Smurl Family Members

Today, we are taking a closer look at the Smurl family members who lived through the terror and the roles they played in this chilling piece of paranormal history.

The Smurl family members eventually moved out of the Chase Street home in 1988. They relocated to a new home in Wilkes-Barre, hoping to leave the nightmare behind. While reports state that the activity followed them briefly, it eventually subsided. smurl family members

The haunting centered around the Smurl family, a tight-knit, religious Catholic family living at 328 Chase Street. The household consisted of four generations under one roof, which paranormal investigators later theorized might have contributed to the sheer volume of activity—or at least the variety of people affected. Today, we are taking a closer look at

Jack and Janet were the heads of the household. As devout Catholics, their initial reaction to the strange occurrences was confusion and prayer. They were the primary targets of the entity's most aggressive behavior. Both reported being sexually assaulted by an unseen force and suffering physical slaps and scratches. Jack, in particular, faced a crisis of faith, wondering why God would allow this to happen to his family. They became the public face of the haunting, eventually writing a book with Ed and Lorraine Warren titled The Haunted . While reports state that the activity followed them

Jack SmurlJack was the patriarch of the family and a veteran of the Navy. As the primary protector of the household, he was often the most vocal about the physical and psychological toll the haunting took on his family. Jack claimed to have been physically assaulted by the entity on numerous occasions, reporting instances of being thrown across rooms and even being sexually assaulted by a succubus. His struggle to maintain his faith and protect his daughters while being tormented by an invisible force became a focal point of the family's public testimony.

John and Mary SmurlThe Smurl family lived in a double-block house (a duplex). While Jack and Janet lived in one half, Jack’s parents, John and Mary, lived in the adjoining unit. The haunting was not confined to one side of the wall. John and Mary reported hearing loud banging, scratching, and the sound of heavy furniture moving in the other unit when they knew Jack and Janet were away. Mary Smurl, in particular, was a witness to several manifestations and shared the family’s deep Catholic faith, which they used as their primary defense against the entity through prayer and house blessings. Key Figures in the Smurl Case