**Trigger Warning: This article contains supernatural violence and abuse.

The Smurl family didn’t have an easy go at life. They were Pennsylvanians and devout Roman Catholics who were heavily involved in church activities. The family included Navy veteran Jack Smurl,¹⁾Jack Smurl was on a ship at sea during the Cuban missile crisis. production manager at Tops Chewing Gum, his wife Janet, their two daughters (twin girls would be born later), and Jack’s parents John and Mary Smurl. Everything changed for them in 1972. Hurricane Agnes hammered the state with rain and caused unprecedented flooding. ²⁾At that time, Agnes was considered the “most destructive hurricane” in U.S. history, spanning across twelve states, and causing 117 deaths. Due to Pennsylvania’s immense flooding, 68,000 homes were destroyed and 48 people died. The Smurls’ homes were decimated, so they relocated to a nice two-story duplex on Chase Street in the small, middle-class borough of West Pittston in Luzerne County.

Chase Street was just like any other small-town thoroughfare. Houses lined both sides of the street and quarter-acre front yards were lush and green and strewn with life. The duplex was built in 1896. Jack and his immediate family lived on the left side, while his father and mother lived on the right. The Smurls, fresh-faced and full of new beginnings, had no idea what they were about to face. Evil already lived there, deep within the home, waiting to terrorize and haunt them — for twelve cruel years.

 

“Something happens every day.
We are afraid to sleep at night.”

–Janet Smurl

 

The Hauntings

The phenomena began in 1974 and was indiscernible at first: a tool missing, lost clothing, toilets flushing. The activity ratcheted in 1985 and took a dangerous turn. The following information paints a harrowing picture of what the family claims happened to them on different occasions.

Bodily harm

• 

  The entire family, even the dog, were physically and mentally attacked by something invisible and malicious. They had “been dragged from bed, slapped and viciously scratched . . .”³⁾The Seattle Times. 1986. “It’s Always Halloween Despite Two Exorcisms.” The Seattle Times, Aug 21: A10. They were “kicked, bitten . . . levitated and thrown out of bed . . .”⁴⁾“Scientists Pooh-Pooh Demons Scare.” The Plain Dealer. August 23, 1986. 5A.

• When Jack tried to pray the rosary, “a demon dragged him from his bed.”⁵⁾Scinto, Sarah. 2017. “Jack Smurl, famous for haunting story, dies at age 75.” Pocono Record. June 24.
• Some were pushed or tossed down stairs.
• Their 75-pound German shepherd was regularly abused by the unseen entity, and was picked up and “slammed against walls.”⁶⁾The Seattle Times. 1986. “It’s Always Halloween Despite Two Exorcisms.” The Seattle Times, Aug 21: A10.
• Jack Smurl was reportedly violated by a presence like an “old woman with a young body, her eyes were red and her gums were green.”⁷⁾Ghost-Story.Co.UK. 2013-2016. “The Smurl Poltergeist, Pennsylvania, USA.” Ghost-Story.Co.UK. Some sources described the entity’s body being covered in scales and pus. Janet had been assaulted in bed by an unseen force, and their oldest daughter was allegedly touched in the shower.

Sounds, sights, and smells

• Strange, ungodly screams and creepy groans tormented them. Hoofbeats “with a goat-like clatter”⁸⁾“Haunting Sounds Caught on Tape.” The Mercury News, San Jose, CA. August 25, 1986. 4A ran up the walls. Pigs snorted and grunted. Disembodied footsteps trekked up and down the stairs. Voices called their names with no one around. Banging occurred on walls and ceilings.
• The family saw unexplainable things like “formless ghostly glows.”⁹⁾“Family has Dougters Believers that House is Ruled.” Lexington Herald-Leader, KY. August 23, 1986. A2. Shadow people passed through the walls and ceilings.
• Foul and unusual smells plagued the family. A constant odor of something musty or rotting or burning permeated the rooms.

Household items

• At various times, doors opened and shut, lights flickered, and objects moved by themselves or disappeared. Claw marks appeared on the walls. Even electrical appliances were affected. Some caught on fire. The television purportedly “shot across the room”¹⁰⁾“Family has Dougters Believers that House is Ruled.” Lexington Herald-Leader, KY. August 23, 1986. A2. or lit up without being plugged in.

Both sides

• Both sides of the duplex had paranormal experiences. Mary Smurl heard Jack and Janet argue and curse, when only Janet was home at the time. Mary also saw a black entity floating in her living room.

 

The Church and the Warrens

The Smurls contacted their church as the situation grew more dire. They asked the Diocese of Scranton for help but were refused. Again and again, they petitioned the church to no avail. Meanwhile, they endured a tinderbox of activity. The Smurls reached out to Ed and Lorraine Warren, demonologist and clairvoyant, respectively.

The Warrens were Roman Catholics who founded the New England Society for Psychic Research in 1952. The Society’s purpose was to investigate hauntings and paranormal activities. They investigated over 10,000 cases, some quite well-known: Amityville, the Perron farmhouse (think The Conjuring), etc. The couple never charged families or individuals for investigations.¹¹⁾Most of the Warrens’ money came from lectures, seminars, and speaking tours. Sometimes the Catholic church discreetly asked the couple to investigate hauntings.

 

“The only way I’ve seen anyone
get rid of something like this is through
exorcism . . . there is a powerful, intangible,
invisible force here.”¹²⁾The Seattle Times. 1986. “It’s Always Halloween Despite Two Exorcisms.” The Seattle Times, Aug 21: A10.

–Ed Warren, Demonologist

 

In 1986, the Warrens, along with nurse and psychic Rosemary Frueh, investigated the Smurl duplex for over eight months. The Warrens declared the house was “haunted by three minor spirits and a powerful, evil demon.” The Warrens found no spiritual reason why the family was targeted. They

. . . could only surmise that the demon must have been dormant, probably for decades, and had arisen to draw on the emotional energy generated by the girls’ [four daughters] entrance to puberty.¹³⁾Ferre, Lux. 2017. “Smurl Haunting.” Occult World. July 25.

Ed and Lorraine Warren prayed fervently through the house and tried to provoke the entity with a crucifix, holy water, and scriptures. The goal was to draw out the demon in order to expel it, but the situation worsened.

The Warrens contacted Father Robert McKenna, “a Vatican-mandated exorcist.”¹⁴⁾Astonishing Legends. 2018. “The Smurl Haunting.” Astonishing Legends. Oct 16. McKenna conducted two exorcisms and over fifty Catholic Masses¹⁵⁾Ghostwatch. 2021. “The Smurl family Demonic Haunting.” Ghostwatch. Oct. (all unsanctioned by the church). The rites were unsuccessful and, instead, seemed to enrage the entity.

Sources differ some, especially with regard to dates and assistance.  Sometime into 1986, the Smurls were frayed to almost nothing. In a fit of desperation, they contacted the media, hoping to find someone who could “make it all go away.” Their story became a media firestorm, and stirred the Scranton Diocese to take some kind of action. They sent a priest to spend a few nights in Jack’s left side of the duplex. The priest experienced no paranormal activity and, though the family pleaded for him to stay, he left the home. According to Janet Smurl, the demon hid when religious figures visited. The family was crestfallen. McKenna performed a third exorcism and the activity abated for a few months before the ominous entity floated around again. Priests and prayer groups from other churches came and offered support, but, like a roller coaster, the activity decreased for a short time, then returned worse than before.

 

“…There’s something in this home,
which has the intelligence to inflict
physical and psychological harm
upon this family.”

–Ed Warren, Demonologist

 

Some people wondered why the Smurls didn’t move. Of course finances were a big reason. The family tried to get away, but the presence reportedly followed them wherever they went. On one occasion, they went camping and saw a dark hazy entity. They also “heard loud banging noises atop the camper and were jostled as the camper shook.”¹⁶⁾Delazio, Sheena. 2008. “‘Demons in Home’ grabs out attention.” timesleader.com via Wayback Machine. March 5. The demon also allegedly followed them to work.

 

Going Public was a Nightmare

Reporters swarmed the Smurl home. Public interest was heightened. Even Jason Miller, the actor who played Father Karras in The Exorcist visited the Smurls and offered support. In just a short time, dozens of people crowded around the Smurl home. At times, the crowds were dangerous. People tried to break in the home. Cars cruised by and rubbernecked. Camera crews were congested outside the Smurl residence and eventually set up equipment in neighbors’ yards. Instead of helping, publicity sensationalized their situation and reduced them to something like a carnival attraction. The family ultimately told the reporters to leave.

In December 1986, The Haunted, a book about their experiences written by Robert Curran was published. A Made-for-TV movie by the same name came out in 1991. Rumors swirled about the Smurls saying they drummed up the activities in their home as a way to make money.

 

Skeptics and Scrutiny

The Smurls (and the Warrens) were heavily scrutinized and criticized. Philosophy professor, Paul Kurtz was chairman of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal. He pooh-poohed the Warrens’ assessment, and claimed their investigation wasn’t “objective, independent, or impartial.”¹⁷⁾Delazio, Sheena. 2008. “‘Demons in Home’ grabs out attention.” timesleader.com via Wayback Machine. March 5. Further, Kurtz claimed the Warrens had “no credentials in the scientific or parapsychological communities.”¹⁸⁾Delazio, Sheena. 2008. “‘Demons in Home’ grabs out attention.” timesleader.com via Wayback Machine. March 5. And he went so far as to say the Smurl family should undergo psychiatric examinations.¹⁹⁾Kurtz gave some reasons why he didn’t believe the Smurls. Their oldest daughter gave conflicting stories about the family’s experiences. Jack Smurl had previously undergone brain surgery to relieve water on the brain, which could have caused hallucinations. A broken sewer pipe might have explained the odors the Smurls encountered.

After the Smurls went public, Kurtz gathered investigators and offered to inspect the home, but both the Smurls and Warrens rebuffed them. They felt Kurtz had already made up his mind not to believe their story and, as such, was insincere about “gathering evidence.” Still, the Committee conducted extensive phone interviews with “the Smurls, neighbors and reporters working on the case.”²⁰⁾Stefko, Jill. 2014. “Smurl Haunting: Alleged Paranormal Phenomena and Demons!” DECODED. Jan. 15.

Mentalist George Joseph Kresge Jr, aka “The Amazing Kreskin,” worked to debunk the Smurls’ claims by demonstrating “several ways things can shake and go bump in the night without the help of the supernatural.”²¹⁾Delazio, Sheena. 2008. “‘Demons in Home’ grabs out attention.” timesleader.com via Wayback Machine. March 5. But Kreskin never revealed his methods for these ways.

 

“I know what people must think,
that we’re crazy . . . But eight people
live in this house. Eight people
have experienced this.
Eight people are not crazy.”

–Janet Smurl

 

An End to it All?

The Smurls eventually moved from Chase Street in 1987. The activity followed them at their new home until a church-sanctioned exorcism was performed in 1988 or ‘89. After this exorcism, the Smurls were finally free. Jack’s father died in 1990, and his mother died five years later. Jack passed away in 2017 after complications from diabetes.

Subsequent people who lived at the duplex on Chase Street reportedly experienced no paranormal activity.²²⁾Hauntingly Pennsylvania. Updated 2017. “Hauntingly PENNSYLVANIA™ Revisits “The Smurl Haunting”.” Hauntingly Pennsylvania: Where History and Hauntings Meet.

 

Conclusion

So, what do you think? Were the Smurls out for money? Or, were these harrowing events real?

I keep going back to Janet Smurl’s comment (in bold above). Eight people experienced some kind of activity. Eight people, all different ages, have revealed separate experiences. I have questions, perhaps rhetorical, perhaps not. Did they “conjure” the story for financial gain? If they wanted some type of twisted fame, why did they tell reporters to leave? Wouldn’t a greedy person keep the story going? Was the house haunted or the people? And how is it that, after a church-sanctioned exorcism, the activity stopped? I don’t know. But, in my research, I found the family to be humble among people and devoted to God. What has never been disputed, even among critics, is that something happened in that house on Chase Street. I don’t think the Smurls were crazy at all.

Click here to watch the made-for-tv movie, The Haunted on YouTube.

 

**Featured image: Alexander Krivitskiy, Unsplash

SOURCES:

Online

• Astonishing Legends. 2018. “The Smurl Haunting.” Astonishing Legends. Oct 16.
• Delazio, Sheena. 2008. “‘Demons in Home’ grabs out attention.” timesleader.com via Wayback Machine. March 5.
• Factionary. 2020. “10 Ghostly Details Surrounding Ed And Lorraine Warren, The Paranormal Investigators Who Inspired “The Conjuring”.” Factionary.
• Fanelli, Brian. 2019. “Revisiting the Smurl Story and The Haunted (1991).” Brian Fanelli. June 17.
• Ferre, Lux. 2017. “Smurl Haunting.” Occult World. July 25.
• Fright Find. 2021. “SMURL HAUNTING HOUSE.” Fright Find. June (?).
• Furek, Maxim W. 2020. “The Warrens and the Smurl House of Horror.” Normal+Paranormal. Oct. 19.
• Ghost-Story.Co.UK. 2013-2016. “The Smurl Poltergeist, Pennsylvania, USA.” Ghost-Story.Co.UK.
• Ghostwatch. 2021. “The Smurl family Demonic Haunting.” Ghostwatch. Oct.
• Hauntingly Pennsylvania. Updated 2017. “Hauntingly PENNSYLVANIA™ Revisits “The Smurl Haunting”.” Hauntingly Pennsylvania: Where History and Hauntings Meet.
• Janes, DeAnna. 2016. “Nightmare on Chase Street: The Smurl Family Haunting.” The Lineup. May 25.
• Keel, John. n.d. “The Smurl Poltergeist.” The Cobra’s Ghost. Accessed Nov 2021.
• Kiner, Deb. 2019. “Tropical Storm Agnes devastated Pa. in 1972: ‘Battered, lashed, flooded and paralyzed’.” PennLive. June 20.
• Leighton, Susan. 2018. “Ed and Lorraine Warren: The Smurl haunting real or a hoax?” Fansided.
• Tropical Storm Agnes in Pa. in June 1972. Directed by PennLive.com. YouTube.
• The Smurl Family Haunting – Carin Smurl Joins Us. Directed by World Paranormal Research Society. Performed by World Paranormal Research Society. YouTube.
• Sonya, Sister. 2017. “John James “Jack” Smurl.” Find-a-Grave. June 22.
• Scinto, Sarah. 2017. “Jack Smurl, famous for haunting story, dies at age 75.” Pocono Record. June 24.
• Stefko, Jill. 2014. “Smurl Haunting: Alleged Paranormal Phenomena and Demons!” DECODED. Jan. 15.
• n.d. Warrens Discuss the Smurl Case; The Succubus! Directed by Tony Spera. Performed by Ed and Lorraine Warren. YouTube.
• EXCLUSIVE: Lorraine Warren interviews Jack and Janet Smurl. Relates horrifying demonic attack. Directed by Official Ed and Lorraine Warren Channel – YouTube. Performed by Lorraine Warren.

 

Newspapers

• “It’s Always Halloween Despite Two Exorcisms.” The Seattle Times, WA. August 21, 1986: A10.
• “Scientists May Search Haunted House.” The Seattle Times, WA. August 22, 1986: B6.
• “Scientists Wary About ‘Haunted’ Pa. Residence.” The Ledger. 1986. Aug 23, 1986: 10A.
• “Family has Dougters Believers that House is Ruled.” Lexington Herald-Leader, KY. August 23, 1986: A2.
• “Scientists Pooh-Pooh Demons Scare.” The Plain Dealer. August 23, 1986: 5A.
• “Haunting Sounds Caught on Tape.” The Mercury News, San Jose, CA. August 25, 1986: 4A
• “Haunting Debated Outside Penna. Home.” The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 26, 1986: B01
• “Proposed Exorcism is Causing Confusion.” The Daily Collegian. Aug 27, 1986: 9.
• “Those Demons Have West Pittston Possessed.” The Philadelphia Inquirer. August 28, 1986: A01.
• “Family Insists Haunted House Leaves Them Helpless.” The Miami Herald. August 29, 1986: 15A
• “Couple Seeking Exorcism.” The Dallas Morning News. September 7, 1986: 10A
• The Dallas Post. September 10, 1986: 6.
• “Possessed House up for Sale.” The Daily Collegian. January 22, 1988: 5.
• “Tormented by Ghosts – Writers Tell Tales of.” Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA. August 10, 1988: 11.