Key Takeaways:
- The new movie The Conjuring: Last Rites is based on the alleged haunting of a home in West Pittston, Pennsylvania.
- After moving into the home in August 1973, the Smurl family said they experienced minor unexplained phenomena that eventually escalated to demonic-driven terror.
- Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren took on the Smurl case in 1986 and agreed all was not well at 330 Chase Street.
The Conjuring movie franchise has scared moviegoers for more than a decade, with the case files of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren serving as real-life inspiration. For its grand finale, the series is drawing from one of the Warrens’ most infamous assignments.
Actors Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return for a fourth and final time to portray the Warrens in The Conjuring: Last Rites. In theaters starting Friday, the movie is based on the Smurl family whose alleged haunting occurred in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, during the 1980s.
Although there is plenty of skepticism over what actually plagued the Smurl home, Ed and Lorraine corroborated the family’s claims of a malevolent presence at the end of their investigation. Here’s everything you need to know about the case at the center of The Conjuring: Last Rites.
The Smurl family moved into the house after a hurricane
Before any of their alleged encounters with the supernatural, the Smurl family first had to contend with a natural disaster. In 1972, the remnants of Hurricane Agnes ravaged northeast Pennsylvania. Eventually downgraded to a tropical storm, the system dumped between 10 to 18 inches of rain in a span of three days, leading the Susquehanna River to crest at 41 feet. Multiple communities experienced severe flooding, leaving an estimated $2.8 billion in damage before adjustments for inflation.
In August 1973, displaced from their residence in Wilkes-Barre, Jack and Janet Smurl relocated their family to a double-block home on 330 Chase Street in West Pittston. The Smurls and their four daughters—Dawn, Heather, Carin, and Shannon—lived on one side, while Jack’s parents, John and Mary, occupied the other half.
Little did they know the new house came with its own set of hazards.
The family claimed demons assaulted them
According to film critic and Lackawanna College professor Brian Fanelli, the Smurls quickly experienced minor unexplained incidents, such as doors opening and closing and toilets flushing on their own, at their new home. But as years passed, the inexplicable episodes escalated into something darker.
By 1986, the family went public with claims that paranormal entities had terrorized the house. Per the Times Leader, Jack said he was sexually assaulted by a demon on multiple occasions and that a spirit had thrown one of his children down a flight of stairs and their dog against a wall. The family claimed to hear “blood-curdling” screams and animal grunts. They also smelled horrible stenches inside the residence.
The Smurls enlisted the help of a Connecticut priest to perform an exorcism, but the friar—whose name was never shared publicly—concluded his three attempts were “unsuccessful.”
Ed and Lorraine Warren believed the haunting was real
Not surprisingly, some experts who heard the Smurls’ account were skeptical. Paul Kurtz, a chairman for the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, called their claims “a hoax, a charade, a ghost story.” He even suggested the family undergo psychiatric and psychological evaluations.
However, the Smurls had two notable believers in their corner: Ed and Lorraine Warren, who began investigating the house in January 1986. Speaking to reporters, Ed said he felt a temperature drop of at least 30 degrees during his first night inside the house and saw the formation of a “black mass.” He also claimed to witness a mattress jumping on its own and objects flying off a bureau.
Ed was convinced there was some kind of “ghost, devil, demon—or whatever you call it” inside the Smurl home. According to The Times-Tribune, Ed and Lorraine ultimately determined the Smurls were haunted by four benevolent spirits and one violent specter. “We’re dealing with an intelligence here. It’s powerful, intangible, and very dangerous,” Ed warned.
The Smurl case started a media frenzy
The alleged Smurl haunting garnered national news attention, and the family claimed as many as 90 reporters began showing up at their residence on any given day. The case even attracted a celebrity with ties to the paranormal.
Actor and playwright Jason Miller—a native of nearby Scranton, Pennsylvania, who played Father Damien Karras in the 1973 movie adaptation of The Exorcist—visited the home. Although Miller didn’t fully believe the Smurls’ claims of demonic haunting, Fanelli writes, he did express concern the “infestation” would hurt the family.
Eventually, the Smurls grew tired of all the attention and demanded reporters to leave their house. In December 1986, however, the case was back in the limelight with the release of a paperback book written by local newspaper journalist Robert Curran titled The Haunted: One Family’s Nightmare. A few years later in 1991, the book was adapted into a TV movie starring Jeffrey DeMunn and Sally Kirkland as Jack and Janet Smurl, respectively.
“It was easy to believe what happened in West Pittston. The Haunted is going to make it very personal for (the audiences),” Kirkland said of her participation. “This is not a ‘boo’ story. I’m not interested in ghost stories. I’m interested in true stories that happen to women who could be me.”
The Smurls moved out of the house in 1988
We’ll never know the true cause of the Smurls’ terror. By October 1986, a local priest claimed that prayers had “chased the foul smells and violent demons” from 330 Chase Street.
In 1988, the Smurls returned to Wilkes-Barre. A woman named Debra Owens moved into the allegedly haunted home after their departure and claimed she experienced no supernatural occurrences.
Jack Smurl died in 2017 at age 75 following a long battle with diabetes. One of his daughters, Carin, became a part-time paranormal investigator. “We had such a hard time and nobody to turn to,” Carin told The Times-Tribune after his death. “He was happy I was a voice out there for people who need help.”
Ed and Lorraine Warren continued investigating hauntings after the Smurl case, too.
See The Conjuring: Last Rites in Theaters on Friday
It’s not clear how closely The Conjuring: Last Rites will stick to true details of the Smurl haunting. The movie centers the family and takes place in a fictional version of West Pittston, but producer James Wan has suggested writers prioritized giving the fictional Ed and Lorraine Warren a proper series sendoff.
Stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, both 52, have said publicly this is their last planned movie in the popular Conjuring franchise.
“I always say people come to the Conjuring films for the scares, but they really stick around for Vera Farmiga and Patrick Wilson, right?” Wan told CinemaBlend. “Their version of Ed and Lorraine. And that was basically mission one: was to be able to wrap up this series in a way that was emotional, but one that also felt uplifting as well at the same time.”
In any case, the journey there is sure to be a creepy. See the final product for yourself starting Friday, when The Conjuring: Last Rites hits theaters.
Tyler Piccotti joined the Biography.com staff as an Associate News Editor and is now the News and Culture Editor. He previously worked as a reporter and copy editor for a daily newspaper recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors. In his current role, he shares the true stories behind your favorite movies and TV shows and profiles rising musicians, actors, and athletes. When he's not working, you can find him at the nearest amusement park or movie theater and cheering on his favorite teams.
