Major spoilers ahead.

The most frustrating part of this show is that it is based on a true story and because of that we never actually find out who The Watcher was, yes I’m talking major spoilers in this review.

The Watcher follows a family that move into their dream home but are not privy to the neighbours or the history of the home, including the fact that a man supposedly killed his entire family there, and there may be blood cults going on within the neighbourhood.

Overtime things are revealed to the family including the fact that a lot of the neighbours have a connection to the house and don’t want the renovations that are being done on it to go ahead, as well as some of the neighbours having ways of getting into the home that are unknown to the family including secret underground tunnels.

The family hire a private investigator to find out more about what happened at this house however this private investigator has cancer and is on her last days which means that she is willing to help this family, but also she won’t be around forever. It is on her deathbed that she reveals that everything she told them she made up and in fact she was The Watcher.

The Watcher is an unknown entity that is leaving letters in the family’s mailbox talking about how they are excited that the family have bought ‘young blood’ (their children) into the home, how the basement is scary and they mustn’t go down into it, and how they’re excited to watch them and learn more about them as they live there. It is a very scary and interesting storyline because anyone who receives these letters would instantly be terrified, but this family seem to want to stay there and see it through – honestly I cannot relate.

So us as audience members watch this show and wonder what’s actually going on here, who is The Watcher? Why are the neighbourhood so hell-bent on this house? And is anything that the private investigator said actually true? It’s a very convoluted and over-the-top storyline but it’s done in such a realistic manner that it makes you think that maybe there is something beneath it. Personally I believe it’s the neighbourhood watch that are terrorising this family in this dramatisation and not in the original true crime. I believe, because we see one of them constantly in the house, he is able to use the tunnels to enter them, and the fact that they have so much connection to the house’s original style shows that anyone that comes in to try and change it will be bombarded with letters making sure that doesn’t happen.

However looking into the true crime it does seem that it may have been the family that were doing it to themselves and this is even hinted at in this series when the father writes a letter to himself. Whether that was for fame or notoriety or just a bit of excitement in their lives who knows, but to take this true crime story and push it into a different narrative which involves satanism and darkness and neighbourhood watch is really interesting. While I don’t think it was executed the best as it left you with lots of questions, it did tell an interesting tale for at least the first third and middle parts of the show.

Despite spoiling the whole show in this review I would recommend it because it is a very interesting storyline. Of course if you’ve read this far I’m sure you’ve already watched it so I’d love to know what you think as well, do you think that man killed his family in the house? Do you think it was the neighbourhood watch like I do? I don’t really know what to think and I feel in some ways that’s very frustrating because I’d like to know the answers, but at the same time, I really enjoyed the show too.

Until next time.

Published by shonaharding

Media graduate with a passion for reviewing film and TV. View all posts by shonaharding