Desperate for help, the family contacted Ed and Lorraine Warren. After investigating, the Warrens concluded that the home was occupied by a —a non-human entity that was attempting to break the family's will through "infestation" and "oppression" in order to eventually possess one of them.
In 1985, the Smurls and the Warrens decided to perform a series of exorcisms to try and rid the house of The Entity. The exorcisms were conducted by a team of priests and were documented by the Warrens. The rituals involved prayers, blessings, and sacred relics, all aimed at weakening and banishing The Entity. smurl haunting
The Smurl family consisted of parents Pat and Joe, and their five children: Doug, 19, Debbie, 17, Steve, 14, Tina, 11, and Chris, 6. They were a devout Catholic family who moved into a small, two-story house on North Street in West Pittston in 1974. The house had a reputation for being haunted, but the Smurls were skeptical and thought they could handle whatever supernatural activity might occur. Desperate for help, the family contacted Ed and
Jack Smurl claimed on several occasions to have been physically and sexually assaulted by a succubus-like entity, a claim that made the case particularly controversial and disturbing. The Warrens and the Church The exorcisms were conducted by a team of
The strange occurrences started in 1974, shortly after the Smurls moved in. At first, they were minor: doors creaking open and shut, objects moving on their own, and strange noises in the night. However, as time went on, the events became more frequent and more intense. The family reported seeing shadowy figures, hearing disembodied voices, and experiencing unexplained cold spots in the house.
Ultimately, the Smurls moved out of the house in 1987. They claimed that while the intense physical activity stayed at the Chase Street house, the "darkness" followed them for a short time before finally dissipating after a final, successful church-sanctioned exorcism in 1989. The Legacy of Chase Street
The family's story became a media sensation in 1986, leading to significant public scrutiny and accusations of being "money-hungry charlatans," though the family maintained they never profited from the ordeal.