Finally, they called the Catholic Church. The Church, hesitant to validate a demonic presence, suggested they reach out to the Warrens.
According to the Warrens, the entity was eventually driven out of the home and "pushed" into the nearby Susquehanna River. The activity subsided, though Jack reported low-level harassment continued for years afterward. Naturally, not everyone believes the Smurl story. Skeptics point out that the family sold the rights to their story to a TV movie ( The Haunted , 1991) and that the Warrens had a financial incentive to sensationalize claims. jack smurl
For two years in the mid-1980s, a quiet street in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, became a war zone. It wasn't a war of nations, but of faith versus flesh. At the center of it all was Jack Smurl, his wife Janet, their children, and his elderly parents who lived in the adjoining half of their duplex. Finally, they called the Catholic Church
Furthermore, some investigators noted that the Smurl home was built on a known coal mine tunnel, leading to ground shifts and natural gas seepage—perfectly mundane explanations for the sounds and smells. For two years in the mid-1980s, a quiet
But things escalated quickly. This is where the Smurl case separates itself from a "noisy ghost" story. Janet Smurl reported being thrown from her bed onto the floor. Jack witnessed his mother, Mary Smurl, being pinned to her bed by an invisible force. She would later describe a black, shadowy figure with glowing red eyes hovering over her, scratching her arms and legs.
That is the story of .
Jack tried to brush it off. He was a practical man—a former Marine and a truck driver. But the practical explanations ran out the night the television turned on by itself, blasting static at 3:00 AM, and the crucifix hanging on the wall flipped upside down. The Smurls did what any logical family in the 80s would do: they called the cops. They called the media. They called plumbers to check the gas lines for the smell. Nothing helped.
