How to Watch 'The Watcher'—and the Terrifying True Story Behind the Netflix Series
If The Watcher plot sounds familiar, it's because it's based on a terrifying true story.
In 2014, the Broaddus family purchased a $1.4 million house in Westfield, New Jersey. While the house was being renovated, they received several threatening letters from an unnamed person who claimed to be watching the house. Now, this creepy story has been turned into a Netflix series called The Watcher by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, which is set to debut on Oct. 13, 2022. Here's everything to know about The Watcher on Netflix.
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Is the movie Watcher on Netflix?
The Watcher is a television series that will be available on Netflix starting on Oct. 13, 2022. The series is based on a true story about a family driven out of their new house in New Jersey after receiving a series of threatening letters. The first season will include seven episodes.
How can I watch The Watcher?
The Watcher will stream on Netflix starting Oct. 13, 2022.
How many episodes of The Watcher are there?
The Watcher series will consist of a total of seven episodes.
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Who is in The Watcher cast?
The Watcher cast is a star-studded bunch, including:
Naomi Watts as Nora Brannock
Netflix
Naomi Watts is Nora Brannock, the Brannock family matriarch. We see her defiant in the trailer, refusing to sell the family home (at least initially) to avoid giving in to intimidation.
Watts previously told Entertainment Weekly that she was excited to get back into thrillers following her breakout stardom in The Ring. "That article is so freaky," she said of the New York article on which the show is based. "That's what got me in!" She added, "I'm thrilled to be working with Ryan [Murphy], he seems to have the Midas touch."
Bobby Cannavale as Dean Brannock
Netflix
Bobby Cannavale is Dean Brannock. Based on the real-life Derek Broaddus, Cannavale struggles to provide his family a sense of safety following the terrifying letters received.
Luke David Blumm as Carter Brannock
Netflix
Luke David Blumm plays Carter Brannock, Nora and Dean's son.
Jennifer Coolidge as Karen Calhoun
Netflix
Jennifer Coolidge plays real estate agent Karen Calhoun. In the series, she urges the Brannocks to sell the house after receiving the letters, but also berates them over the drama their trauma has caused to their community. Check out her fictional real estate profile and try to hold in your giggles—because, as Coolidge is wont to do, she will crack you up.
Mia Farrow as Pearl and Terry Kinney as Jasper
Netflix
Mia Farrow plays creepy neighbor Pearl, while Terry Kinney plays her equally creepy son Jasper. Farrow is no stranger to the horror genre, considering one of her most iconic roles is the title matriarch in Rosemary's Baby. Kinney previously starred as Barry in the Netflix hit Inventing Anna.
Margo Martindale as Mo and Richard Kind as Mitch
Netflix
Margo Martindale and Richard Kind play Mo and Mitch, the Brannocks' neighbors who are likely based on the Broaddus' neighbors who lived in the property behind 657 Boulevard.
Noma Dumezweni as Theodora
Netflix
Noma Dumezweni plays Theodora, a private investigator that the Brannocks hire to look into who's sending them threatening letters.
Henry Hunter Hall as Dakota
Netflix
Henry Hunter Hall plays Dakota, who runs a security firm.
Isabell Gravitt as Ellie
Ryan Ward as Josh
Dan Tracy as Randy
Aidan Pierce Brennan as Dale Graff
Samantha Blaire Cutler as Patricia Graff
Matthew Del Negro as Darren Dunn
Yuko Torihara as Miko Kaplan
Michael Nouri as Roger Kaplan
Lily Talevski as Rose Pierce
Wesley Cole Bator as Caleb Pierce
Jonathan Rayson as Bruce Gary
Joshua Satine as Roger
Antonio Joseph Costanza as Dave Flannigan
Kathryn Boswell as Ali
Michael Devine as Christopher
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What is The Watcher on Netflix based on?
The Watcher is based on real reports from a house in Westfield, New Jersey. After buying the house in 2014, a family reported receiving threatening letters. The letters made references to watching the house, a second coming and included details about the house's interiors and the family—including the family's children, which The Watcher described as "young blood."
Is The Watcher movie based on a true story?
Yes, The Watcher is based on a true story. The Watcher stems from actual news reports that a family in New Jersey received strange and threatening letters from an unnamed sender who claimed to be watching their house. While investigators looked into multiple leads, the identity of the sender was never discovered.
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How many episodes of The Watcher are there?
There are seven episodes in the first season of The Watcher. All seven episodes will debut on Netflix on Oct. 13, 2022. The show's creators, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, wrote most of the episodes.
Is there a trailer for The Watcher?
A trailer for The Watcher was released on Sept. 24, 2022. In it, you can see the fictional Watcher home. The Brannock family receives a creepy letter, and their son asks Dean if he can keep them safe. We see Pearl telling the family she has her eyes on them, while Karen Calhoun urging the Brannocks to sell the property—plus a lot of creepy events that never actually occurred.
Where is The Watcher filmed?
The Watcher was filmed in Bucharest, Romania. Filming took place during a six week period from March 8, 2021, until April 16, 2021. The story is based on events that occurred in New Jersey.
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What's The Watcher based on?
The Watcher is based on a story that occurred in Westfield, New Jersey. In 2014, a family purchased a colonial home and began renovating the interior. Upon first purchasing the home—even prior to ever moving in—they began receiving threatening letters from someone who claimed to be watching the house. The identity of the person sending the letters was never discovered.
Who bought The Watcher house?
The Broaddus family bought the house that inspired the show The Watcher. According to reports, spouses Derek and Maria bought the house for $1.4 million in 2014. In 2019, news outlets reported that the family sold the house for just $959,000, taking a massive financial hit.
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Who owns 657 Boulevard Westfield, NJ?
News outlets reported that Andrew and Allison Carr purchased the house that inspired The Watcher in 2019. The couple bought it from previous owners Derek and Maria Broaddus, who claimed to receive threatening letters while living in the house. The Carrs bought the house for $400,000 less than the Broaddus' did five years earlier.
What is the story behind The Watcher?
In 2014, the Broaddus' bought a house in Westfield, New Jersey. Shortly afterwards, they began receiving threatening letters from an anonymous individual who claimed to be watching the house. The letters included details about the interior of the house and the family's children. The family was so terrified of the creepy correspondence that they never actually lived in the home.
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Was The Watcher true story solved?
No, the identity of The Watcher has not been discovered. The Broaddus' received three letters, and the family that owned the house before them received one letter. Aside from the letters, no unusual incidents have been reported to have occurred in the house.
In The Watcher true story who was the Watcher?
The Watcher is a true story about a mystery from Westfield, New Jersey. An unidentified individual sent threatening letters to the Broaddus family, who had just bought a house in town. The identity of the sender was never discovered, although authorities did have some suspects, including Michael Langford, an adult man who lived next door with his elderly mother, but DNA evidence exonerated him. The Broadduses were also suspicious of a neighbor who lived in the home behind theirs.
Investigators suspected it may be a man who lived on the same block and whose girlfriend lived in a neighboring town. The man played "dark video games," according to the girlfriend, whose car was seen in front of the Broadduses' home at 11 p.m. one evening, and he often played as a character called—you guessed it—"The Watcher." The man was supposed to meet with police, but never showed up.
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