Smurl House (West Pittston, PA)

The Smurl House haunting refers to a series of reported paranormal events that took place from 1974 to 1989 in a duplex in Pennsylvania. The Smurl family said their home was haunted by a hostile demonic presence that caused them both physical and emotional harm.

The case drew worldwide attention after paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren got involved, and the story was picked up by the media.

Overview

Smurl House’s Haunted History

The history of 330 Chase Street dates back much further than the well-known events of the 1980s, beginning during West Pittston’s colonial and industrial growth.

Before the duplex was built in 1896, the land was part of Exeter Township, an area shaped by the Yankee-Pennamite Wars, which were violent land disputes between settlers from Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The property is close to where Fort Jenkins once stood, a Revolutionary War fort that was destroyed by British forces and their allies in 1778 after a surrender.

Historical records show that the Wyoming Valley nearby saw major conflicts involving indigenous peoples. The Delaware and Seneca tribes lived along the Susquehanna River, and the area was the site of the Battle of Wyoming. This massacre had a lasting impact on the region.

By the mid-1800s, the land changed from farmland to property owned by the West Pittston Land Association and the West Pittston Coal Company. The duplex was built during the local coal boom and was meant to be a fixer-upper. Jack and Janet Smurl, their four daughters, and Jack’s parents moved in in August 1973 after their old home was lost to flooding from Hurricane Agnes.

The first few months in the house were uneventful, but soon odd things began to happen and grew more disturbing.

By 1974, the family noticed tools going missing and turning up in odd places, along with strange noises like heavy footsteps and pig-like grunts coming from the walls. In the early 1980s, these events grew into a decade of reported physical attacks.

Reports from this period include:

• Violence Against Animals: The family’s 75-pound German Shepherd, Simon, was witnessed by multiple family members being lifted by an invisible force and slammed against a wall.
• Physical Injuries: One of the Smurl daughters was slashed by a falling light fixture that detached from the ceiling without mechanical failure. Another daughter was reportedly thrown down a flight of stairs by an unseen entity.
• Psychological Warfare: The family claimed the entities would mimic their voices to cause internal conflict. Mary Smurl (Jack’s mother) reported hearing Jack and Janet in a profanity-laced argument in the next room, only to discover the couple was not even home.
• Sexual Violence: Both Jack and Janet Smurl provided sworn statements regarding sexual assaults perpetrated by a malevolent entity. Jack specifically described being accosted by a succubus while sitting in the living room.

In 1986, the haunting became so severe that the family shared their story publicly, which led to an investigation by Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warrens reported temperature drops of more than 30°C and said they heard knocking sounds that seemed to respond intelligently.

Even after three failed exorcisms by a priest working with the Warrens, the strange events continued. The Smurl family left the house in 1987 and moved to Wilkes-Barre. They said the black mass followed them for a short time before disappearing.

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Local Legends

The Smurl House haunting has inspired many lasting legends that try to explain the strange events the family described. These stories mix paranormal theories from investigators with local tales that have grown over the years.

The “Chosen” Family Theory

One major legend about the case, often shared by Ed Warren, is the “Chosen” Family. This story says the Smurls were not haunted by anything they did or by any dark history tied to the house.

Instead, the legend claims they were a religious family who were spiritually vulnerable and chosen by a demon as part of a larger plan. The demon’s goal, according to this story, was not just to haunt a place but to break apart a strong, faithful family to show that faith could fail.

The “Portal” of the Double-Block

Another local legend focuses on the design of the duplex. Since the Smurl family lived on one side and Jack’s parents on the other, some people said the evil spirit was a “transient demon” that used the shared walls as a kind of portal.

This story was used to explain why strange events would stop on one side of the house and start right away on the other, or why blessings by priests on one side did not work. The legend says the spirit just moved through the walls to escape religious rituals.

The Grudge of the “Third Man”

Although most attention was on the demon, local stories often mention a former resident named Patrick. According to these tales, Patrick lived and died in the house many years earlier and stayed there as a spirit because of an old grudge against his family.

Some versions of the story describe Patrick as a “parasitic spirit” who was not evil himself but was used and drained by the main demon to make the house feel even more frightening and negative.

The Indigenous Battleground Lore

Because the house is close to the Susquehanna River and where Fort Jenkins once stood, a local legend says the land is “stained” by the violence of the 1778 Wyoming Massacre.

There is no archaeological proof that 330 Chase Street is a burial ground. Still, the legend says that so many deaths and conflicts in the area left a “geographic scar” that makes it easier for negative spirits to appear. Locals have long said the whole block was built on land that could not rest after the valley was burned.

The Legend of the “Silent Neighbor”

A well-known urban legend in West Pittston is about what happened right after the Smurls left in 1987. The next tenant, Debra Owens, said she did not experience anything unusual, but local stories claim otherwise.

Some say that before Owens moved in, a few short-term renters tried to live in the house but left within two days after seeing “blood running down the walls” or hearing the same “pig-grunts” the Smurls described. These stories are not officially recorded but are still told in the community.

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Reported Ghosts

Although most attention was on the demon, the Smurls and their guests also reported seeing other spirits in the house:

• Abigail: This spirit was described as an elderly woman who wandered the hallways. Unlike the aggressive demon, she was usually seen as neutral.
• The Black Mass: The Smurl family and Ed Warren both reported seeing a large, shapeless black cloud or shadow moving through the rooms. When it appeared, the temperature reportedly dropped by 30 degrees.
• The Scaly Entity: Jack Smurl said he once woke up to see a red-eyed, scaly-skinned entity standing by his bed. The Warrens called this monster a succubus.

Documented Sightings Timeline

Paranormal Activity

The paranormal events at the Smurl House were known for being violent and for seeming to respond to people. The spirits did not just leave traces; they reacted to religious music and prayer by becoming more aggressive.

The activity got worse over time, starting with strange sounds and leading to physical attacks and feelings of oppression. Witnesses said the house felt “heavy” and “hostile,” with events happening day and night, but especially at night.

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Notable Investigations

The Smurl House is still one of the most debated cases in American paranormal research. It was closely examined by both spiritual investigators and scientists during the intense media attention in 1986.

Ed and Lorraine Warren (January – August 1986)

The main investigation was led by famous demonologist Ed Warren and his clairvoyant wife, Lorraine Warren. They worked with their associate, psychic nurse Rosemary Frueh, and spent several months studying the house. Ed Warren said the spirit at 330 Chase Street was “unusually powerful and intangible,” unlike those in other cases.

While they were there, the Warrens said they saw several intense paranormal events:

• Physical Provocation: Ed Warren used religious music and prayers, such as Gregorian chants and Catholic prayers, to provoke spirits. He said this made the entities react violently. He reported seeing furniture move on its own and a large mirror shake so much that it almost broke.
• The Black Mass: Both Ed and Lorraine Warren said they saw a “dark, formless mass” appear in the hallways. Lorraine Warren believed this was a demonic “master” that controlled three other spirits—Abigail, Patrick, and a hostile young woman—to torment the family.
• Audio and Visual Evidence: The Warrens said they recorded hours of audio with “intelligent rapping” and scratching sounds. They also found a message written on a mirror that told them to “get out.”

The Warrens concluded that the house was suffering from a demonic infestation, which is a stage where an outside spirit tries to break the will of the people living there. They called the Smurls “The Chosen,” saying they were targeted not for wrongdoing but as a test of their faith.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton (1986)

Although the Catholic Church is usually slow to accept paranormal claims, the Diocese of Scranton showed interest in the case, though carefully. Monsignor Francis Kane, the Smurls’ parish priest, blessed the house twice but said it did not help the family.

Later, Monsignor Eugene J. Clark, who led St. Pius X Seminary, stayed in the house for several nights to see the events himself. He did not witness anything unusual, so the Diocese did not take an official position on whether the claims were truly demonic.

Father Robert F. McKenna (February – June 1986)

At the Warrens’ request, Father Robert F. McKenna, a traditionalist Catholic priest from Connecticut, performed three exorcisms at the house. McKenna said the rituals at first seemed to provoke the spirits, causing foul smells and loud banging. Still, the activity only stopped briefly before returning.

He believed the spirit avoided the exorcisms by moving between the duplex’s walls, hiding in the other unit until the rituals were over.

CSICOP and Paul Kurtz (1986)

Paul Kurtz, a professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo and head of CSICOP, led a skeptical scientific investigation. The Warrens mostly did not let Kurtz and his team into the house, so they had to rely on interviews and public information for their research.

Kurtz called the case a “hoax and a charade,” saying the events were caused by social influence and psychological stress. He pointed to Jack Smurl’s 1983 brain surgery as a possible reason for hallucinations, suggesting a medical explanation instead of a supernatural one.

Media and Documentaries

The Smurl House story became famous around the world in the mid-1980s, as the media covered it heavily and the family found the attention overwhelming. Here are some of the most important media accounts and records of the haunting.

The Haunted (1986 Book)

In 1986, soon after sharing their story, the Smurl family worked with journalist Robert Curran and Ed and Lorraine Warren to write The Haunted: One Family’s Nightmare. Published by St. Martin’s Press, the book gives a first-hand, step-by-step account of what happened at 330 Chase Street, from small plumbing problems to claims of demonic attacks.

The book sold well but was criticized for not being objective and for its dramatic style. Still, it is the main written source about the case.

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The Haunted (1991 Television Film)

The story was turned into a TV movie called The Haunted, which aired on Fox in 1991. Directed by Robert Mandel, the film starred Sally Kirkland as Janet Smurl and Jeffrey DeMunn as Jack Smurl.

The screenplay, co-written by Robert Curran, closely follows the story from the 1986 book, especially the physical attacks and the Warrens’ involvement. Paranormal fans often cite the film for its creepy atmosphere and portrayal of the “black mass.”

The Conjuring: Last Rites (2025 Film)

The Smurl case is the main inspiration for the 2025 movie The Conjuring: Last Rites, which is part of the popular Conjuring Universe series. The film dramatizes the Warrens’ investigation in West Pittston. Although it changes many details for the story, it has brought new worldwide attention to the original case and the history of the Wyoming Valley.

Newspaper and Print Media Coverage (1986)

Journalist Steve Corbett first reported the haunting to the public in an August 19, 1986, article for the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader. After that, up to 90 reporters gathered outside the house each day. The Scranton Times and The Citizens’ Voice gave almost daily updates during the summer of 1986.

These articles covered both the paranormal claims and how the community reacted, such as neighbors throwing bricks at the house and a local radio station holding a “mock exorcism” on the street.

Television Interviews and News Magazines

At the peak of the media attention, the Smurls appeared on several well-known TV shows:

• A Current Affair (1986): The family was featured in a prominent segment on the tabloid news show, where they discussed the physical toll of the haunting.
• The Phil Donahue Show: Jack and Janet Smurl participated in a televised panel discussion alongside Ed and Lorraine Warren to defend the validity of their claims against scientific skeptics.
• Sightings (1990s): The TV show Sightings looked at the case again in the early 1990s, talking to the Smurls’ former neighbors and investigators about how the haunting affected the West Pittston community over time.

Modern Documentaries and Podcasts

In recent years, the Smurl House has been featured in several documentaries and investigative podcasts looking back at the case:

• Paranormal Witness (Syfy): An episode of this series featured dramatic reenactments and interviews regarding the Smurl case, focusing specifically on the “black mass” sightings.
• The Smurl Haunting: When Ed and Lorraine Came to Town: A recent book by Maxim Furek, along with his media appearances, offers a more detailed look at the social and cultural factors that shaped the media frenzy in 1986.

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