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Get ready for chills—The Conjuring’s fourth and final film hits theaters on September 5. This latest installment dives into another real-life paranormal case handled by the famous demon-hunting duo Ed and Lorraine Warren, this time in 1986, focusing on the terrifying events that tore apart the Smurl family.
How It All Started
Jack and Janet Smurl, a Catholic couple from West Pittston, Pennsylvania, bought a duplex on Chase Street with hopes of making it their family home. Despite the house’s creepy reputation in the neighborhood, they moved in with their four daughters and Jack’s parents.
At first, they were busy fixing up the place and tried to brush off the strange feelings they got. But soon, things got downright disturbing. The family started smelling foul odors, hearing loud banging on the roof, and witnessing furniture move or levitate by itself. One shocking incident saw their dog thrown against a wall and a light falling on their youngest daughter. Jack and Janet themselves began suffering physical attacks from unseen forces.
Calling in the Experts
With no money left after renovations and nowhere else to turn, the Smurls reached out to Ed and Lorraine Warren for help. During a visit, Lorraine’s clairvoyance revealed four spirits haunting the house: a harmless old woman, a violent young girl, a deceased middle-aged man, and a powerful demonic force controlling them all.
Ed explained the four stages of demonic activity—infestation, oppression, possession, and death—and soon experienced firsthand the terrifying hauntings the family described. Despite multiple blessings by Ed, Lorraine, and local priests, the evil presence refused to leave, forcing the Smurls to finally move out in 1987.
Though this film marks the end of The Conjuring movie saga, Ed and Lorraine continued their paranormal investigations until their passing in 2006 and 2019.