THE WASHINGTON POST – In the fall of 2018, New York magazine published an engrossing account of the nightmare that unfolded after Derek and Maria Broaddus bought what they thought was their dream home in the leafy suburb of Westfield, New Jersey.
After beginning renovations at 657 Boulevard, the couple began receiving creepy letters from an anonymous person who dubbed themselves “the Watcher”.
The writer made references to “young blood” and showed they were familiar with the family’s three children, down to their names and birth order. The letters grew increasingly threatening, but the Broadduses found little recourse, even as they reported the letters to the local police department and hired a private investigator to look into the bizarre matter.
Last week, Netflix brought the still-unsolved mystery to its platform via Ryan Murphy, the prolific producer behind American Horror Story, American Crime and, perhaps his most controversial outing, the recent Dahmer: Monster – The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.
The Watcher is a classic Murphy production: campy, over-the-top and full of recognisable faces – Margo Martindale! Mia Farrow! Jennifer Coolidge! – amid its ensemble cast. Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts play the couple at the centre of the storm, whose names have been changed for the series to Nora and Dean Brannock.
In this retelling, the Brannocks have two children, 16-year-old Ellie (Isabel Gravitt) and her younger brother Carter (Luke David Blumm), and a host of kooky neighbours who double as suspects.
