The Watcher is loosely inspired by a true-life couple who purchased their $1.3 million dream house in New Jersey only to never move in after receiving creepy and threatening letters from The Watcher. Turns out the previous owners had also received these letters (cue lawsuit for nondisclosure), as The Watcher had been actively pursuing the house’s various residents for many years.
The Watcher, a Lifetime movie available on Netflix, changes things up a bit from real life. The couple – Emma and Noah – does in fact move into the old home. They soon begin receiving the scary letters, packages of un-ordered and unusual goods, and visits from a life-sized, um, raven (which only the viewer actually sees at first). They also settle into their new neighborhood, meeting a couple across the road and a mom and son duo from down the street. As the letters and packages pile up, and strange and stranger things occur in their home, Emma and Noah bring in the police and even some of their neighbors for help in defeating The Watcher. But The Watcher/The Raven has different ideas about how this story will end.
All in all, The Watcher is a decent scary movie for those who don’t want too many special effects or super big scares. It is creepy and has some good tension, plus a bit of gore (not too much), and is well-acted. Give it a try if you want horror-light and some mystery thrown in as well.
- Top Scare: Raven
- Heartbeats: 3 out of 5
- Gore Factor: 2 1/2 out of 5
- Suspense Factor: 2 3/4 out of 5
- Recommended for 15 and up