Conjuring is ending its first era with its fourth instalment, The Conjuring: Last Rites. The film is inspired by the infamous Smurl Family Haunting. The story goes back to 1973, when Jack and Janet Smurl moved into a duplex in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, with their daughters and parents after putting in their life savings, only to be forced out by bizarre, terrifying events. Many dismissed their claims, even when the Warrens stepped in. But the real question is what became of that house after the Smurls left? Who bought it next, and what was their fate?
The Smurl Family haunting
Jack and Janet Smurl lived with their four daughters at 330 Chase Street, while Jack’s parents stayed on the other side of the duplex. The family moved there after losing their old home during Hurricane Agnes, so it was supposed to be a fresh start. What they claimed next would become one of the most controversial hauntings in American history and reportedly the most googled horror case. The Smurls said their house wasn’t just haunted, it was under attack by spirits whose antics turned violent over the years. From seeing their German shepherd slammed against a wall, to their daughters being pushed down the stairs and injured when a ceiling light suddenly fell, to Jack claiming he was sexually assaulted, all while foul odours lingered and pig-like grunts echoed through the night.
After no one believed their story, in 1986, they reached out to Ed and Lorraine Warren, the famous paranormal investigators. The Warrens visited the home and said a powerful demon was inside, not one but four. The Warrens experienced the temperature suddenly dropping as soon as they stepped inside. Ed described dark masses and furniture moving on their own. He claimed to have audio tapes of knocks and strange sounds, insisting the entity was intelligent and dangerous. Though it was the Warrens’ last case, they failed to solve it entirely. Priests came in to bless the home, and even exorcisms were attempted, but nothing helped.
Critics called the Smurl haunting a hoax and a charade. Some even pointed to Jack’s medication and health issues, while others compared it to the Amityville Horror, suggesting imagination played a bigger role than reality. The constant media circus made the family’s life hell, and reporters started hounding the place, even attempting to spend the night in the house. Neighbours also grew hostile.
What happened to the haunted house?
The Smurl Family’s experience was eventually turned into a book called The Haunted (1986), written by Robert Curran. The book became a bestseller, and the story gained the nation’s attention. But reviewers blasted it for being one-sided. In 1991, FOX turned it into a TV movie of the same name, starring Jeffrey DeMunn and Sally Kirkland. In late 1986, the Diocese of Scranton admitted that Smurls were telling the truth “about something.” However, priests who were sent to the house said they sensed nothing unusual. The family itself later claimed prayers and rosaries finally gave them relief, though the problem was never fully solved. “We believe the elimination of our problem can only be credited to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Michael the Archangel, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus who have answered our prayers, and the prayers of the thousands of others through the rosary,” the Smurls told Times Leader at the time.
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The family lived there for a short time before quietly moving to Wilkes-Barre in 1988. After the move, Richard Bridle bought the house to rent out. Because of its history, he struggled to find tenants until a woman named Debra Owens finally moved in. Owens told the Times Leader she never experienced anything strange. Her account became a key point for sceptics, who argued it proved the whole ordeal was made up. Later, even a man who lived across the street said nothing unusual ever happened there either. To this day, it remains one of the most debated hauntings in America. Years later, Janet Smurl admitted the haunting had left scars, though she always insisted it was real.
