I know this is old, but Generation Why just did an episode on this so it’s on my mind. I’m undecided if I think it was a hoax or not, but here are my thoughts on each theory:
Hoax—First, their reaction to the letters just didn’t match the threat IMO. I mean the letters were creepy for sure and way more than just “vaguely” threatening, especially regarding the children. The police were right to investigate it. But they were just letters—anonymous letters. To make them completely abandon their one million plus dream house they just spent $100,000 renovating and moving all their stuff in and to move in with parents instead? Really? Seems a bit much. I would have been more angry than scared and would have just gotten a really good security system with cameras everywhere. I would have been prepared and aware at all times for IF something happened, but they seemed to really go off the deep end with fear.
Also the fact that Derik admitted to writing the other letters. Lost a lot of credibility there.
Not a hoax— They didn’t try to split the lot until 2016–after they couldn’t sell it. Some people are saying the letters started after they were denied but that’s not true. Gen Why podcast said they turned down offers for shows about it because they just wanted it to go away. So they didn’t seem to be trying to get a deal. Netflix did eventually buy the rights years later, but the magazine article is what got bought. It sounds like they weren’t the ones shopping it around. They did get some money for it, but I don’t think they got anything like seven figures. I don’t know if it made up for the huge loss they took on selling. It could have been someone obsessed with the house, and I think the Woods may have been tormented by the Watcher for a long time too and finally decided to sell and never mention the letters or the Watcher. Remember one letter to the Broadduses said he had been watching the Woods and he told them to sell. So IF the letters were real, I think the Woods may have just said they got only ONE letter right before they moved and that it wasn’t threatening. No one would ever know—no proof, so it’s not surprising the suit was dismissed. But I think it’s possible they were victims of the Watcher’s harassment as well, but chose to not mention it and hope it didn’t come up. But it did when the new owners got letters and they just said, “Oh yeah—we got just ONE not scary letter. That’s all!” No way to prove anything.
I don’t know, but I do not believe it was a ghost haha. Can ghosts write letters and drive a couple towns away to mail them? That’s why I think it’s silly for them to be THAT terrified. Not a ghost so why would someone do something like that? To mess with someone, that’s why. I would have immediately thought someone was just trying to ruin my enjoyment of my house, and I would have ignored it.
Sorry so long!