The Watcher Movie Review
By: Arianna Farabaugh

On Thursday, October 13, 2022, Lou Eyrich and Todd Nenninger released a show on Netflix called “The Watcher.”This show has been a treat for fans of suspenseful series since its release. Ryan Murphy is one of the main actors in The Watcher.If you know Ryan Murphy you would know he is a really great actor. He played in American Horror Story, and then he brings us The Watcher. The Watcher is a gripping thriller series.This show is about when Nora and Dean Brannock, a mom and dad, move with their children into their dream house in an upscale New Jersey suburb. They think they have finally found the perfect home, but they were wrong. Soon the happy setting turns into a terrifying place.The Broaddus family met their very strange neighbors.The neighbors gave a bad feeling to the Broaddus family.After this happened the Broaddus family had a bad feeling about life everyday.All of sudden, on morning the Broaddus received a letter that what threatening to the family.Before they knew it, the family found out that someone was creeiply watching them every single day. Then the family found out that they were being threatened,frightened,and spied on by a person they didn't know.When the family bought the house they did not know that this would end up happening to them.

The Watcher is a highly anticipated show for fans of the horror genre,and for Ryan Murphy’s fan.This show is based off of a true story.It is a well known event that had happened in the United States,and still scares American audiences till this day.

The true story of the Broaddus Family

In November 2018,the Broaddus family bought a house at 657 Boulevard in Westfield,New Jersey.It was a very expensive purchase; they bought it more than $1.35 million dollars.But the couple decided to buy the property in this part of the United States,and particularly in New Jersey.At this time Westfield,New Jersey was the 30th safest city in the country.But as the family began the renovation work before moving in,one morning they received a letter,addressed specifically to them.

When they opened the letter it began with a friendly tone,seeming to be a letter to welcome the new family to the neighborhood,but as the family kept reading the letter took a quick and unexpected turn.Some of the things The Watcher was saying was like “How did you end up here?” “Did 657 Boulevard call you with its inner strength?” “657 Boulevard has been a focus on my family for decades now.” “Why are you here? I’ll find out.”

At First,this threatening tone had the Broaddus’ terrified more than worried,but a second letter would definitely put an end to the home's calm and normal mood.The sender,who sent the letter as The Watcher, threatened the couple’s three children,aged five,eight and ten.He wrote in his letter that he was happy to see “new blood” arrive. “When I will learn their names.I will call them and draw them to me,” he added to the letter.

In spite of his new letter he sent the family,Derek and Maria Broaddus went against postponing their move and continued to restore the old home.A new letter was sent. In this new letter The Watcher proved to the couple that he new the house very well and he knew the layout of the house better than them,and he warned them in a letter about what they were going to find in the basement.In the letter he said “657 Boulevard is my job,my life,my obsession.” After that the Broaddus family decided to take their children to the police station.The cops advised them to carry on with their house as if nothing has happened to them or the house,and the cops told them not to tell the neighbors anything because they were all under suspicion.But for a good reason the neighborhood residents were very attached to the conversation of the local heritage.All of them expressed displeasure with 657 Boulevard’s new owners and the work that was being undertaken.

But as it kept going on the investigation went absolutely nowhere,and the family couldn't be confident or even relaxed in their new home they just bought,so the father just decided to put security cameras outside of the house,and he would spend nights crushed in the dark hoping to find out who was terrifying his wife and kids.After a while went by, Derek and Maria got sick of it and sued the owners that owned the house before the Broaddus family.Derek and Maria accused them of hiding the threat to the house and that they put their family in so much danger.After a while of the family living in fear they decided to sell the house.They sold the house for far less of what they had bought the house for.The family sadly had to wait more than 5 years before they could actually sell the house for $950,0000, $400,000 less than the price they had had paid for it.

Despite the big investigation,The Watcher has never been found or tracked down,and his identity is still a mystery to the city.To this day,the new owner of the house has never received a letter from any unknown Watcher.Nobody knew what had happened to The Watcher.

Sources:

“The true (and terrifying) story behind the Netflix series” CHARLINE BOUZON,”Something has to be done about this” October 21,2022

Horrifying True Story Behind Netflix’s The Watcher, Shannon Carlin,https://www.en-vols.com/en/inspirations en/culture-en/true-story-the-watcher-netflix/ October 26,2022