would become their dream home, but as renovation work on the $1.3 million property began ahead of them moving in, they received a disturbing letter addressed to \u2018The New Owner\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>The letter\u2019s sender identified themselves as the Watcher, and claimed to be the house\u2019s watcher ahead of its \u201csecond coming\u201d. The Broadduses shared the content of the letters with The Cut, with the first one reading: \u201c657 Boulevard has been the subject of my family for decades now and as it approaches its 110th birthday, I have been put in charge of watching and waiting for its second coming.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched in the 1960s. It is now my time. Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard? Why are you here? I will find out.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\""image-handler__container\" image-handler__container--aspect=\"\" style=\""padding-bottom:\" calc=\"\"> <picture><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=299%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=299%2C199,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=354%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=354%2C236,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=404%2C269,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=404%2C269,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=554%2C369,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=554%2C369,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=620%2C413,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=407%2C271,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=407%2C271,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=555%2C370,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=555%2C370,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><img class=\""wp-image-1712022\" align=\"\" size-landscape_thumbnail=\"\" image-handler__image=\"\" image-handler__image--aspect=\"\" no-wrap=\"\" js-lazyload=\"\" data-src=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER106Unit01453RC-01be7c4.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" width=\""620"\" height=\""413"\" alt=\"""\" title=\"""\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><div class=\""caption-hold"\"><figcaption class=\""wp-caption-text"\"><span class=\""caption-copy"\"><i class=\""icon-arrow\" icon-camera-circle=\"\"\/> Naomi Watts as Nora Brannock and Bobby Cannavale as Dean Brannock in The Watcher.<\/span><\/figcaption><span class=\""im-image-caption"\"> <i>Netflix<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<p>The Watcher also made references to the couple\u2019s children and asked them to fill the house with \u201cyoung blood\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou have children. I have seen them. So far I think there are three that I have counted,\u201d they wrote.<\/p>\n<p>The Broadduses went to the police and were advised not to share the letters\u2019 contents with their neighbours, as police believed the most likely scenario was that one of them had sent it. An investigation led them to suspect one neighbour in particular, Michael Langford, due to the vantage point of his family\u2019s home, and that his family was thought to be eccentric.<\/p>\n<p>He was eventually cleared as a suspect, and the Broadduses hired their own private detective to investigate the neighbourhood. They received a total of three letters, with the second one identifying their children by name and nickname, and containing details they claim could have only been noted by someone who had been inside the home or extremely close to it.<\/p>\n<p>As they continued their search for the Watcher, the Broadduses found out the previous owners, the Woods, had also received a letter just before they moved out, but had no trouble in the 23 years they had lived in the house before then.<\/p>\n<div class=\""image-handler__container\" image-handler__container--full=\"\" style=\""padding-bottom:\" calc=\"\"> <picture><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=300%2C180,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?quality=90&resize=300%2C180,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=355%2C213,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?quality=90&resize=355%2C213,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=405%2C243,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?quality=90&resize=405%2C243,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=554%2C332,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(max-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?quality=90&resize=554%2C332,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=620%2C371,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C371,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=408%2C244,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?quality=90&resize=408%2C244,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?webp=true&quality=90&resize=556%2C333,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/webp"\"><source media=\""(min-width:\" data-srcset=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?quality=90&resize=556%2C333,\" https:=\"\" type=\""image\/jpeg"\"><img class=\""wp-image-1712020\" align=\"\" size-landscape_thumbnail=\"\" image-handler__image=\"\" image-handler__image--full=\"\" no-wrap=\"\" js-lazyload=\"\" data-src=\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2022\/09\/WATCHER101Unit01150RC-f00e753.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C371"\" width=\""620"\" height=\""413"\" alt=\"""\" title=\"""\"\/><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div><div class=\""caption-hold"\"><figcaption class=\""wp-caption-text"\"><span class=\""caption-copy"\"><i class=\""icon-arrow\" icon-camera-circle=\"\"\/> Richard Kind as Mitch and Margo Martindale as Mo in The Watcher.<\/span><\/figcaption><span class=\""im-image-caption"\"\/><\/div>\n<p>The Broadduses, who didn\u2019t actually move into the home but decided to rent it out instead, went on to attempt to sue the Wood family for not disclosing that they had received a letter, but the case was later dismissed. By then, however, news of the Watcher had spread across the neighbourhood and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>Many theories emerged, with sites such as Reddit claiming the Watcher must live within the house\u2019s walls, and others, including some Westfield residents, suggesting the Broadduses had sent the letters to themselves in an attempt to recoup financial losses after experiencing buyer\u2019s remorse.<\/p>\n<p>They eventually sold the house in 2019, when it was bought for $400,000 less than the Broadduses paid for it.<\/p>\n<p>Despite several investigations taking place, both by police and former FBI agents hired by the Broadusses, the Watcher was never found and continues to be unidentified to this date.<\/p>\n<p>Netflix has made some changes to the creepy story, including changing the Broadduses names and surnames. In the series, they also only have two children, and they appear to be older than the Broadduses\u2019 were when they first bought the house. We\u2019ll have to wait until the programme airs to find out whether it answers the question of who the Watcher is, or whether their identity also remains unsolved.<\/p>\n<div class=\""editor-content\" mb-lg=\"\" hidden-print=\"\" js-piano-locked-content=\"\" data-placement=\""Body"\">\n<p><strong>The Watcher lands on Netflix on 13th October 2022 at 8am BST.\u00a0<a title=\""https:\/\/www.netflix.com\/gb\/"\" href=\"\/\/www.netflix.com\/gb\/"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""noopener" noopener noreferrer\">Sign up for Netflix from \u00a36.99 a month<\/a>. Netflix is also available on\u00a0<a title=\""https:\/\/www.sky.com\/glass"\" href=\"\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?id=489797&clickref=radiotimes-0&awinmid=11005&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sky.com%2Fglass"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""sponsored" noopener noreferrer\">Sky Glass<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a title=\""https:\/\/www.virginmedia.com\/tv\/streaming"\" href=\"\/\/www.awin1.com\/cread.php?id=489797&clickref=radiotimes-0&awinmid=6399&p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.virginmedia.com%2Ftv%2Fstreaming"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""sponsored" noopener noreferrer\">Virgin Media Stream<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the\u00a0<a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/what-to-watch-tv\/best-tv-shows-netflix\/"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""noopener noopener noreferrer\" noreferrer=\"\">best series on Netflix<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/movies\/what-to-watch\/netflix-best-movies\/"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""noopener noopener noreferrer\" noreferrer=\"\">best movies on Netflix<\/a>, or visit our\u00a0<a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/tv\/tv-listings\/"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""noopener noopener noreferrer\" noreferrer=\"\">TV Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The latest issue of Radio Times is on sale now \u2013\u00a0<a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/magazine-subscription\/"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""noopener" noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\""https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/magazine-subscription\/&source=gmail&ust=1646312059467000&usg=AOvVaw1Ftrh-dxAkkfQXSIsWTu1t"\">subscribe now<\/a>\u00a0to get each issue delivered to your door. For more from the biggest stars in TV, l<\/strong><strong>isten to the\u00a0<a href=\"\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/podcasts\/"\" target=\""_blank"\" rel=\""noopener" noopener noreferrer\" data-saferedirecturl=\""https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/podcasts\/&source=gmail&ust=1646312059467000&usg=AOvVaw17CUBRLVY0IlZl6Ejg7PRg"\">Radio Times podcast<\/a>\u00a0with Jane Garvey.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/body><\/html>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\"\/>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Lidia Molina-Whyte Published: Tuesday, 27 September 2022 at 12:00 am Ryan Murphy\u2019s upcoming Netflix series\u00a0The Watcher\u00a0is set to land on the streamer next month, following hot on the heels of his latest true crime dramatisation, Dahmer. The limited series centres on a wealthy family who become the targets of a mysterious stalker who calls […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":22758,"template":"","categories":[5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/09\/what-is-the-true-story-behind-the-watcher-on-netflix-scaled.jpg",2560,1707,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/09\/what-is-the-true-story-behind-the-watcher-on-netflix-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/09\/what-is-the-true-story-behind-the-watcher-on-netflix-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/09\/what-is-the-true-story-behind-the-watcher-on-netflix-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/09\/what-is-the-true-story-behind-the-watcher-on-netflix-1024x683.jpg",800,534,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/09\/what-is-the-true-story-behind-the-watcher-on-netflix-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2022\/09\/what-is-the-true-story-behind-the-watcher-on-netflix-2048x1365.jpg",2048,1365,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Lidia Molina-Whyte Published: Tuesday, 27 September 2022 at 12:00 am Ryan Murphy\u2019s upcoming Netflix series\u00a0The Watcher\u00a0is set to land on the streamer next month, following hot on the heels of his latest true crime dramatisation, Dahmer. The limited series centres on a wealthy family who become the targets of a mysterious stalker who calls…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/22757"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22758"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}