Featured Image Credit: Netflix
Topics: TV And Film, Netflix
Ali Condon
A terrifying new TV series has just dropped on Netflix and, not only does it come from the creator of American Horror Story, but it's based on a chilling true story.
The Watcher is a limited series based on the real story of a family who move in to their dream home, only to be taunted by an anonymous, threatening stalker.
Who has been 'put in charge' of watching the Brannock family, and what exactly do they want?
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The Watcher, created by Ryan Murphy - the mind behind American Horror Story and Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story - tells the story of married couple Dean (Bobby Cannavale) and Nora Brannock (Naomi Watts), who have just invested in their dream home for their family in the idyllic suburb of Westfield, New Jersey.
After forking out a hefty million on the gorgeous house, they soon realise that there's something off about their new neighbourhood.
For starters, there's their eccentric older neighbour Pearl (Mia Farrow) and her brother Jasper (Terry Kinney), who sneaks into the Brannock’s house and hides in their dumbwaiter.
As if that weren't enough, there's Karen (Jennifer Coolidge), the real estate agent and an old acquaintance of Nora’s, who makes the Brannock family feel like they don’t really belong. And on top of that, there's their nosy neighbours Mitch (Richard Kind) and Mo (Margo Martindale), who don’t seem to understand boundaries.
But things quickly go from awkward and uncomfortable to utterly horrifying when the Brannocks start receiving ominous letters from an anonymous sender, known only as 'The Watcher'.
They won't make it clear exactly what they want from the Brannocks, but one thing's certain; he sees everything.
"Your house is my obsession and now you are too," they write in their letter to the Brannock family.
"Give the house what it wants: young blood."
What makes this spine-chilling series ten times more unsettling is that it's based on the true story of the infamous 'Watcher' house in New Jersey.
The real 'Watcher' house was bought by the Broaddus family for $1.4 million (£1.25 million), but the family never ended up moving in.
When threatening letters started to arrive in the post, they were forced to abandon the property and eventually sell it at a huge loss.
Letters to the Broaddus family warned them that their children were constantly under surveillance by 'The Watcher'.
The letters were even able to identify the Broaddus’s three children by birth order and by their nicknames.
One letter had read: "My 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."
Another excerpt from the letters reads: "You have children. I have seen them. So far I think there are three that I have counted'” then the threatening: “Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I requested? Better for me."
The Watcher is available to stream now on Netflix.