There’s plenty to be scared of in The Watcher, Netflix’s latest collaboration with Ryan Murphy. Based on a true story, the thriller follows a family whose move from New York City to the New Jersey suburbs quickly becomes nightmarish. There’s a disturbing brother-sister neighbour duo who invite themselves onto (and into) the property as it suits. A spiky married couple across the street who have no qualms meddling in their garden. And a mystery stalker who sends them frightening letters, informing them that they’re constantly being watched and alluding to danger up ahead. Sharp scene cuts and surprise musical swells all do well to put the viewer immediately on edge. There’s even a pet ferret that meets a grisly end to have you cowering behind your fingers. But it’s not long before you realise that the creepiest thing about this show isn’t the jump scares or the secret person following the family’s every move – it’s the dad who just can’t seem to leave his teenage daughter alone.
We’re introduced to Dean Brannock (Bobby Cannavale) as a run-of-the-mill family man. Handsome, good-humoured and caring, he seems a devoted husband to Nora (Naomi Watts) and a sturdy father to their two children. Since he’s about to “make partner” (and a lot more money) at his nondescript legal job, he decides that moving the family out of their city apartment and into a large country house, an hour away, is the logical way to seal their status as the perfect nuclear unit – whether they can fully afford it, or not.
