This post contains spoilers forThe Watcher
Netflix’s newest seriesThe Watcheris loosely based on thereal-life story of the Broaddus family, who purchased what was supposed to be their dream home in Westfield, N.J., shortly before receiving ominous letters that made them halt their moving plans.
Although the series takes inspiration from the Broadduses story, there are a few key differences between the series and the real-life horror story.
1. The real-life owners never lived in the home at 657 Boulevard
In real life, Maria and Derek Broaddus owned the home for five years, but they never actually lived in it because of the threatening letters. The Broadduses also had three young children who were all under the age of 10 at the time.
At one point, the Broadduses rented out the home, then another letter was received, which mentioned the renter. The renter agreed to stay as long as the Broadduses installed cameras,The Cutreports.
The Broadduses purchased the home in 2014 for $1.3 million, but they sold it in 2019 at a $400,000 loss.
657 Boulevard.Google Maps
According toThe Cut, the money the Broadduses received from Netflix for selling the rights to their story didn’t cover their losses from the house at 657 Boulevard.
Instead of using the family’s real names, the Broadduses requested that Netflix change the names of everyone in their family and make them look different than they do in real life. Other than that,they wanted no involvementin the series,The Cutreports. The Broadduses have not seen the show and don’t plan to.
“One day, I was looking out the window and I saw this older guy sitting in one of the chairs,” Bill Woodward, the Broadduses' housepainter, toldThe Cut. “He wasn’t facing his house — he was facing the Broadduses.'”
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John List, left, and Joe Mantello as John Graff in The Watcher.Getty; Eric Liebowitz/Netflix
3. No one drank the blood of children
The writers of the series may have found inspiration from the real-life letter writer that frequently called the Broadduses children “young blood” in the letters.
“I am pleased to know your names now and the name of the young blood you have brought to me,” the second letter the Broadduses received from The Watcher read.
“Will the young blood play in the basement? Or are they too afraid to go down there alone? I would [be] very afraid if I were them. It is far away from the rest of the house. If you were upstairs you would never hear them scream,” the letter continued.
4. The previous owners only received one letter from “The Watcher”
In the series, past resident Andrew told Dean that he began to receive violent letters encouraging him to sacrifice his wife and child. However, in the real-life story, the previous owners only received one letter, and it came shortly before they moved out of the home. It was the only time they were sent a letter from “The Watcher” in more than two decades of living at the home.
According toThe Cut, the new owners have not received any letters from the infamous Watcher.
5. The home in the series is in Rye, N.Y.
The Broadduses home was located at 657 Boulevard in Westfield, N.J., and while the series keeps the address and location, it was actually filmed at a much larger and more expensivehome in Rye, N.Y.
source: people.com
