The Smurl Family Haunting

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Smurl Family Haunting

Podcast: Conspiracy Theories (Spotify Studios)
Hosts: Carter Roy & Chelsea Wood
Episode Date: September 10, 2025

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Overview

This episode of Conspiracy Theories examines the infamous Smurl Family Haunting—a case of alleged paranormal and demonic activity that tormented a Pennsylvanian family throughout the 1970s and 80s. With a blend of gripping storytelling and balanced skepticism, hosts Carter Roy and Chelsea Wood recount the Smurls’ harrowing experiences, their desperate appeals for help, the involvement of famous paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren, and the media storm and controversy that followed. The episode also critically explores explanations ranging from the supernatural to the psychological, questioning both the nature of belief and the forces that shape legendary hauntings.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Smurls’ “Normal” Beginnings (03:42–05:58)

• Background: In 1973, the Smurl family, forced out by a flood, move into a duplex in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, cohabiting with Jack’s parents.
• Community Involvement: Janet becomes president of the Lioness Club; Jack helps start a girls’ softball team; the family is happy and engaged.
• Odd Occurrences Begin: At first, strange things—scratching, stains, failing appliances, minor electrical fires—are written off as quirks of an old house.

2. Escalation of Disturbances (06:06–13:27)

• Disturbances Intensify: By the late ‘70s, events become more disturbing: appliances burst into flame, foul odors drift, temperatures drop, claw marks appear.
• Paranormal Encounters:
  • Jack feels unseen hands (07:18).
  • Janet hears ghostly whispers and sees a black, caped, human-shaped form (08:11).
  • Jack’s mother, Mary, reports seeing the same entity (09:17).
• Children Affected: The daughters witness moving objects, levitating lights (12:34), and have terrifying nocturnal experiences.

3. The Family Seeks Help (15:00–21:25)

• First Steps: Reluctant to be judged, the Smurls consult Father Karsiak, their family priest, who blesses the house but feels an "evil presence" (15:46).
• Catholic Church Involvement: Another blessing by Monsignor Kane brings temporary quiet, but the phenomena resume (16:51–17:21).
• Desperation: Fearing for their safety, the Smurls reach out to Ed and Lorraine Warren, famed demonologists (17:36).

4. The Warrens’ Investigation (18:39–27:16)

• The Warrens’ Arrival: Lorraine senses four entities—two confused females, a violent mustachioed man, and a powerful demon feeding on fear (19:29–20:34).
• Quote (Lorraine Warren):
  “The last spirit is the one Lorraine is most worried about. This entity is a violent demon... its ultimate goal is to destroy the family.” (20:25)
• Attempts to Banish: The Warrens lead rituals and religious provocations, capturing unexplained noises—but with no physical evidence released to the public (21:58).
• Attacks Intensify: Levitation, sexual assaults (succubus and incubus attacks), poltergeist phenomena, and alleged attempts at possession plague the family (24:14–29:19).
• Exorcisms: Catholic exorcist Father McKenna performs several rites, with only brief periods of peace (29:19–32:44).

5. Media Attention and Public Reaction (32:55–40:13)

• Going Public: Out of desperation and lack of support from the Church, the Smurls appear anonymously on a Philly talk show with Lorraine Warren (33:39–34:41).
• Quote (Ed Warren):
  “Devout, loving, stable—the Smurls live in the image of God... and this, the demon finds totally repugnant. So it wants to destroy them.” (34:48)
• Media Frenzy: The family’s story is featured on TV, in newspapers, and draws a crowd of gawkers—but also sympathy (38:10).
• New Medium’s Visit: Mary Alice Rinkman corroborates Warren’s findings, describing the same spirits and providing additional names and backstories (39:07–40:19).

6. Controversy and Skepticism (45:49–49:38)

• Skeptical Investigation: Paul Kurtz of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry investigates, finding no supporting evidence, suggesting explanations like hallucination, stress, religious guilt, or a bid for profit (46:05–47:33).
• Money & Motive: A book deal and later a made-for-TV movie spark debate over authenticity versus financial gain. The Smurls insist they profited little and only wished to warn others (47:40–48:33).
• Paranormal Evidence Lacking: Absent tapes, photos, or enduring phenomena in the house after the Smurls leave cast doubt among critics (48:41–49:38).

7. Legacy & Aftermath (49:38–51:20)

• Current State: Subsequent residents report a peaceful home, while the Smurls (some continuing in paranormal investigation) maintain their account.
• Enduring Questions: Was it a demon, a psychological crisis, or a moral panic magnified by media and belief?
• Quote (Carter Roy):
  "Whether it was a demon or a family tragedy twisted into legend, the story remains. And stories... have a power all their own." (51:20)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On initial denial:
  “They don’t believe in ghosts. They’ve never entertained thoughts of demons or hauntings. But now they don’t know what to believe.” (10:38 – Carter Roy)

• Warren’s intervention:
  “Lorraine reveals...There are four [spirits]... The last spirit is a violent demon who...gets its power from the Smurl's fear, and its ultimate goal is to destroy the family.” (20:25 – Chelsea Wood)

• Skeptical angle:
  “Kurtz points out that no independent tapes or photographs have ever been produced. ... Kurt suggests that stress, family tension, and Catholic guilt could explain the experiences.” (46:28–47:33 – Chelsea Wood & Carter Roy)

• On media response:
  “A local TV station reports that 75% of viewers think the family is telling the truth. The other 25% think they're lying or delusional.” (38:36 – Carter Roy)

• Final reflection:
  “Because whether it was a demon or a family tragedy twisted into legend, the story remains. And stories, after all, have a power of all their own.” (51:20 – Carter Roy)

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Timeline of Important Segments

• The Smurls move in, strangeness begins: 03:42–06:06
• First supernatural encounters & escalation: 06:07–13:27
• First priestly intervention: 15:00–16:17
• Warrens enter the story: 18:39–21:58
• Violent phenomena and sexual assaults: 24:14–29:19
• Going public/media coverage: 32:55–38:36
• Skeptical investigation and fallout: 45:49–49:38
• Conclusion and legacy: 50:13–51:20

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Closing Thoughts

The episode delivers a detailed and suspenseful narrative while remaining even-handed—juxtaposing the Smurl family testimonies with pointed skepticism and social context. Whether listeners side with the believers or with the doubters, the Smurl haunting is presented as a powerful example of how fear, faith, and folklore become legend.

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For source material, the hosts relied heavily on "The Haunted" by Robert Curran (52:00).

Transcript

[Carter Roy]

It's 1974. Jack Smurrell has just arrived home from a long day's work.

[Chelsea Wood]

Like he does every day, he embraces his wife, Janet, and their daughters.

[Carter Roy]

Life has been pretty good for the Smurls.

[Chelsea Wood]

They've been living on one side of a duplex in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, for about 18 months.

[Carter Roy]

The other half is occupied by Jack's.

[Chelsea Wood]

Parents, John and Mary. The couple is active in the community.

[Carter Roy]

And their children excel in school.

[Chelsea Wood]

Janet is a housewife, while Jack puts in long hours at the plant. But it's paying off. He's well on his way to a promotion into middle management. This evening, he settles in front of the television to watch a Western movie.

[Carter Roy]

One of his favorites. Watching these films helps him unwind, a.

[Chelsea Wood]

Reminder that good men win.

[Carter Roy]

He in the end. He's halfway through the movie when, without.

[Chelsea Wood]

Warning, the TV bursts into flames. He scrambles to unplug it and smother the flames, but it's too late for the television.

[Carter Roy]

Melted plastic drips onto the carpet.

[Chelsea Wood]

Smoke curls up toward the ceiling.

[Carter Roy]

It's strange, but electrical fires happen.

[Chelsea Wood]

Sometimes he buys a new tv.

[Carter Roy]

But then it happens again and again, and it kicks off a terror that.

[Chelsea Wood]

Will follow the Smurl family for years.

[Carter Roy]

Welcome to Conspiracy Theories, a Spotify podcast. I'm Carter Roy.

[Chelsea Wood]

New episodes come out every Wednesday.

[Carter Roy]

You can watch our episodes and more.

[Chelsea Wood]

On our new YouTube channel, onspiracytheoriespodcast.

[Carter Roy]

And check us out on Instagram he conspiracypod.

[Chelsea Wood]

And we would love to hear from you.

[Carter Roy]

So if you are listening on the Spotify app, swipe up and give us your thoughts. This episode contains discussions of sexual assault. Consider this when deciding how and when you'll listen. Stay with us.

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[Chelsea Wood]

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[Carter Roy]

In October 1973, Jack and Janet move into a duplex in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, with their daughters, dawn and Heather. The previous year, Hurricane Agnes flooded their Wilkes Barre neighborhood, forcing them out.

[Chelsea Wood]

Soon after, Jack's parents, John and Mary, bought the duplex at 328 Chase Street. It's in a well kept, working class neighborhood near the town's only shopping center.

[Carter Roy]

John and Mary live on one side they sell the other half to Jack and Janet so all three generations can live together again like they always have.

[Chelsea Wood]

The Smurls settle in quickly. Janet becomes president of the Lioness Club.

[Carter Roy]

And starts a local chapter of Students Against Drunk Driving. Jack helps form a girls softball team.

[Chelsea Wood]

Dawn and Heather do well in school, and the house is pleasant.

[Carter Roy]

There are a few oddities, but nothing so alarming they can't explain it away. Like the sound of scratching or a slight knocking in the walls. Or, of course, that TV fire and a stain that won't come out of.

[Chelsea Wood]

The carpet no matter how much scrubbing they do.

[Carter Roy]

The duplex isn't exactly brand new, so.

[Chelsea Wood]

The Smurls chalk up the peculiarities to the quirks of an old house.

[Carter Roy]

Besides, they plan to start renovations soon.

[Chelsea Wood]

In late 1974, the Smurls get to work on the duplex.

[Carter Roy]

John, an experienced welder, installs new water pipes throughout the home, but when he turns on the faucet, all of the pipe joints leak. He resolders them multiple times, frustration building with each attempt, but they continue to leak. Minor projects turn into major undertakings. Repairs that should take minutes take hours or even days, and as soon as.

[Chelsea Wood]

Something is fixed, it breaks again. The Smurls think the troubles are irritating, but not paranormal.

[Carter Roy]

They're small inconveniences, the struggle of living.

[Chelsea Wood]

In an older home.

[Carter Roy]

They're not scared.

[Chelsea Wood]

If anything they're amused.

[Carter Roy]

They continue to work on the house.

[Chelsea Wood]

And in 1977, add twins Karen and.

[Carter Roy]

Shannon to the family. But by the late 70s, small inconveniences turn into unsettling disturbances. Toilets flush on their own.

[Chelsea Wood]

Radios turn on and off, blaring static even when unplugged. Drawers open and slam shut with no one touching them. Footsteps echo across the second floor while the family sits together downstairs.

[Carter Roy]

There's also a smell. It's sour and thick, like rotting meat left out in the summer sun.

[Chelsea Wood]

It drifts from room to room without a clear source.

[Carter Roy]

Janet empties the fridge, scrubs the garbage bins, and cleans every surface with bleach. The smell fades, only to return days later. The house is ice cold, even when the thermostat is set at 70 degrees. More appliances go up in flames and claw marks are spotted in the home's woodwork.

[Chelsea Wood]

Soon the oddities become more intrusive, more personal. One night while in bed, Jack feels something rubbing his shoulders.

[Carter Roy]

Assuming it's his wife, he turns around, only to see Janet fast asleep.

[Chelsea Wood]

Later that week, Janet is loading the washing machine when she hears a whisper. Janet.

[Carter Roy]

She freezes.

[Chelsea Wood]

The voice is so close, as if someone is standing right behind her, murmuring into her ear.

[Carter Roy]

She spins around, expecting to see Jack or one of the girls, but the room is empty. Janet.

[Chelsea Wood]

She waits, listening, and when she hears the voice again, she turns and runs upstairs.

[Carter Roy]

She kneels down beside her bed, clutching.

[Chelsea Wood]

A rosary and prays.

[Carter Roy]

Whatever is happening to the family will stop. But the prayers go unanswered. Two days later, Janet is ironing the family's clothing when she feels a sharp cold fill the room. She looks up to check if she left a window open. And then she sees it. A black human shaped form with a cape on its back. It's not solid, but rather seems to be made up of a dark smoke.

[Chelsea Wood]

It's around 5 foot 9 and doesn't have any facial features, but it does start moving toward Janet. As it gets closer, Janet smells a strange odor. She wants to run, but she's paralyzed. The smoky form moves past her and into the kitchen. Then it disappears. After ensuring she's safe, Janet goes to the other side of the duplex to talk to Jack's mother, Mary. Up until this point, the Smurls haven't.

[Carter Roy]

Told anyone what's been going on.

[Chelsea Wood]

They've been too afraid of being judged or labeled insane.

[Carter Roy]

But after what Janet just saw, she has to talk to someone, and Jack isn't home.

[Chelsea Wood]

To Janet's surprise, Mary doesn't doubt her story or call her crazy. She tells Janet she saw it too.

[Carter Roy]

Mary says that minutes before Janet arrived.

[Chelsea Wood]

She was sitting in a rocking chair.

[Carter Roy]

Saying her prayers when a black form came through the wall. It glided into the living room and past Mary in the rocking chair before vanishing. And that's not all Mary and John have experienced.

[Chelsea Wood]

They've heard arguing and foul language coming from Jack and Janet's side of the duplex. But Janet says the couple has never even raised their voice at each other, let alone cursed.

[Carter Roy]

And then that same week, Janet tells Jack about the frightening voice she heard.

[Chelsea Wood]

And the black form she and Mary saw. She tells him about the chill that.

[Carter Roy]

Seeps into her bones and the scratches in their new porcelain tub. Jack says he's felt things too. The touches against his shoulder and empty chairs moving back and forth. Okay.

[Chelsea Wood]

The Smurls are devout Catholics.

[Carter Roy]

They don't believe in ghosts. They've never entertained thoughts of demons or hauntings. But now they don't know what to believe. What they do know and what they admit to each other that night is they're scared. They haven't told their daughters, but by now the girls have noticed their parents acting strangely. The normally bubbly Janet has bouts with anxiety and depression. The cool headed Jack has been losing his temper.

[Chelsea Wood]

Still, for now, they keep the secret.

[Carter Roy]

Between them, hoping it will stop. Hoping it's just the house settling or.

[Chelsea Wood]

Stress playing tricks on their mind.

[Carter Roy]

But soon it's impossible to keep quiet because the kids start experiencing things too.

[Chelsea Wood]

At first the disturbances aren't too invasive.

[Carter Roy]

The girls complain of events that can.

[Chelsea Wood]

Be explained away like toys shifting overnight or clothing and jewelry going missing.

[Carter Roy]

It doesn't stoke fear, but instead a sibling rivalry.

[Chelsea Wood]

But then they start seeing pots and pans flying around the kitchen. They hear scratching on their walls at night and and fluttering wings in the chimney. Over time, the girl's experiences become even more disturbing.

[Carter Roy]

Dawn, the eldest, starts seeing apparitions. Night after night she runs into her.

[Chelsea Wood]

Parents bedroom screaming about people floating around her bed.

[Carter Roy]

When Jack goes to investigate, no one is there. Then one evening in the spring of 1985, the family is getting ready for 13 year old Heather's Catholic confirmation ceremony.

[Chelsea Wood]

Janet is in the kitchen putting the final touches on her daughter's dress.

[Carter Roy]

When a loud ripping sound echoes throughout the room.

[Chelsea Wood]

Janet looks up to see the four foot kitchen light come crashing down to the ground. The family has only milliseconds to get.

[Carter Roy]

Out of the way.

[Chelsea Wood]

Janet and Heather manage to dive under the table.

[Carter Roy]

But 8 year old Shannon isn't so.

[Chelsea Wood]

Lucky she's struck in the forehead by the light.

[Carter Roy]

Though she's not, thankfully, seriously injured. By the end of the summer, the Smurls are exhausted. Jack's promotion comes through, but the extra money doesn't bring peace. There's been a consistent banging in the walls for over a year. The rotting stench comes and goes.

[Chelsea Wood]

Even the neighbors have started taking notice. Some report screaming coming from the duplex even when the family isn't home. And it only escalated from the incident with the kitchen light. Over the summer, the entity made the.

[Carter Roy]

Entire Smurl family its plaything.

[Chelsea Wood]

In May, Jack was levitated about 2ft off his bed.

[Carter Roy]

In June, Janet was dragged across the.

[Chelsea Wood]

Floor of her bedroom. Days later, the family dog, Simon, was lifted off the ground and thrown against the door.

[Carter Roy]

Luckily, he, too, wasn't seriously injured.

[Chelsea Wood]

The final straw comes when young Shannon is targeted yet again. One night while the family slept, a.

[Carter Roy]

Thud echoed throughout the duplex, followed by Shannon's cry. Jack and Janet come running to see.

[Chelsea Wood]

Shannon at the bottom of the stairs.

[Carter Roy]

When they ask her what happened, the.

[Chelsea Wood]

Girl says she doesn't know because how.

[Carter Roy]

Do you explain that something you can't see just tried to kill you? The Smurls no longer have any logical explanation for what's been happening to their family. They can't blame the disturbances on the quirks of an old house. For the first time, Jack and Janet acknowledge their duplex may be haunted.

[Chelsea Wood]

They know they need help, but they're unsure who to call.

[Carter Roy]

They're worried they'll be laughed out of any room they walk into. Jack is skeptical of the occultists and mediums he sees on tv, people who may just be looking for a cash grab. So in the fall of 1985, the.

[Chelsea Wood]

Smurls invite Father Raymond Karsiak over to.

[Carter Roy]

Their home for dinner. He's a longtime family friend and a local Catholic priest. Jack and Janet trust Father Karsiak, so they tell him what's been going on in the duplex.

[Chelsea Wood]

To their surprise, the priest takes them seriously. After dinner, Jack and Janet take him upstairs.

[Carter Roy]

Immediately, Father Karsiak begins to sweat and become nervous.

[Chelsea Wood]

He tells the Smurls he feels something.

[Carter Roy]

Evil in their home, and it's telling him to leave. Fighting the discomfort, Father Karsiak walks through the entire home, blessing each room.

[Chelsea Wood]

After he leaves, the house falls still. For three days, the Smurls don't hear knocking or banging.

[Carter Roy]

No one wakes up with scratch marks or levitates from their beds.

[Chelsea Wood]

There are no apparitions to be found.

[Carter Roy]

But Then it comes back, even stronger this time. Jack's mother, Mary, is elderly and in bad health. One night she's lying in bed when.

[Chelsea Wood]

She feels something lift her and her.

[Carter Roy]

Mattress into the air.

[Chelsea Wood]

Terrified, she jumps out of bed and falls to the ground. Her knees are bruised, but she's otherwise okay.

[Carter Roy]

Once again, Janet turns to the Catholic Church.

[Chelsea Wood]

This time, Monsignor Francis Kane comes to cleanse the duplex.

[Carter Roy]

Just like Father Karsiak, he goes through.

[Chelsea Wood]

Each room, tossing holy water and saying blessings again.

[Carter Roy]

The house is quiet for a few days, but then the closet doors begin to open and shut on their own. The Smurls know the presence is back, and it's going to take something much stronger to get it out of their home.

[Chelsea Wood]

Finally, in January 1986, desperate and out of options, they reach out to two people whose names they've only ever heard.

[Carter Roy]

In hushed church basement conversations and news reports.

[Chelsea Wood]

Ed and Lorraine Warren.

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[Carter Roy]

When Ed and Lorraine Warren arrive at the smurl home in January 1986, they already have a reputation.

[Chelsea Wood]

The married couple is known as New England's top paranormal investigators, with a long.

[Carter Roy]

List of hauntings and exorcisms under their belts.

[Chelsea Wood]

Lorraine claims to be a medium and Ed a demonologist. Their cases are featured in books, TV.

[Carter Roy]

Interviews and, decades later, in a string of horror films known as the Conjuring franchise.

[Chelsea Wood]

They're also no strangers to controversy.

[Carter Roy]

But to the Smurls, they're a beacon of hope. Maybe finally someone will make it all stop.

[Chelsea Wood]

Over coffee, Jack and Janet relay their years of disturbances to Ed and Lorraine. Then Lorraine begins walking through the home quietly, eyes half closed. After she inspects every room, she sits back at the kitchen table and says a prayer. She has some news to deliver to the Smurls. Lorraine reveals there's not just one spirit in the house. There are four. One is an elderly woman. She's confused and scared, but harmless. The second is a young woman Lorraine describes as insane. This entity can be violent, but able to be banished from the home using prayer. The third spirit is a mustachioed man with enough power to severely harm the family.

[Carter Roy]

The last spirit is the one Lorraine is most worried about. This entity is a violent demon who.

[Chelsea Wood]

Can appear in many different forms. It uses the other spirits to do its bidding. It gets its power from the Smurl's fear, and its ultimate goal is to destroy the family. That evening, the Warrens try to see.

[Carter Roy]

If they can draw out the demon.

[Chelsea Wood]

Ed sets up cameras in Jack and Janet's bedroom, which they believe is a.

[Carter Roy]

Hot spot for the demon. Then Ed begins to provoke the entity. He recites religious passages and prayers, challenging the spirit to show itself. Soon the mirror starts to sway. The TV glows white. The dresser drawers rattle.

[Chelsea Wood]

Ed tosses holy water and tells the demon to leave. After a few minutes, the room is quiet once again. In interviews years later, the Warrens say they captured knocking sounds and even moaning on tape. But none of these recordings are ever released publicly. They remain locked away, with only the.

[Carter Roy]

Warrens testimony to back them up.

[Chelsea Wood]

Now, before they leave, the Warrens give.

[Carter Roy]

Jack and Janet a list of instructions. They tell the couple to pray daily.

[Chelsea Wood]

And keep holy water in each room.

[Carter Roy]

They recommend contacting a Catholic priest to.

[Chelsea Wood]

Perform an exorcism and promise to check in regularly.

[Carter Roy]

They warn the Smurls this is only the beginning. That night, the activity picks up again. The twins hear knocking in their bedroom. Jack and Janet are woken by the sound of slapping and loud bangs.

[Chelsea Wood]

Jack feels something tickling his feet.

[Carter Roy]

They reach out to the local Catholic.

[Chelsea Wood]

Diocese, but no help arrives.

[Carter Roy]

Over the next few weeks, the haunting grows worse. So much so Ed Warren later describes what's happening in the duplex as a war. Objects disappear from around the house. Jack and Janet hear knocking that seems to respond to their questions.

[Chelsea Wood]

While taking a bath, Janet feels eyes.

[Carter Roy]

Watching her and hears whistling behind her. One night, around 2am Jack wakes up.

[Chelsea Wood]

To find two women standing at the foot of the bed. One is around middle age, the other seems to be in her 20s. Both wear bonnets and old fashioned dresses that emit an eerie glow.

[Carter Roy]

As soon as Jack can make out what he's seeing, they vanish. So in March, the Warrens return. This time, they bring an entire team of supernatural experts and researchers.

[Chelsea Wood]

The Warrens and their crew spend a.

[Carter Roy]

Few days at the Smurl house investigating the haunting. At the end of the week, Lorraine delivers some troubling news to Jack and Janet. The team of researchers has confirmed the infestation, but it's even worse than expected.

[Chelsea Wood]

Lorraine herself encountered the demon in the.

[Carter Roy]

Shape of a black form. She tells the family she's never felt a presence so powerful. Since the local diocese hasn't been returning.

[Chelsea Wood]

Janet's calls, the Warrens bring in a priest of their own. That evening, he blesses the home.

[Carter Roy]

But it doesn't work. So Ed decides to escalate things.

[Chelsea Wood]

He performs what he calls a religious provocation, a deliberate attempt to confront and.

[Carter Roy]

Agitate the entity using prayer and holy water.

[Chelsea Wood]

In the middle of the ritual, Ed feels hands tightening around his throat. Invisible fingers squeeze the breath from his body.

[Carter Roy]

He stumbles around until one of his.

[Chelsea Wood]

Colleagues sees what's happening and starts to pray.

[Carter Roy]

The grip loosens, but the entity isn't done.

[Chelsea Wood]

Ed feels the room's temperature drop, and.

[Carter Roy]

Then a message starts to appear on the the mirror. Get out of this house, it reads, and a foul odor fills the room.

[Chelsea Wood]

Ed raises his crucifix and tells the demon to leave. He recites prayers louder and louder until the room warms back up and the message on the mirror disappears.

[Carter Roy]

Ed isn't the only one who has a strong encounter.

[Chelsea Wood]

Other members of the team experience heavy banging, the sound of animal hooves, and complete body immobilization. Jack wakes up with bite marks on his body. Simon, their dog, levitates off the floor. Mary sees the black form pass through her bedroom wall. The Warrens theorize the entity might be attracted to to the Smurl girls, particularly dawn and Heather. In their experience, hauntings often intensify around girls entering puberty.

[Carter Roy]

Demons, they say, feed on emotional energy, and adolescence can be a vulnerable time. But something doesn't add up. Most demonic infestations involve trauma or darkness already in the home.

[Chelsea Wood]

Abuse, grief, or addiction. That's not the case here. The Smurls are a loving family. So why them?

[Carter Roy]

Whatever the reason, the group agrees they're past the point of subtle interventions. They need an exorcism. In late June 1986, the Smurls get a brief moment of peace.

[Chelsea Wood]

For two days, the House is quiet. Jack even starts to think the demon may have finally left the duplex.

[Carter Roy]

But on the third night, the demon shifts from torment to violation. Jack wakes up in the middle of the night to see a figure standing by the bed. The creature has the face of a woman, but her Skin is pale and scaly. She looks 65 or 70, with open sores on her cheeks and scraggly white hair. Her eyes are red, her teeth sharp, and her mouth green with decay. Before Jack can react, she's on top of him. According to his account, she rapes him. He can't move.

[Chelsea Wood]

He can't breathe.

[Carter Roy]

When it's over, a sticky substance clings to his body.

[Chelsea Wood]

Jack tells Ed about the attack, and.

[Carter Roy]

Ed explains the demon was likely a succubus, a female entity known for sexually violating its male victims. Not long after, dawn has a vision of the attack and breaks down in front of her parents. It isn't the last time something like this happens. For many nights, Janet wakes up to.

[Chelsea Wood]

Find that her body is paralyzed by an unseen force.

[Carter Roy]

And then she too is sexually assaulted, this time by what the Warrens call an incubus, the male form of a succubus. At this point, Ed and Lorraine call Father Robert McKenna. He's a traditionalist Catholic priest who has performed dozens of exorcisms.

[Chelsea Wood]

He agrees to help the Smurls.

[Carter Roy]

The night before Father McKenna arrives, Jack wakes to see the same two women in bonnets he'd seen before.

[Chelsea Wood]

This time they're accompanied by a blonde man in his 40s.

[Carter Roy]

Jack tries to sit up, but he's paralyzed.

[Chelsea Wood]

Then the man leans forward, points at Jack, and snarls.

[Carter Roy]

You'll pay for this. The next day, Father McKenna arrives at the duplex carrying a black leather doctor's bag full of ritual items.

[Chelsea Wood]

Candles, holy water, bells, a gold chalice. He sets up an altar at the Smurls dining table and gathers the family so they can all pray together. After the prayer, Janet and Jack accompany Father McKenna room by room as he reads the rites of exorcism in Latin and sprinkles holy water throughout the house. As they return to the downstairs altar.

[Carter Roy]

They hear a tantrum from upstairs. Doors slam in the kitchen.

[Chelsea Wood]

The knickknacks on the shelves start to shake. Father McKenna shouts the prayers louder, then silence. Before he leaves, the priest gives the.

[Carter Roy]

Smurls a bucket of holy water, just in case. After the exorcism, the house goes quiet again, but not for long. Just days later, Mary hears tapping and hissing on her side of the duplex. She smells raw sewage.

[Chelsea Wood]

Karen is hospitalized for a week with a mysterious illness.

[Carter Roy]

Janet and Mary wake up with gouge.

[Chelsea Wood]

Marks on their arms.

[Carter Roy]

Jack levitates from his bed again, and.

[Chelsea Wood]

A relative driving past the house sees a woman with long white hair floating in the window. Then the entity turns its Attention to dawn.

[Carter Roy]

One night, while getting into the shower.

[Chelsea Wood]

She feels something grab her arms. She breaks free and runs, screaming. Her parents believe an incubus was trying to assault her, too.

[Carter Roy]

Ed and Lorraine are growing concerned the.

[Chelsea Wood]

Demon is moving toward its next goal.

[Carter Roy]

Possession. It's what they saw in Amityville, and they're worried it's happening here, too. They know the demon won't stop until it achieves its final objective. Killing the family. Father McKenna performs another exorcism. But it's the same story as the last one. A few days of quiet, lulling the family into false relief. Then the demon is back with a vengeance, banging the walls, destroying fine china, and levitating the Smurls from their beds. At this point, Jack and Janet start to wonder if it's time to leave. Maybe they can just pack up and disappear.

[Chelsea Wood]

But even when they visit a campground for a weekend, the entity flies, follows them. There's no escape.

[Carter Roy]

They're desperate.

[Chelsea Wood]

And this time, they're ready to risk the one thing they've tried to avoid for years. Going public.

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[Chelsea Wood]

In July 1986, Lorraine Warren is invited to appear on a talk show in.

[Carter Roy]

Philadelphia called People Are Talking, hosted by Richard Bey. She asks if Jack and Janet can come with her, and the show agrees. The Smurls only condition is that their last names and faces be concealed. Even before filming the segment, the presence follows Jack and Janet. It latches onto their car during the.

[Chelsea Wood]

Drive, then shows up at the hotel the morning of the taping.

[Carter Roy]

The family is eating breakfast with the Warrens when Janet levitates in her chair during the show. Bay and the studio audience start off skeptical.

[Chelsea Wood]

But as the Smurls tell their story, something shifts.

[Carter Roy]

They don't seem showy or out for attention. They just seem scared.

[Chelsea Wood]

Father McKenna even calls in to verify the details. Jack and Janet express their disappointment in.

[Carter Roy]

The Catholic Church, which still hasn't helped. Ed tells the host that demons target families like the Smurls.

[Chelsea Wood]

Devout, loving, stable, the Smurls Live in the image of God, he says. And this the demon finds totally repugnant. So it wants to destroy them.

[Carter Roy]

That night, the demon retaliates. Mary says it's one of the worst days on her side of the duplex. The banging is so loud and John is so cold. The couple ends up leaving for the night. A few days later, it starts up again on Jack and Janet's side. Janet's blankets are stripped off in the middle of the night. She floats into the air.

[Chelsea Wood]

Then she's flung across the room.

[Carter Roy]

The next night, Jack sees a hulking.

[Chelsea Wood]

Eight foot creature with a pig like.

[Carter Roy]

Snout and red eyes. It drools at the foot of the bed. That's when the Smurls make a decision. No more hiding. No more concealing their names or faces. They want to go fully public. The Warrens caution them about the media. Not everyone will believe them. Some people will call them lunatics or liars. But the Smurls say it's worth the risk. A few days after deciding to go public, Jack is lying in bed, still awake. Simon, the family dog, starts gasping like he can't breathe. Jack senses something next to him. He feels a heartbeat.

[Chelsea Wood]

Then something grabs his arm and fills the room with a horrible odor. Jack throws holy water on himself and the presence vanishes.

[Carter Roy]

Thankfully, Simon is okay. But later that night, Jack sees another form.

[Chelsea Wood]

He's walking to the bathroom when a massive creature with horse legs, brown fur and a half human face comes charging at him.

[Carter Roy]

It snorts like a bull. Jack runs back to bed.

[Chelsea Wood]

The creature jumps in beside him.

[Carter Roy]

Then it's gone.

[Chelsea Wood]

In mid August, Janet contacts the Catholic diocese again. This time they promise to send someone out to help the family.

[Carter Roy]

But that person never comes.

[Chelsea Wood]

That night, almost a year to the.

[Carter Roy]

Day after the first attack, Jack is again assaulted by the Succubus. The church is no help.

[Chelsea Wood]

And even an entire team of Warren's researchers and priests and haven't been able.

[Carter Roy]

To banish the demon.

[Chelsea Wood]

So Janet places a call to the Wilkes Barre Sunday Independent. Later that week, a reporter pays a visit to the Smurl duplex.

[Carter Roy]

She interviews Jack, Janet, Ed and Lorraine. They make a public plea to the Catholic Church and anyone else who can.

[Chelsea Wood]

Help free them from their suffering.

[Carter Roy]

The story runs on August 17, 1986, and the smurl house becomes a spectacle. Reporters call from all over the country. Strangers park outside the duplex and gawk. It becomes impossible to go outside without being recognized.

[Chelsea Wood]

And to the Smurl's surprise, the majority of people seem to believe their story.

[Carter Roy]

A local TV station reports that 75% of viewers think the family is telling the truth. The other 25% think they're lying or delusional. The publicity also attracts some help. A woman from Jack's company tells the family about a medium named Mary Alice Rinkman. A few days after the newspaper article.

[Chelsea Wood]

Comes out, Mary Alice visits the Smurl home, and what she finds backs up.

[Carter Roy]

Lorraine's claims almost exactly. Mary Alice describes the same black form.

[Chelsea Wood]

The family has seen. In the basement, she encounters a spirit named Abigail, an elderly woman, confused but not dangerous, she says.

[Carter Roy]

A man named Patrick also haunts the home. Patrick was beaten and hanged in the 1800s after murdering his wife and her lover. He sees Janet as his dead wife, Elizabeth, and thinks Jack is the man she betrayed him with. His ultimate goal is to see Jack and Janet separated.

[Chelsea Wood]

Mariala says Patrick is controlled by another spirit, that something even more vicious and.

[Carter Roy]

Bent on doing harm.

[Chelsea Wood]

And then there's the demon. It has total command of the house.

[Carter Roy]

It's everywhere, in every nook and cranny of the duplex.

[Chelsea Wood]

All of the other spirits are under its control, doing its bidding.

[Carter Roy]

It's relentless.

[Chelsea Wood]

The demon won't stop the torture until.

[Carter Roy]

It possesses a member of the Smurl family. Not only is the family hounded by the spirits in their home, but the media attention also won't let up. On August 23rd, Jack and Janet read a prepared statement from their back porch asking for privacy. It seems to work. Reporters stop coming around, and fewer strangers show up on the Smurl's doorstep.

[Chelsea Wood]

But not only does the paranormal activity continue, it spreads. Six different houses in the area report.

[Carter Roy]

Foul odors, unexplained knocking, and distant screams.

[Chelsea Wood]

The Smurl's direct neighbors report freezing temperatures and the sound of scratching on their windows.

[Carter Roy]

Jack starts to question his sanity, too.

[Chelsea Wood]

He looks in the mirror and sees.

[Carter Roy]

A decomposing man with burned eyes and tattered skin. He wonders if he's being possessed. He's pale, withdrawn. Janet says he's anxious and paranoid. The family knows they need another exorcism, and fast.

[Chelsea Wood]

But before the Warrens can call Father McKenna back in, the Smurls get a call from the Scranton diocese.

[Carter Roy]

They say they've been inundated with calls from reporters about the haunting, and they blame the Smurls for the disturbance. The church says it'll be taking over.

[Chelsea Wood]

The case, and the Warrens are no longer needed. They send Monsignor Eugene Clark to the duplex to investigate.

[Carter Roy]

He agrees to stay overnight to see the evidence firsthand.

[Chelsea Wood]

But Ed and Lorraine predict nothing will happen. They say the demon hides itself around skeptics to make the family look crazy.

[Carter Roy]

They've seen it happen before, and that's exactly what happens here.

[Chelsea Wood]

After his visit, Monsignor Clark reports no supernatural activity. So the Warrens bring back Father McKenna for a third exorcism. This time, friends and relatives come by every day to pray and light candles. Ed and Lorraine call it drowning the demon in prayer. And for a while, it seems to work. Jack says the house feels lighter. The air is different. In late September, the smell of roses fills the air. Four weeks pass without incident.

[Carter Roy]

On October 28th, Jack and Janet release another.

[Chelsea Wood]

For several weeks now, all has been quiet in our house. It would appear that our problem has been resolved.

[Carter Roy]

The diocese says they've reached no official conclusions. But since the family feels the haunting has ceased, they'll be closing the case. That year, the Smurls enjoy a peaceful Thanksgiving. There are no doors slamming, nothing goes missing, and the black form is nowhere to be found. By early December, life returns to normal.

[Chelsea Wood]

Everyone's health is restored, and the family.

[Carter Roy]

Is able to sleep through the night. Even the girls start doing more school activities. Then one night, two weeks before Christmas, Jack is getting ready for bed. He turns off the tv, starts to pray, then looks into the mirror above the sofa. There, he sees it again. The black caped form. The demon. The smoky figure stares back at Jack and beckons. Jack clutches his rosary and runs upstairs. The demon follows.

[Chelsea Wood]

He holds the rosary to the form's face and repeats his prayers until it fades.

[Carter Roy]

The Smurls don't get the quiet holiday season they'd been hoping for. By New Year's Day, 1987, it's clear the spirits are back for good. They've changed tactics.

[Chelsea Wood]

The floor shakes.

[Carter Roy]

The family hears pounding and demonic laughter. Mary sees a white oozing mass.

[Chelsea Wood]

The girls grow depressed. In the weeks and months that follow, the haunting continues.

[Carter Roy]

According to Jack and Janet, the diocese never comes back.

[Chelsea Wood]

The Warrens stay in touch, but their involvement is limited. Eventually, the family decides to leave. They move to a nearby suburb, but.

[Carter Roy]

Don'T publicize the exact address. They don't want visitors, gawkers or journalists. They just want to live in peace. By 1988, the Smurls are still being.

[Chelsea Wood]

Tormented, even in their new home.

[Carter Roy]

But they're trying to move on. Of course, not everyone believes them. In 1986, the same year the Smurls.

[Chelsea Wood]

Went public, journalist Paul Kurtz of the.

[Carter Roy]

Committee for Skeptical Inquiry conducts his own investigation. He interviews neighbors, clergy and Reporters.

[Chelsea Wood]

He concludes the entire case is built.

[Carter Roy]

On exaggeration, suggestion, and perhaps even fabrication. Kurtz points out that no independent tapes.

[Chelsea Wood]

Or photographs have ever been produced. The Warrens say they recorded hours of activity, but those recordings have never surfaced. He offers to send his team to investigate, covering all costs, but the Smurls decline.

[Carter Roy]

He also raises questions about the Warrens themselves.

[Chelsea Wood]

The couple is known for stepping into.

[Carter Roy]

High profile hauntings from Amityville to Enfield. They claim to have assisted in hundreds.

[Chelsea Wood]

Of cases, but rarely provide documentation. And when the church publicly distances itself.

[Carter Roy]

From a case, the Warrens often step in to fill the void.

[Chelsea Wood]

As for the Smurls, Kurt says their experiences may have been brought on by delusion. See, Jack had surgery years earlier for water on the brain, which in rare cases can cause hallucinations. Kurt suggests that stress, family tension and.

[Carter Roy]

Catholic guilt could explain the experiences. Then there's the question of money.

[Chelsea Wood]

In 1986, a book deal is announced.

[Carter Roy]

The Haunted, written by Robert Curran, details every terrifying moment the Smurls say they experienced.

[Chelsea Wood]

Ed and Lorraine Warren are prominently featured.

[Carter Roy]

As the family's saviors. Within a few years, a made for.

[Chelsea Wood]

TV movie is released dramatizing the haunting for a national audience. For believers, the book and movie are proof that something horrifying happened on Chase Street.

[Carter Roy]

For skeptics, it's confirmation that the entire haunting was orchestrated for profit. Now, Janet and Jack insist they never made much money from the story. They say they only wanted to warn others about the dangers of demonic forces.

[Chelsea Wood]

But as the years pass, the haunting's truth becomes murkier.

[Carter Roy]

Neighbors report never seeing priests come for exorcisms.

[Chelsea Wood]

The local diocese confirms they performed blessings.

[Carter Roy]

But found no evidence of paranormal activity. One priest did even spend a night in the house and said it was completely ordinary.

[Chelsea Wood]

After the Smurls moved out in the late 1980s, new families moved in. None report any supernatural experiences. Some even publicly declared that the house is perfectly peaceful. Critics argue it's a classic moral panic story, a devout Catholic family experiencing normal.

[Carter Roy]

Household problemselectrical issues, plumbing failures, financial stress.

[Chelsea Wood]

And interpreting them through the lens of their religious beliefs. Fueled by fear, amplified by the Warrens.

[Carter Roy]

And monetized by publishers and TV networks. But others still believe. They point to the consistency of the Smurls testimonies over decades, to Janet's clear.

[Chelsea Wood]

Distress in interviews, to Dawn's quiet statements about what she saw floating in her bedroom late at night. Some neighbors stand by the family testifying about the screams and knocks they heard at night. And though the Smurls shy away from press, they maintain their story.

[Carter Roy]

Jack passes away in 2017 at the age of 75. Youngest daughter Karen says after the publicity died down, her father put his time and energy into his family and community. After so much ridicule thrown their way, all he wanted to do was put the story behind him.

[Chelsea Wood]

The experiences inspired Karen to enter the paranormal business herself.

[Carter Roy]

Though she works full time as a social worker, she sometimes helps families like.

[Chelsea Wood]

Her own as a supernatural investigator.

[Carter Roy]

Today, the house on Chase street still stands. No shadows flicker across the windows.

[Chelsea Wood]

No sulfur fills the rooms.

[Carter Roy]

The current owners say it's peaceful.

[Chelsea Wood]

But for the Smurls and for those who believe them, it will always be.

[Carter Roy]

The house where something dark once lived. A haunting that left scars far deeper than broken pipes or flickering lights.

[Chelsea Wood]

Because whether it was a demon or.

[Carter Roy]

A family tragedy twisted in into legend, the story remains. And stories, after all, have a power of all their own. Thank you for listening to conspiracy theories. We're here with a new episode every Wednesday. Be sure to check us out on Instagram he conspiracypod. And if you're watching on Spotify, swipe up and give us your thoughts.

[Chelsea Wood]

For more information on the Smurl haunting.

[Carter Roy]

Amongst the many sources we used, we found the Haunted by Robert Curran extremely helpful to our research.

[Chelsea Wood]

Until next time. Remember, the truth isn't always the best story.

[Carter Roy]

And the official story isn't always the truth. This episode was written, written and researched by Chelsea Wood. Fact checked by Sophie Kemp, engineered by Sam Amezkwah and video edited and sound designed by Ryan Contra. I'm your host, Carter Roy.