The Brannock family, as they are called in the series, invested all their money to fulfill their American suburban dream. They buy a nice, big house in the town of Westfield, near New Jersey. But soon pure horror is revealed in her house and her neighborhood.
Right in the first episode, Nora (played by Naomi Watts) and Dean (played by Bobby Cannavale) move into the house with their two children, Carter (played by Luke David Blumm) and Ellie (played by Marie Gravitt). At this point, they have no idea of the building's history. The previous owner is hiding the creepy details.
The family's life soon turns into a real nightmare: Shortly after moving in, they receive the first threatening letter from the anonymous sender "The Watcher". It states that the family is being watched - at the same time they are praised for bringing young blood into the home. Produced by "Dahmer" director Ryan Murphey, the events of the true crime series are picking up speed pretty quickly. More creepy letters follow, and the family doesn't seem to be safe in the house either. There's something odd about neighbors who come to visit - one even runs their dumbwaiter.
The family soon feels so unsafe in the house that the mother and children move to a motel. A security company is hired to install cameras and alarm systems. But does that bring so much security in an old house?
The horror story has actually taken place something like that. For the Netflix series, however, Ryan Murphey exaggerated the events and took a lot of artistic liberty.
The series is based on the story of a family who bought a $1.35 million home at 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey in 2014. Also in the true story, the family was terrorized by an unknown letter writer. But in contrast to the series family, they didn't even move into the house.
Westfield Police tried hard to get the Watcher's identity, but to no avail. In 2019, the family sold the house again - albeit at a high loss. Today they are supposed to live in absolute seclusion near the house. However, they do not give interviews, show photos and are understandably very careful about their privacy.
Viewers are drawn into the search for the mysterious "Watcher" from the start. Each time a suspect is found, the deck is reshuffled shortly thereafter and the search begins again. The story is told in such a nerve-racking way that every viewer can probably imagine how traumatic the events must have been for the family.
Sources: Netflix, Glamour
