In August of 1973, the Smurl family settled into a modest duplex on Chase Street in West Pittston, Pennsylvania. They were a devoutly Catholic family Jack and Janet, their four young daughters, as well as Jack's parents, who lived on the other side of the duplex home. It was meant to be a fresh start after their previous home was ravaged by a hurricane.
Instead, they were moving into a house already occupied by an invisible, malevolent tenant.
This is the background for the Conjuring: Last Rites and is based on True history
The initial signs were subtle, easily dismissed as an old house settling: foul odors like sulfur and rotting flesh would suddenly saturate the air, only to vanish moments later. Objects would disappear and reappear. But then the activity escalated, crossing the horrifying line from mere poltergeist activity to outright demonic assault.
The Smurls reported an ordeal that stretched over more than a decade, intensifying in violence and horror with each passing year. The entity seemed to delight in destruction and pain:
Some of the most notable were, The family's German Shepherd was once lifted by an invisible force and slammed against a wall.
Their daughters were pushed down the stairs, and a heavy light fixture ripped itself from the ceiling, narrowly missing a child.
Black, shadowy masses began to materialize and drift through the home, often accompanied by sudden, freezing drops in temperature.
But the most disturbing claims were the personal attacks on Jack and Janet. They both alleged to have been subjected to physical and sexual assaults by an invisible presence. Janet was often paralyzed in her bed as the entity attacked her, while Jack claimed to have been assaulted on multiple occasions, including an instance where he saw a shadowy figure run up his wife's leg in the dead of night.
Desperate and terrified, the Smurls reached out to the only investigators they felt could understand their plight: the famed demonologists, Ed and Lorraine Warren, in 1986. The Warrens confirmed the family's worst fears, concluding the house was infested by four distinct entities: three human spirits, and one immensely powerful, dominant demon forcing the others to do its wicked bidding.
The struggle became a public spectacle. The Smurls' story was covered by national news, bringing media circuses and hordes of curious spectators to Chase Street, which only added to the family’s torment.
The Smurl case remains one of the most controversial and terrifying records in paranormal history—a chilling testament to a family who swore they fought a decade-long war against an evil so profound it followed them across city lines.
What truly happened in that small West Pittston duplex remains a mystery, one that ensures the name Smurl is forever whispered in the darkest corners of paranormal lore.
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