In 1986, the Smurl family relocated to a two-story duplex on Chase Street in the quiet town of West Pittston, Pennsylvania. The household consisted of Jack and Janet Smurl, their daughters Dawn and Heather, and Jack's parents, Mary and John. Janet was pregnant at the time and later gave birth to twin girls, Shannon and Carin.Shortly after settling in, the family began experiencing unsettling phenomena. Initially, it started with unexplained noises, shuffling, and knocking sounds. Soon, a mysterious stain repeatedly appeared on the living room rug despite being cleaned, and a foul odor permeated the house that hired plumbers could not resolve. The situation escalated when sewer pipes spontaneously burst, a newly purchased television caught fire, and deep claw marks appeared on a bathtub overnight. Neighbors even reported hearing strange disturbances coming from the house when the family was away.The terrifying events eventually became physical and visual. The family heard voices speaking in an unrecognizable language, the older children felt themselves being pushed down the stairs, and the twins' cribs were violently shaken by an unseen force. The daughter Dawn reported seeing floating figures in her bedroom. Furthermore, Jack and John claimed to have been visited at night by a succubus, while Janet and Mary reported terrifying encounters with an incubus.Desperate for help, the family contacted prominent demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren. Using specialized equipment, the Warrens recorded anomalous audio and concluded that the house was occupied by four entities: the spirit of a woman who had lived there, a jealous man, an unidentified spirit, and a powerful demon. Following religious rituals, the house remained peaceful for about three months before the phenomena returned with greater intensity. Strange physical marks appeared on the hands of Janet and Mary, flying objects became a hazard, and baby Carin developed a severe, unrelenting fever. The Warrens warned that the haunting had entered its second phase and was nearing the dangerous third phase of possession and death.As the situation grew desperate, the family shared their story on a talk show, which led to supportive crowds and prayer vigils gathering outside their home. In December 1988, an apparition of a woman in black appeared to Jack, urging him to surrender to the third phase of the haunting, which he refused. The family finally fled to another town in late 1988 or 1989. Following their relocation, Carin fully recovered, and all paranormal activity instantly ceased.The haunting became highly publicized. The family co-authored a book detailing their ordeal, and their story was later adapted into the 1991 movie The Haunted. However, the case faced significant skepticism. A university professor, Paul Kurtz, argued that the events were imagined or a result of mass panic, pointing out that Jack Smurl had suffered from short-term memory loss and had undergone brain surgery in 1983. Additionally, the subsequent resident of the home, a woman named Debra, reported living there comfortably with absolutely no unusual or paranormal experiences. Jack Smurl later passed away in 2017 at the age of 65.

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