When you buy a home, a multi-family home, you're chasing something timeless: security, independence, a place for your children to grow... and maybe, a way to keep your aging parents close, but still give them space of their own. For the Smurl family, it felt like achieving the American dream. But dreams can curdle into nightmares. Over the course of 11 years, the Smurls’ cozy Pennsylvania duplex became something else entirely, a stage for relentless torment. Not from neighbors. Not from intruders. But from something... they couldn’t see. They were stalked. Scratched. Pinned down in their sleep. The walls groaned. Shadows moved. Even the family dog wasn’t immune to attacks. And no one believed them. Not until demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren stepped in.
What they found in the Smurl house shocked even them. This week, we’re opening the door to one of the most disturbing true hauntings in American history. Because sometimes, evil doesn’t lurk in abandoned asylums or remote forests…Sometimes, evil is already home.
Sources:
Wikipedia – Smurl Haunting - Smurl haunting - Wikipedia
Scrantonian Tribune – Book on Smurls on Sale – February 27, 1988
The Tribune – Mentalist volunteers to assist the Smurls – August 28, 1986
The Tribune – Smurls credit prayers of many with cleansing house of demons – Robert Curran – October 27, 1986
The Morning Call – Haunting Questions: The case of a possessed house has bought a book contract – but still no answers – Tim Blangger - April 2, 1987
People – Where is the Smurl family now? Here’s What Happened To The Conjuring: Last Rites Subjections After Their Horrifying Paranormal Experiences – Jessica Sager – September 7, 2025 - Where Is the Smurl Family Now? What Happened to 'The Conjuring: Last Rites' Subjects
Scrantonian Tribune – Brain surgery revelation casts demon dwelling doubts – Robert Curran – August 24, 1986
FrightFind – Smurl Haunting House - Smurl Haunting House - FrightFind
YouTube – EXCLUSIVE: Lorraine Warren interviews Jack and Janet Smurl. Relates horrifying demonic attack. EXCLUSIVE: Lorraine Warren interviews Jack and Janet Smurl. Relates horrifying demonic attack.
Chronicle Online – Author shares experiences with paranormal in latest book on Smurl haunting – Margo Wilson – October 7, 2025 - Author shares experiences with paranormal in latest book on Smurl haunting | Local News | chronicleonline.com
The Historical Marker Database – Workers in Greater Pittston’s Garment Industry - Workers in Greater Pittston's Garment Industry Historical Marker
Wikipedia – West Pittston, Pennsylvania - West Pittston, Pennsylvania - Wikipedia
Wikipedia – Ed and Lorraine Warren - Ed and Lorraine Warren - Wikipedia
