'Watcher' Netflix Series Based On Spooky Westfield House Debuts This Week: How To Watch

WESTFIELD, NJ — For Westfield residents, the much-anticipated Netflix series "The Watcher" may hit a little too close to home...

The limited series directed by Ryan Murphy, and featuring stars Naomi Watts, Bobby Cannavale and Jennifer Coolidge, will premiere on Thursday, Oct. 13.

"The Watcher" follows married couple Dean (played by Cannavale) and Nora Brannock (Naomi Watts) who move into their dream home in the suburbs with their children. But soon after moving in, they begin to realize some peculiar things going on in their new neighborhood.

The family starts receiving letters from someone called "The Watcher" who says it is their duty to "watch over" the house and begins terrorizing the family.

Coolidge plays realtor Karen Calhoun in the series who ends up selling the house to the Brannock family.

Read more: Netflix Teases 'The Watcher' Series, Based On Creepy Westfield Home

As many Westfield residents know, this seven-part series is inspired by real-life events.

The real-life saga of "The Watcher," which made international headlines, began in 2014 when Derek and Maria Broaddus purchased a 1905 Dutch colonial located on 657 Boulevard in Westfield for $1.3 million, hoping to raise their three children there.

However, before they were even able to move in, an anonymous letter writer began sending threatening letters with disturbing references to their three children.

The family said they were too scared to move into the six-bedroom house due to the threats the letters contained, such as "allow me to watch you and track you as you move through the house" and referring to the children as "young blood."

Read more: 'Westfield Watcher' Letters Revealed: The 10 Creepiest Excerpts

To this day, no one knows the real-life letter writer who sent the horrifying messages to the family.

In Aug. of 2019, the home was finally sold for $959K to another couple, Andrew and Allison Carr. The Broaddus family tried to sell the home multiple times and was forced to drop the price.

Read more: Infamous Westfield 'Watcher' House Has New Owners

The Broaddus couple also tried to sue the previous owners of the home in 2016, claiming they knew of "The Watcher's" threatening letters but did not disclose any information while selling the home. A Superior Court judge eventually dismissed the lawsuit in 2017.

According to Jersey Digs, a conspiracy theorist from Cranford believes that Derek Broaddus, an insurance salesman from Portland Maine, was behind the letters all along. He finds it curious that Broaddus is from the same hometown as Stephen King and believes he took inspiration from the famous author.

But "The Watcher" is not the only Netflix show that is based off some spooky Westfield history. Another show, called "Wednesday," is soon to be released in November, which follows the story of Wednesday Addams, the only daughter in the famous "Addams Family."

The creator of the famous cartoon, Charles Addams, was a Westfield resident. To this day, the town honors Addams' legacy with its annual AddamsFest, which takes place throughout the month of October.

Read more: New Netflix Show 'Wednesday' Has Ties To A Famous Westfield Resident

Murphy, the director of "The Watcher," is known for producing a number of creepy shows like "American Horror Story," "Scream Queens" and most recently "Dahmer — Monster the Jeffrey Dahmer Story."

Given his background producing some of the most horrifying shows, "The Watcher" is sure to send some shivers down your spine.

You can watch the official trailer for the series below:

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