Advertisement

You won't sleep after seeing disturbing Watcher trailer with Naomi Watts in a stalker's hell house

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to live — like, with a mailing address and everything — in hell? Well, you can experience that fear-based fantasy alongside Naomi Watts and Bobby Cannavale, who move into a nightmare in the chilling first trailer for Ryan Murphy's upcoming limited series The Watcher.

The disturbing preview (below) picks up after the central couple (played by Watts and Cannavale) drops $3.2 million on their dream home in an idyllic, wealthy New Jersey suburb. Shortly thereafter, they realize they've taken up residence in one of the most horrifying houses on the east coast, as they begin to receive threatening messages from a mysterious neighbor that throws their lives into complete chaos.

"I've been put in charge of watching you. This message will not be the last. I am The Watcher. Your house is my obsession, and now, you are, too. Who am I? It might not frighten you yet, but it will. Give the house what it wants: Young blood," the letter reads. "I'm still watching, and I would be very afraid if I were you."

Murphy adapted the series from The Cut's terrifying 2018 article that follows real-life spouses Maria and Derek Broaddus (renamed "Brannock" in the series), who relocated to their personal paradise in the summer of 2014 and endured an onslaught of disturbing handwritten notes claiming to be sent from the house's decades-long guardian, who wasn't thrilled by the new tenants' presence.

"That article is so freaky. That's what got me in!" Watts previously told EW of the source material. "I'm thrilled to be working with Ryan, he seems to have the Midas touch," Watts continued at the time, referencing her return to the horror genre after her star-making turn in The Ring. "It's a genre that you know I love."

'The Watcher' letter
'The Watcher' letter

Netflix A mysterious letter arrives in 'The Watcher.'

Jennifer Coolidge co-stars in The Watcher as Karen Calhoun, a local real estate agent who sells the property to the couple.

Netflix recently released a comical Cribs-style house tour featuring Coolidge showing off the creepy, 101-year-old property. In the clip, she cautioned prospective occupants to "keep the curtains closed" because of "a lot of weird neighbors" in the area. The video's caption also promised that "they'll keep an eye out for you" once you move in.

The Watcher — also starring Mia Farrow, Noma Dumezweni, Richard Kind, and Margo Martindale — premieres Thursday, October 13 on Netflix. Watch the new trailer, which premiered during Netflix's TUDUM fan event, above.

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content: