Is 'The Conjuring: Last Rites' really based on a true story? Unpacking the terrifying Smurl haunting and skeptics' claims
The 'Conjuring' universe is back with what is said to be its final chapter. The 'Conjuring: Last Rites,' released 12 years after the original film, follows paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren , played by Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, as they take on the infamous Smurl haunting of the 1980s in Pennsylvania. But how much of the movie is based on true events? Let’s take a closer look at the real story behind it.
While the films are inspired by real events, the creators have openly admitted to taking liberties with the facts. Wilson told Entertainment Weekly, “We’re not making a documentary,” highlighting that the movies blend fact with horror storytelling.
The Smurl family and their hauntingThe movie centers on the Smurl family from West Pittston, Pennsylvania. Jack and Janet Smurl , their four daughters, and Jack’s parents claimed that their home was plagued by a demon throughout the 1980s.
According to the Times Leader, they described numerous frightening events, ranging from hearing screams in the night and foul odors to violent attacks on family members. Jack claimed that he was physically and sexually assaulted by a demon, and the family said that their 75-pound German shepherd was thrown against a wall, while one of the daughters was pushed down a staircase. There were also reports of hearing animal noises, unexplainable grunts, and a hoofed half-man charging down the hallway.
In 1986, the Warrens were called to investigate. They described the spirit as “powerful, intangible, and very dangerous,” identifying four spirits: a harmless elderly woman, a young violent girl, a man who had died in the house, and a demon using the other three to terrorize the family. Ed noted a foul stench of rotting flesh and gossamer threads spelling out obscenities on mirrors, all warning him to leave the home.
Skeptics question the hauntingThe events were met with skepticism. Paul Kurtz, chairman of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, called the haunting a “hoax” and compared it to the infamous Amityville case. Some pointed to Jack Smurl’s 1983 brain surgery as a possible explanation for hallucinations. While priests who stayed in the house did not witness demonic activity, the Smurls claimed that dozens of other people had also seen or experienced strange events in the home.
What happened to the Smurl family?By October 1986, the family said that the hauntings had stopped, crediting their prayers and faith rather than the Warrens’ interventions. A local pastor confirmed that prayers had seemingly ended the violent activity, though the family reported occasional minor disturbances after moving to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1988.
Is ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ the franchise’s final chapter?While Last Rites frames the Smurl case as the Warrens’ final major investigation, the real-life pair continued investigating other paranormal events, including the “werewolf” Bill Ramsey and Easton, Connecticut’s Union Cemetery. Some elements in the movie, such as the connection to their very first case, appear to be fictional additions.
Where to watchThe Conjuring: Last Rites is currently playing in theaters.
While the films are inspired by real events, the creators have openly admitted to taking liberties with the facts. Wilson told Entertainment Weekly, “We’re not making a documentary,” highlighting that the movies blend fact with horror storytelling.
The Smurl family and their hauntingThe movie centers on the Smurl family from West Pittston, Pennsylvania. Jack and Janet Smurl , their four daughters, and Jack’s parents claimed that their home was plagued by a demon throughout the 1980s.
According to the Times Leader, they described numerous frightening events, ranging from hearing screams in the night and foul odors to violent attacks on family members. Jack claimed that he was physically and sexually assaulted by a demon, and the family said that their 75-pound German shepherd was thrown against a wall, while one of the daughters was pushed down a staircase. There were also reports of hearing animal noises, unexplainable grunts, and a hoofed half-man charging down the hallway.
In 1986, the Warrens were called to investigate. They described the spirit as “powerful, intangible, and very dangerous,” identifying four spirits: a harmless elderly woman, a young violent girl, a man who had died in the house, and a demon using the other three to terrorize the family. Ed noted a foul stench of rotting flesh and gossamer threads spelling out obscenities on mirrors, all warning him to leave the home.
Skeptics question the hauntingThe events were met with skepticism. Paul Kurtz, chairman of the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal, called the haunting a “hoax” and compared it to the infamous Amityville case. Some pointed to Jack Smurl’s 1983 brain surgery as a possible explanation for hallucinations. While priests who stayed in the house did not witness demonic activity, the Smurls claimed that dozens of other people had also seen or experienced strange events in the home.
What happened to the Smurl family?By October 1986, the family said that the hauntings had stopped, crediting their prayers and faith rather than the Warrens’ interventions. A local pastor confirmed that prayers had seemingly ended the violent activity, though the family reported occasional minor disturbances after moving to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1988.
Is ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ the franchise’s final chapter?While Last Rites frames the Smurl case as the Warrens’ final major investigation, the real-life pair continued investigating other paranormal events, including the “werewolf” Bill Ramsey and Easton, Connecticut’s Union Cemetery. Some elements in the movie, such as the connection to their very first case, appear to be fictional additions.
Where to watchThe Conjuring: Last Rites is currently playing in theaters.
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