New Jersey has its fair share of urban legends and ghost stories — hello, the Jersey Devil! — but one of the state’s most infamous eerie tales actually happened within the last decade. The story of “The Watcher,” a mysterious entity stalking a home in Westfield, captured the nation’s attention just a few years ago, and now it’ll become a television show, according to a recent Deadline report.

The story of "The Watcher" in New Jersey went viral in 2018 after owners Derek and Maria claimed someone was stalking the home and sending frightening letters.
Google Maps
This person signed the letters "The Watcher." The house, in Westfield, New Jersey, pictured above, was in a neighborhood known to be nice and safe. The couple had just bought the home for over $1 million. So, what was happening?
The letters continued and grew creepier and creepier, even referencing the couple's children.
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"My grandfather watched the house in the 1920s and my father watched in the 1960s," one letter reportedly read. "It is now my time. Do you know the history of the house? Do you know what lies within the walls...?" Another reportedly read, "Do you need to fill the house with the young blood I requested? Better for me. Was your old house too small for the growing family? Or was it greed to bring me your children? Once I know their names I will call to them and draw them (to) me."
The Broaddus couple eventually fled the home, selling it for a loss in 2019 to a new family.
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The identity of The Watcher has never been uncovered, and the home's new family insists they haven't gotten any strange correspondence. To this day, people argue over the identity of the writer and if it was a hoax.

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Now, Ryan Murphy is turning the saga into a limited television series for Netflix.
Kevin Winter / Staff via Getty Images
Murphy, pictured here after he won a Golden Globe award, is one of the most popular and acclaimed producers in television. He's behind "American Crime Story" and "American Horror Story."
Naomi Watts will star as one half of the couple.
VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
We're excited to see the Oscar-winning actress, who starred in the hit film "The Ring," return to horror!
Bobby Cannavale will play the husband in the series.
Drama League/Wikimedia
That's a lot of talent for this show! We have high hopes.

No word yet on when the series will be filmed, but if you’d like to know more about The Watcher, you can read the original The Cut article here.

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