From creators Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, Netflix announced their newest thriller series starring Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale. The Watcher stars Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale as a married couple who buy their dream home in the rich neighborhood of Westfield, New Jersey. But not everything is as great as it seems once they start receiving anonymous letters signed “The Watcher.”
Based on the letters, it’s evident that someone has been watching this house for years. Nora and Dean Brannock are scared of what’s behind the letters. As they try to figure out who is stalking them, things take a strange turn as their new neighbors come into question. Anyone could be involved in this intriguing true crime series.
If you’re watching The Watcher on Netflix, we wanted to discuss the real-life story behind it. The show is based on a 2018 article from The Cut, which details the true story of 657 Boulevard Drive. If you want to know what’s happening and what things are fabricated for enjoyment, we recommend checking out the premiere article from The Cut. However, if there’s something that’s scaring you more than a ghostly message from someone who died years ago, feel free to contact our customer service team!
Did The Watcher send letters to the New Jersey family?
The Brannock family is the main focus of some scary letters sent by the stalker on the show, and this is not just one creative work of fiction. In real life, they received letters from a stalker signed with “The Watcher,” just like in the series.
The Cut piece reveals excerpts from several of the letters, with the stalker using language like “the young blood,” referring to Derek and Maria’s children and telling them details about the house. They also addressed the couple by name and knew their names, but spelled them incorrectly in their letters and instead wrote phonetic spelling for each family member’s name. The addresses on the envelopes were always hand-written, while each letter was typewritten.
What makes this story so terrifying is the fact that the creepy stalker was never caught. Though there were multiple suspects, there has never been sufficient evidence to determine who saw her stalked the diner all those years. It is unknown whatever happened to the mysterious person or whether they’re still watching 657 Boulevard’s new owner’s every move.
You can binge all episodes of The Watcher right now on Netflix.
