Imagine you find your dream home in the perfect neighborhood—but there’s a catch.
In the upcoming Netflix series The Watcher, Dean (Bobby Cannavale) and Nora Brannock (Naomi Watts) find themselves in this exact situation when they’re shown the house at 657 Boulevard. It’s situated in the dreamy area of Westfield, New Jersey and has all the amenities one could hope for, and all for the price of $3.2 million.
However, it’s just too good to be true. “After putting all of their savings into closing the deal they soon realize the neighborhood is less than welcoming,” Netflix teases in the series description. “There’s a kooky older woman named Pearl (Mia Farrow) and her brother Jasper (Terry Kinney), who sneaks into the Brannock’s house and hides in their dumbwaiter.”
The logline continues, “There’s Karen (Jennifer Coolidge), the realtor and an old acquaintance of Nora’s, who makes them feel like they don’t really belong, and nosy neighbors Mitch (Richard Kind) and Mo (Margo Martindale), who don’t seem to understand property lines.”
True Crime Documentaries Worth Watching This Summer
But that’s not even the worst part. Shortly after the family moves in, they begin receiving “ominous letters from someone calling themself ‘The Watcher'” who, according to Netflix, pushes the family to “their breaking point as the neighborhood’s sinister secrets come spilling out.”
[embedded content]
In all fairness, the family couldn’t have known the house would have problems beyond nosy neighbors—although, the tour video from real estate agent Karen, which serves as the show’s teaser, is kind of telling.
“I’m telling you,” Karen says, giving the camera an odd look, “we could fit a person in there.”
And in the grand bedroom there’s plenty of natural light thanks to the large windows, but the realtor warns, “You want to keep the curtains closed.”
Wait, what?!
“You know, there’s a lot of weird neighbors and stuff out there,” Karen explains. “You don’t want them watching you. That’s for sure.”
If this story sounds familiar, it’s for good reason. The series is based on The Cut article “The Haunting of 657 Boulevard,” which detailed the reported stalking of the Broaddus family in 2014 and is now being brought to life by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan.
Netflix has yet to announce a premiere date, but in the meantime, check out Karen’s ominous tour of 657 Boulevard above!
Get the drama behind the scenes. Sign up for TV Scoop!
