![]() The so-called Watcher claimed to be in charge of watching the house and welcoming its “young blood,” a task that apparently has preceded The Watcher for generations. The limited series is based on a feature reported in The Cut, telling the true story of a family moving into a beautiful home in Westfield, New Jersey, in 2014, only to be harassed by an anonymous letter-writer called The Watcher. Viewers of The Watcher will undoubtedly have one pressing question after the credits play: If that creepy old house was real, what the heck happened to it? Tack on the little nugget that it’s based (loosely) on a true story, and well? You’ve got yourself a crowd of true-crime junkies eager to know more. "And The Watcher won.Ryan Murphy’s newest Netflix series might take its creative license as gospel and pierce its story full of plot holes, but that doesn’t make the real-estate thriller The Watcher any less absorbing a binge. "You are despised by the house," Derek's letter reads. A title card before the closing credits of the miniseries finale also indicates this.īut as Wiedeman concludes in his original feature: "The Watcher had been obsessed with 657 Boulevard, and Derek, in turn, had become obsessed with The Watcher and everything the letters had set in motion." To date, whether it's real or reel, The Watcher case remains unsolved. So far, the new owners haven't received any letter from The Watcher.Ī Google Earth search shows 657 Boulevard situated in a busy neighborhood filled with trees and houses. ![]() The Broadduses asked their lawyer to send to the new owners a note that read, “We wish you nothing but the peace and quiet that we once dreamed of in this house." They also attached a photograph of The Watcher’s handwriting, just in case mysterious letters would start plaguing them. (Netflix turned the price to $3.2 million or P188.6 million to further dramatize the situation and cause “considerable financial strain” on the Brannocks.) They intended to sell it to a builder that can tear the house down.īut a young family was able to buy it for $959,000 (P56.5 million)-not taking into account fees and taxes, as well as payment for utilities, home insurance, contractors who made renovations to the house, and the lawyers and private investigators who tried to shed light into the mystery. 11 update that the Broadduses tried to sell the house for $999,000 (P58.9 million), from the original $1.35 million (P79.6 million), in March 2019. It was during the renovation process when The Watcher's letters would haunt them. ![]() It must also be noted that in real life, the Broadduses never stayed on 657 Boulevard, opting to renovate it first. ![]() It, however, pushed through as producers employed enough creative freedom: the film’s couple is biracial and the letters come from “The Raven." Several producers have expressed interest in acquiring the rights to adapt The Cut's article, with one even offering to buy 657 Boulevard as a set.Ī 2016 movie similarly called The Watcher also drew inspiration from the Broadduses' account, much to their dismay. Derek doesn’t plan to watch it, as seeing the trailer was "stressful enough."Īs a matter of fact, before the Netflix adaptation, the Broadduses already had concerns about being in the limelight. In any case, Wiedeman said the Broadduses haven't seen the Netflix miniseries. While the dramatic ending tries to paint a disturbing picture about how 657 Boulevard still lives in the Brannocks' heads rent-free, what happened to the real Broadduses isn't quite the same. The next scene, however, shows Nora following her husband, passing by their former house and glances at it before speeding off. Nora then calls Dean, who lies to her about getting stuck in traffic after a job interview. Their characters were based on the real life Derek and Nora Broaddus who owned the house on 657 Boulevard. (It's unclear whether Ben also got a message from The Watcher.) Nora Brannock (Naomi Watts) and Dean Brannock (Bobby Cannavale) in The Watcher. From a distance, inside his car, Dean even watches Ben pick up letters from the mailbox later on. But the supposed clean slate in the miniseries finale isn't realized, as Dean visits 657 Boulevard and talks to the new owner, Ben. The Watcher describes the children as "young blood" who they will call and draw to themself.Ī series of investigations-and revelations-in the neigborhood would ensue, and the Brannocks ultimately sell the house and find residence elsewhere. The Watcher sends more letters that become increasingly menacing and personal, with the couple's children already involved. "Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard?" the letter reads.
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