The Watcher on Netflix is based on a true story. The real address of the house is 657 Boulevard in Westfield, a fairly upper-middle-class neighborhood in New Jersey. Derek Broaddus, his wife Maria, and their 3 children were really threatened by a stranger named 'The Watcher'. And yes, the family sold the house as soon as they started receiving the letters even without moving into the house just like in the series.
Fresh off the success of his Jeffrey Dahmer television series Dahmer, Ryan Murphy has returned with a new Netflix production based on a real-life incident. There is a slight twist this time, though. The Watcher takes a slightly different tack when it comes to actual crime. It was inspired by the true account of the Broaddus family, who purchased an expensive home in Westfield, New Jersey, and began receiving threatening letters from someone identifying themselves as "The Watcher."
It's an odd story. Despite the fact that there are numerous hypotheses out there, it has never been solved. The show takes the technique of letting different possibilities play out, leaving you with a scenario that, at first look, appears to be highly improbable but, upon closer examination, is frequently tangentially true, could have been true, or was inspired by something that actually occurred.
Even if the series is based on a true story, everything shown in the series is not completely True. The Broaddus family and Netflix fictionalized many aspects to hide the identity of the family. As a result, viewers are curious to know about the real house and what actually happened. Well, we've got you covered.
Previously, we touched on the Graff family, Theodora Birch, Roger Kaplan, and Isabel Gravitt’s Wikipedia.
The Watcher: The Netflix Series Is Based on a True Story: Everything You Need to Know About the Real House, Its Address & Real Family!
The real house from The Watcher, as depicted in the Netflix series, is located in a seemingly beautiful neighborhood in New Jersey. Westfield, New Jersey's 657 Boulevard is the actual address; it is located there and is only 45 minutes from New York City. It's not quite as aesthetically pleasing as what's seen in the show, but it's still a big structure that was constructed in 1905. The 3,869 square foot shingle-style home boasts four bathrooms, six bedrooms, and Dutch Colonial features.
Derek and Maria Broaddus, a couple, paid $1.4 million for the home in 2014. The Broaddus family almost started renovating the house nearly right away after they bought it. They did not, however, ever moved into the property. Fortunately, they hadn't moved out of their previous home completely because soon after the papers were signed, Derek Broaddus' received a letter in the mail. The writer of this letter identified themself only as "The Watcher."
Additionally, the former owners of the house stayed there for 23 years. When they got there, they also got a letter from The Watcher, but they thought it was a joke and The Watcher never got in touch with them again.
The harasser stated that the house had been their family's preoccupation for years and that they had been assigned the responsibility of keeping an eye on it after their father passed away. The search for The Watcher's identity therefore began.
The letters contained very detailed references to Derek, his wife Maria, and their children—even referring to them by name—which is creepy enough. Police inquiries, forgery allegations, and efforts to sell the house drove the Broaddusses insane as more letters continued to arrive. It became more difficult for the Broadduses to keep the story to themselves as police inquiries into their neighbors started, and the house gained quite a reputation.
They had to reduce their price once they made the decision to sell. While some people believed they would be able to get a wonderful deal, the majority of them changed their minds after reading The Watcher's letters. Here's an example of one of the letters:
657 Boulevard is anxious for you to move in...It has been years and years since the young blood ruled the hallways of the house. Have you found all of the secrets it holds yet? Will the young blood play in the basement? Or are they too afraid to go down there alone.
The couple then attempted to obtain approval to demolish the home and divide the land into two building lots. The municipal council was unable to approve the transfer. The Watcher House was eventually sold to an unidentified bidder at $959,000 in 2019. The Broaddus family suffered a $400 000 loss. The Watcher, however, is also no longer an issue for them, and that is truly priceless.
Additionally, The Watcher is now streaming on Netflix.
Before leaving, find out about the cast who plays the role of the daughter in The Watcher.
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