The new series “Welcome to the Neighborhood”, which debuted at number one on Netflix, is yet another Ryan Murphy production based on the terrifying true story of a couple who bought their dream home, turned into a nightmare. when threatening letters began to arrive.
“Welcome to the Neighborhood”, nicknamed “The Watcher” in English, premiered on October 13 and ranks first in Netflix’s Top 10, replacing “Dahmer: An American Cannibal”, which had been at the top of the list. for the previous four weeks.
The seven-episode series captured the audience’s attention and imagination with the story of the Brannock family, whose dreams of creating a home in a new neighborhood are shattered by a stalker (term meaning “persecutor”) mysterious who calls himself “The Watcher” (“The Watcher” in English), who begins to terrorize them.
Although the concept of the series already carries a certain suspense and makes the audience horrified by this story, what makes it even more scary is knowing that “Welcome to the Neighborhood” is inspired by the real experiences of a royal family.
The series is based on the article “The Haunting of a Dream House” by Reeves Wiedeman, published in November 2018 on The Cut, the New York Magazine website. In turn, the article was inspired by a true story.
Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale play the couple Nota and Dean Brannock, who are based on real-life victims Maria and Derek Broaddus. Also in the cast of the series is Mia Farrow, in the role of an eccentric neighbor of the couple, accused of having terrorized the family.
So what’s the real story behind the Netflix series? And who, in the end, was discovered in real life “The Vigilante”?
The Broaddus, the royal family who inspired the Netflix series
As already mentioned, “Welcome to the Neighborhood” tells the true story of Derek and Maria Broaddus, the couple who acquired a $ 1.3 million mansion at 657 Boulevard in Westfield, a city located on the outskirts of New Jersey. The house was to become the dream home of the Broaddus family.
But during the house renovations for the couple’s home, the couple received a disturbing letter, which was addressed to “The New Owner”. The person who sent the letter identified himself as “The Watcher” and claimed to be the guardian of the house before his “second coming”.
The Broaddus shared the contents of the letters with Cuttingwhich said, “657 Boulevard has been my family business for decades and, as it approaches its 110th birthday, I have been tasked with watching over and waiting for its second coming,” the letter reads.
“My grandfather looked at the house in the 1920s and my father in the 1960s, now it’s my turn. Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what’s inside the walls of 657 Boulevard? Why are you here? I’ll find out.”
The Vigilante also referred to the couple’s children, asking them to fill the house with “new blood”. “You have children. I’ve seen them. So far, I think there are three that I’ve counted.” stalker unidentified wrote.
The Broaddus took the letter to the police, where they were advised not to share its contents with neighbors, as the agents believed the most likely scenario was that one of them had sent it.
Cast member Farrow has already commented on the true story and talked about how he hopes the victims, aka the Broaddus, will walk away from the new series and never watch it.
Explaining that the real-life story was just a starting point for the Netflix show, he told RadioTimes.com: “[Foi] a very different experience for us because we were just the actors and Ryan created very different details, “Farrow said.” I don’t know if my character existed in these people’s lives. “
He continued: “This storyline covers the basic scheme … but the details are [de] Ryan Murphy. So I don’t know who the family was. I don’t know if I ever knew. But I’m sorry for them and for everything. I hope they don’t watch the series. “
Who is the Observer?
An investigation led the Broaddus to suspect one neighbor in particular, named Michael Langford. They believed that Langford was The Watcher, due to the privileged vantage point of his family’s home, and that his family was considered eccentric.
However, he eventually stopped being a suspect and the Broaddus hired a private investigator to investigate the neighborhood. In all, three letters were received, and the second contained details such as the names and nicknames of the couple’s children, and contained details that, according to them, could only be known by someone who was inside or very close to the house.
While searching for the Vigilante, the Broaddus discovered that the previous owners, the Woods, had also received a letter shortly before leaving the house at 657 Boulevard, but had never had a problem in the 23 years they had lived there before.
The Broaddus never moved into the house and decided to rent it out. They tried to sue the Woods family for failing to disclose receipt of the letter, but the case was later dismissed. By this time, however, the news of the Observer had spread to the neighborhood and beyond.
Several theories have emerged, with users of sites like Reddit claiming that the Vigilante must live within the walls of the house and others, including Westfield residents, suggesting that the Broaddus sent each other the letters in an attempt to retrieve their financial losses after they regretted buying the house.
However, if that were the case, the plan failed miserably: in 2019, the Broaddus sold the house for $ 959,000, about $ 400,000 less than what they had paid for the same house in 2014 ($ 1.3 million).
Has the true story that inspired “Welcome to the Neighborhood” been solved?
Despite numerous investigations by police and former FBI agents hired by the Broaddus family, the Vigilante was never discovered and remains unknown to this day.
While the series is inspired by the true story of the Broaddus family, several changes have been made. For example, the names and surnames of the victims have been changed and in the series the couple has only two children, who look older than the real children when the house was bought.
another true story
In addition to the plight the Broaddus family experienced, another grisly part of Westfield’s story was incorporated into the production.
In the series, Dean meets a name called John Graff, played by Joe Mantello, who previously lived at 657 Boulevard. It turns out that John Graff is based on John List, a Westfield resident who killed his wife, mother and his children in 1971, then went missing for 18 years.
List moved to Virginia, remarried and was arrested after an episode of the television show “America’s Most Wanted” aired with a screening of how prosecutors believed List would be in the present.
Despite living in the same city, the story of Broaddus and John List doesn’t connect like the characters in the series. List lived at 431 Hillside Avenue, a Victorian-style mansion in Westfield located a few miles from 657 Boulevard.
Synopsis of the series: “The Brannock family moves into what was supposed to be their dream home in a quiet neighborhood, but ends up living a nightmare. The menacing letters from a mysterious sender are just the beginning of the dark secrets that unfold in this plot inspired by a true story. “
“Welcome to the Neighborhood” is available on Netflix.
The “Welcome to the Neighborhood” post: Discover the true story behind the series first appeared on Olhar Digital.
Source: Olhar Digital
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
