It was supposed to be a wonderful new start.
The big house in the safe town far away from the dangerous city. A place with a good school where the neighbors don’t even bother locking their doors. Sure, it’ll cost Dean and Nora Brannock an arm and a leg to get the home, but that’s pocket change for buying a slice of paradise for their children.
But that wonderful new start doesn’t last long. Soon after they move in, the letters start coming.
“Allow me to welcome you to the neighborhood. Do you know the history of the house? I’ve been put in charge of watching you. I am the Watcher. Your house is my obsession, and now, you are, too. Give the house what it wants: young blood.”
At first, it seems like a sick prank. But then their son’s ferret is found dead in the hallway. The neighbors are all acting strange. And more letters come, each a bit more threatening than the last.
One of their neighbors is watching them—but who?
When someone new moves into the neighborhood, they’ll often get casseroles, cookies and a “welcome to the neighborhood!” The Brannocks get anonymous letters with vague threats that become increasingly more pointed as time goes on.
The latter tends to make things feel a bit less homey.
There’s a certain sense of fear that comes from knowing that someone is watching you but not knowing who it is. And though the account in Netflix’s The Watcher is quite dramatized, it’s additionally frightening to know that the show is based on one New Jersey family’s experience.
That family did the sensible thing. After getting the first letter, they decided to not move in, instead renting and eventually selling the home. But in Netflix’s dramatization, the family instead decides to tough it out within the house.
What else is included in the dramatization? Well, a whole lot: an alleged cult that drinks the blood of babies (and one slain baby is seen). Many bodies are shown in flashbacks, including a suicide via hanging. Men and women are seen in their underwear (including an adult actress portraying a 16-year-old girl), and though no critical bits are shown, sex is present, too. And, yes, we hear heavy swearing as well.
The mysterious Watcher isn’t alone in watching this home; it’s currently the top show on Netflix. But if you decide to join the Watcher and view what goes on in this household, you just might come across content you would have preferred not to see.
The Brannock family move into what is supposed to be their dream home. However, things quickly take a turn when they receive a threatening anonymous letter.
Dean and Nora kiss on a couple instances, and they have sex. Though nothing is shown, we do see movements and hear noises. We hear a reference to an orgasm and another reference to erectile dysfunction. A woman’s nipples are evident against a thin fabric. Dean smacks Nora on the rear. A girl in a swimsuit calls herself “jailbait” when a 19-year-old man flirts with her. A woman objectifies a man.
A ferret is killed offscreen, but its resulting corpse is shown in a small pool of blood. A home intruder is thrown to the ground. Various characters drink wine. We hear some words that imply supernatural interference.
The f-word is used 22 times, and one of them is preceded by “mother.” The s-word is used four times. “B–ch,” “d–k,” “p-ssy,” “h—” and “p-ss” are all used once. God’s name is taken in vain 16 times, and Jesus’ name is inappropriately used twice.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
An elf mage contemplates on connection and regret as she watches her human friends grow old and pass away.
Netflix takes a classic sitcom, Good Times, and turns it into a vulgar, violent, sexually-charged TV-MA show.
