Netflix is killing it when it comes to the true crime genre. From documentary series to films to now scripted shows, they are churning out some really interesting content lately. Their recent outing is ‘The Watcher‘, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan; they also created the Jeffrey Dahmer show.
It tells the story of a married couple who, after moving into their dream home in New Jersey, are harassed through letters signed by an eponymous stalker. Ever since it came out, people have been wondering if it’s based on a true story or not. So let’s find out the answer.
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Is ‘The Watcher’ Based On A True Story?
Netflix’s ‘The Watcher‘, created by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, premiered on October 13. It follows the story of a family being harassed through letters by a stalker.
The series is based on a 2018 article from New York Magazine called ‘The Haunting of a Dream House’. It was about the Broaddus family who was terrorized by a stalker after they move to 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey.
The article, which was written by Reeves Wiedeman, was later republished in The Cut. It is based on a true story, however, the creators have taken some creative liberty.
Just like most true crime shows, it’s not entirely true since they have to make it palatable. However, the stalking bit and the family is mostly modeled on the true events.
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The Real-Life Family From ‘The Watcher’
In 2014, Derek and Maria Broaddus bought a $1.3 million house in Westfield, New Jersey, to raise their three children. Derek was the vice president of an insurance company in Manhattan.
They started receiving threatening letters even before they moved in. “It’s like cancer,” Derek said in 2018. “We think about it every day.”
Westfield Police Department, a retired NYPD officer, a forensic linguist, and a former FBI agent were involved in the case letters. However, the culprit behind these letters wasn’t caught.
Right after the article was published, the prosecutor’s office tried to solve the case one last time. They took DNA samples from the neighbors to match them to the saliva found on one of the envelopes. The DNA confirmed that the letter was licked by a woman, but the neighbors’ swabs didn’t match the sample.
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