The Watcher Trailer: A Creepy True Story Gets The Ryan Murphy Treatment

It's about time that the Watcher house got the horror series treatment. The true story of a family who moved into a New Jersey home only to be instantly plagued by creepy letters from an anonymous stalker calling themselves The Watcher first hit the mainstream in 2018, when a New York Magazine story tried to get to the bottom of the eerie phenomenon. Since then, the saga with all the makings of a spooky campfire story has become a popular mystery fixation among true crime aficionados.

Now, the events are finally getting a Netflix adaptation courtesy of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan, and the limited series looks, well, deeply unsettling. The first full trailer for "The Watcher" dropped at Netflix's Tudum Festival today, and you can check it out here.

While series co-creators Murphy and Brennan have a deeply hit-or-miss track record with horror (see: "Scream Queens," "American Horror Story"), this project has enough going for it that it definitely seems to be worth checking out. Namely, it's got a fantastic cast, what looks to be some stylish direction, and truly freaky source material to pull from. Here's the official synopsis:

After the Brannock family moves into what was supposed to be their suburban dream home, it quickly becomes a living hell. Ominous letters from someone calling themself "The Watcher" are just the beginning as the neighborhood's sinister secrets come spilling out. Inspired by the true story of the infamous "Watcher" house in New Jersey.

Bobby Cannavale and Naomi Watts will star as the husband and wife who end up in a home-buying deal from hell, while comedy icon and newly minted Emmy winner Jennifer Coolidge appears as their real estate agent. Margo Martindale and Richard Kind are also among the supporting castmates, while Mia Farrow will make her first acting appearance since 2016. Farrow delivered one of the best horror performances of all time in "Rosemary's Baby," as another character trapped in a deeply disturbing housing situation, so it'll be thrilling to see her return to the horror house subgenre.

The show's first trailer is intriguing, but it also makes it pretty clear that it'll get creative with the true story basis from which it's built. While the real-life Watcher mystery set people ill at ease, it never had a clear answer. Glimpses of red-hooded figures, secret passageways, and a radio that's inexplicably playing "Hopelessly Devoted To You" up the ante on an already scary story.

"The Watcher" will premiere on Netflix on October 13, 2022.