The Smurl Haunting was...strAInge
A look at one of the most famous and documented hauntings of the 1970s and 80s.
strAInge: The Smurl Haunting
Episode Show Notes
In 1986, a family living in a duplex in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, became the center of one of America's most notorious paranormal investigations. Jack and Janet Smurl claimed their home was plagued by terrifying noises, foul odors, moving objects, physical attacks, and a malevolent presence that seemed determined to drive them from their home.
After years of increasingly frightening experiences, the family turned to paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. The Warrens declared that the house contained several spirits and a powerful demon. Religious intervention followed, but the disturbances reportedly continued, eventually attracting national news coverage, skeptical investigators, and curious visitors.
This episode of strAInge examines the Smurl family's experiences, the Warrens' investigation, the attempted exorcisms, the media frenzy of 1986, and the lasting legacy of a haunting that inspired books, television, and The Conjuring: Last Rites.
Sources and Further Reading
United Press International. "Haunted Family Overwhelmed by Attention." August 21, 1986. Contemporary reporting on the Smurl family, religious intervention, and the arrival of national media.
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/08/21/Haunted-family-overwhelmed-by-attention/9516524980800/
Paul Kurtz. "A Case Study of the West Pittston 'Haunted' House." Skeptical Inquirer, Winter 1986–1987. An extensive contemporary skeptical investigation of the claims, witnesses, and available evidence.
https://skepticalinquirer.org/1987/01/a-case-study-of-the-west-pittston-haunted-house/
Paul Kurtz. "A Case Study of the West Pittston 'Haunted' House." Original article in PDF format.
https://centerforinquiry.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/29/1987/01/22165319/p27.pdf
United Press International. "Amazing Kreskin 'Haunts' Home." October 29, 1986. Reporting on the reported cessation of disturbances and Kreskin's demonstration of how apparently inexplicable events could occur.
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1986/10/29/Amazing-Kreskin-haunts-home/2944530946000/
United Press International. "Duplex for Rent; Exorcist Not Included." January 19, 1988. Contemporary reporting on the property's sale, the difficulties finding tenants, and Jack Smurl's statements after leaving.
https://www.upi.com/Archives/1988/01/19/Duplex-for-rent-exorcist-not-included/4948569566800/
Kenny Biddle. "The Uninspired Conjuring: Last Rites." Skeptical Inquirer, February 2026. A critical examination of the Smurl case and the historical inaccuracies introduced by subsequent dramatizations.
https://skepticalinquirer.org/2026/02/the-uninspired-conjuring-last-rites/
People. "Is The Conjuring 4 Based on a True Story? Inside the Real Haunting That Inspired the Upcoming Last Rites Movie." Background on the family, the Warrens, the religious investigations, and the film adaptation.
https://people.com/the-conjuring-last-rites-true-story-11730782
Motion Picture Association. "The Conjuring: Last Rites Production Designer John Frankish on Creating the Hellish Smurl House." October 2025. Discussion of the film's production design and invented supernatural elements.
Books and Adaptations
Robert Curran, with Ed and Lorraine Warren and Jack and Janet Smurl. The Haunted: One Family's Nightmare. 1988.
The Haunted. Television film directed by Robert Mandel, starring Sally Kirkland and Jeffrey DeMunn. 1991.
The Conjuring: Last Rites. Directed by Michael Chaves, starring Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga. 2025.
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