The Warrens are returning for one last paranormal investigation in the upcoming The Conjuring: Last Rites.
In the fourth installment of the horror franchise, Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga return as real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. This time, the duo are tackling the infamous haunting that affected the Smurl family in the ‘80s.
Wilson shared in a May 2025 interview with Entertainment Weekly that the Smurl family’s story has been on The Conjuring team’s radar for a bit.
“We’ve known about this one for a long time,” the actor told the outlet. “Then writers are playing around with how it affects the family and what’s going on in the family’s life. That’s where we can really theatricalize it. We’re not making a documentary.”
Keep scrolling for a breakdown on The Conjuring: Last Rites and the Smurl family haunting:
Is ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Based on a True Story?
The Conjuring: Last Rites is based on a real-life haunting that the Smurl family endured. The Warrens investigated the case in 1986, per Penn Live.
Who Is the Smurl Family?
The Smurl family consists of parents Jack and Janet Smurl and their four children.
What Happened to the Smurl Family?
In 1973, Jack, Janet and the two children they had at the time moved into a duplex home on Chase Street in West Pittston, Pennsylvania. While in the home, the family experienced multiple strange occurrences, including loud noises and bad odors.
As things got worse, the family claimed the home had a demon present as the entity allegedly threw their family dog into a wall, shook their mattress, pushed one of their daughters down a flight of stairs and assaulted family members.
After spending years with the ghosts, the Warrens learned of the Smurl family’s story and went on to investigate their home in 1986. Ed and Lorraine claimed to have encountered multiple presences and recorded evidence of paranormal activity, including knocking, rapping and a message written on a mirror that told them to leave. Lorraine claimed that the Smurls were four spirits in the abode: an elderly woman, a young girl, a man who died in the home and a demon.
The Warrens ultimately did not get rid of the demon in the home, so the Smurls called on a local pastor to perform an exorcism, which made things normal.
What Happened to the Smurl Family’s Home?
Despite getting rid of the demon, the Smurls claimed they still heard knocking and saw shadows. They ended up moving. A woman by the name of Debra Owens moved into the alleged haunted home and shared with reporters that she never experienced anything out of the ordinary there.
Has the Smurl Family’s Story Inspired Other Works?
In addition to inspiring the final Conjuring film, the Smurls’ story was the subject of a 1986 paperback titled The Haunted. A made-for-TV movie of the same name was released in 1991.
When Does ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ Come Out?
The Conjuring: Last Rites hits theaters on September 5, 2025.
