10/02/2026 Haunted Locations: The Smurl Family Haunting in West Pittston, Pennsylvania
Happy Friday! Today’s haunted location seems to be well-known; it’s even part of the Conjuring movie series. I had not a clue. But I learned and boy oh boy, I am a little creeped out to say the least. Enjoy!!!
THE SMURL FAMILY HAUNTING
Janet and Jack Smurl moved into this now infamous house with their two daughters in 1973 after being displaced due to Hurricane Agnes the year before. The house was 80 years old at the time and a duplex, so Jack’s parents moved into the other side, with plans to work together on the fixer upper. Once they moved in and began the renovations, all hell broke loose, and the paranormal activity began.
The activity started small. Jack would notice tools missing; Janet would smell rotten eggs/sulfur while also finding random stains on the carpets. Then the noises started… knocks on the walls, footsteps, etc. Then it began to get progressively worse. Objects would move on their own, their beds would shake, and scratches started to appear on the family members. Their dog was even thrown against the wall by an unseen force. What gets really weird with this one is how Jack and Janet were both victims of sexual assault by this unseen entity.
Their neighbors reported hearing horrifying screams coming from the house. Local priests would come and bless the home and even perform exorcisms, but the activity always returned and would only escalate.
They had no idea what to do at this point, so they contacted Ed and Lorraine Warren, who were well known to handle these sorts of things. The Warrens said that they found three ghosts and one demon occupying the house. Exorcisms were continually performed but the activity was so bad that they ended up moving to another home in 1987. They reported that the paranormal activity followed them there as well, but Ed and Lorraine conducted another exorcism in the early 90s, at which point they finally got the relief they so desperately were seeking.
There’s a lot of controversy surrounding this one given the nature of the hauntings, the fact that Ed and Lorraine were involved, and the fact that it became both a made for tv movie dramatizing the event and most recently became part of The Conjuring franchise in move four, The Conjuring: Last Rites.
This haunting is a HUGE rabbit hole to go down and if I put EVERY bit of information I found, it would be a novel length book. I highly recommend everyone that’s interested take some time to research this case. It’s extremely interesting and quite different from many I have read about.
So, tell me. Have you heard of this location before? Have you been there? Would you go? Let me know in the comments. And as always, if you do decide to visit here or any haunted location, respect the property, respect the owners, respect the residents... living or dead.
For more details about this story, how you can visit, and links to the shows, podcasts, documentaries, and resources used for this post, all can be found below.
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