Jordan Karlesson
We just finished watching Netflix’s new “true story” thriller, The Watcher. And if you’re like us, we have a few questions that may take some sleuthing to answer.
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But before we dive into a discussion about the haunted-house miniseries, let’s do a little “house cleaning” (pun intended): The rest of this article is littered with spoilers. So, if you haven’t watched Netflix’s seven-episode show yet, you might want to do it before reading our recap.
A Look Back at the Birth of The Watcher
Four years ago, Netflix green-lit creator Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting project. The horror anthology series would revolve around houses in which spirits supposedly reside (or visit) — one house per season. Season 1 (October 2018) focused on Hill House; Season 2 (October 2020) concentrated on Bly Manor.
While both crowds and critics showered the series with praise, The Haunting creator Mike Flanagan tweeted in December 2020 that they had no future plans for The Haunting.
Enter The Watcher. In an effort to continue Netflix’s new tradition of rolling out a new haunted house program every October, this new haunted house miniseries could fill the role that The Haunting left vacant.
A Match Made in (Haunted House?) Heaven
Netflix tapped TV writer-director-producer Ryan Murphy for the new project. It was a match made in heaven.
With Glee and American Horror Story, Murphy had already cracked the code on how to make horror movies less macabre, and sometimes even silly, tone. Lighter fare could appeal to broader audiences, which is what Netflix apparently wanted.
In mid-September 2021, Watts excitedly talked to Entertainment Weekly about her return to the thriller genre. Watts previously starred in David Lynch’s critically beloved Mulholland Drive (2001) and the box-office smash The Ring (2002), so putting the actor in another edgy thriller was a no-brainer.
Is the Watcher House Actually Haunted?
The Watcher is based on true events, according to the movie’s writers. The idea for the miniseries came from “The Haunting of a Dream House,” an article published in The Cut (warning: firewall) in 2018. It followed a married couple who believed their New Jersey house was haunted, in part because someone continuously sent unsettling handwritten notes to them.
Someone named “The Watcher” signed the letters.
The Watcher premiered on Netflix on October 13 and immediately became a hit. By October 25, the program had already amassed 273.2 million hours, according to Deadline.
But a lingering question still remains …
The Netflix series includes tons of red herrings, like creepy music, to throw viewers off the trail.
While mystery cloaked the disturbing letters, it all came down to them.
According to House Beautiful, the harassing letters came from a stalker obsessed with the New Jersey house. So, the letters are creepy, but the “haunts” doesn’t go beyond that.
Right? …
