The Smurl Family

Here is where the story takes its strangest turn. The Catholic Diocese of Scranton initially dismissed the Smurls as hysterics. But after a bishop secretly visited the home and witnessed a crucifix spinning upside down on the wall, the Church relented. They did not perform an exorcism. Instead, a priest came to the house, blessed every room, and performed a "Supplication of the Laity."

The Warrens attempted to secure an exorcism through the Diocese of Scranton. the smurl family

That changed in 1985.

In the mid-1980s, the Smurls—Jack, Janet, and their three daughters—became the epicenter of one of the most documented, divisive, and terrifying poltergeist cases in American history. It wasn’t just a ghost that rattled chains; it was a multi-layered siege involving psychic phenomena, demonic oppression, and a legal battle with the Catholic Church. Here is where the story takes its strangest turn