Derek and Maria Broaddus bought a 1905 Dutch colonial revival in Westfield, New Jersey, in June 2014 for $1.3 million. It was their dream house.
They never moved in -- and ultimately sold the sprawling six-bedroom estate at a half-million-dollar loss.
Shortly after the buy, they started to get creepy letters. Some were outright threatening. Others made disturbing references to their children. All were from a stalker who called himself "The Watcher."
And he said he'd been watching their house for nearly a century.
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The letters were haunting.
"My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched in the 1960s. It is now my time. Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what lies within the walls of 657 Boulevard? Why are you here? I will find out," the first read.
Read another, "It has been years and years since the young blood ruled the hallways of the house. Have you found all of the secrets it holds yet? Will the young blood play in the basement? Or are they too afraid to go down there alone?"
Long the stuff of New Jersey urban legend and internet lore, the story of "The Watcher" made its streaming debut Thursday in a new Netflix horror series starring Naomi Watts of "The Impossible" and many more, alongside Bobby Cannavale, the versatile Garden State-born actor from "Blue Jasmine," "Motherless Brooklyn," "Mr. Robot" and more.
The seven-episode miniseries comes from "Dahmer Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story" creators Ryan Murphy, also known for "American Horror Story" and "Glee," and Ian Brennan, who wrote for "Glee" and co-created the Dahmer series.
We won't spoil any of the fun for you. Check out the official trailer below.
