Ryan Murphy never sleeps. The prolific TV writer/director/producer has yet another true crime saga coming out on Netflix, not even a month after his series Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story dropped on the platform. And if he’s not sleeping, we soon won’t be either, because this new horror looks just as chilling as the last.
Netflix already have us a sneak peek at realtor Jennifer Coolidge introducing us to 657 Boulevard earlier this month. But this new, full-length trailer has a much creepier voice welcoming guests into the home. The house isn’t haunted, per se—it’s being watched. As in, there’s someone looking over the house at all times, stalking the premises, and making sure everything is perfect.
“Allow me to welcome you to the neighborhood,” a letter from this mysterious person begins. “Do you know the history of the house? I’ve been put in charge of watching you. This message will not be the last. I am the watcher. The house is my obsession. Now, you are too. Who am I? It might not frighten you yet, but it will.”
Be right back, I’m going to set some cameras up around my own house now. No reason.
There are plenty of frights in the trailer, which sees a nice, normal family—we’re pretty sure they are, but in a Ryan Murphy show, you never know—torn apart by the watcher. They’re never alone and never safe. But they also have little support. Some people tell them to sell and get the hell out; others tell them the letters they keep getting are just a silly little prank.
The letters and the story behind The Watcher actually stem from real life, terrifyingly enough. In 2018, a New York Magazine article detailed the terror behind 657 Boulevard, in which a New Jersey family bought their dream house and began receiving creepy letters. We won’t spoil the thrills—but you can read all about it at The Cut.
Along with the always hilarious, Emmy-winning Jennifer Coolidge, The Watcher stars Naomi Watts, Bobby Cannavale, Terry Kinney, and Mia Farrow. Murphy co-created the series with Ian Brennan, who he also worked with on Scream Queens, The Politician, and Glee.
The Watcher will premiere on Netflix October 13—right in time for Halloween season.
