Is The Conjuring: Last Rites based on a true story? Meet the real Smurl family that battled a demon in 1986

If you thought The Conjuring: Last Rites was just another popcorn-sprinkled Hollywood horror movie, think again. This spine-chiller is rooted in one of the most infamous real-life hauntings that paranormal power couple Ed and Lorraine Warren ever investigated: the haunting of the Smurl family in West Pittston, Pennsylvania.

Is The Conjuring: Last Rites based on a true story?| Credit: X

Before the devil made her do it, the Smurl family did

It all started innocently enough in 1976. Jack and Janet Smurl moved into a humble duplex with their daughters. Jack¡¯s parents lived in the other half. Cute setup, right? Wrong. Things went sideways a decade later in 1985 when a ceiling light fell and gashed their daughter¡¯s forehead. From there, it was like Paranormal Activity meets The Exorcist, but in real life.

Is The Conjuring: Last Rites based on a true story? | Credit: AP Photo

Reality behind the story of the Smurl family

The Smurls reported chilling screams, mysterious stinks, and even their German shepherd being hurled across the room like a chew toy. One of the most disturbing claims? Jack said a demonic entity had assaulted him. It was chaos, and the family was desperate. Enter the Warrens¡ªEd and Lorraine¡ªthe ghost-hunting legends who had just wrapped their work on the Amityville horror and were ready for round... whatever.

The Warrens jumped in with holy water, crucifixes, and a suitcase full of exorcism gear. Ed told reporters at the time that the temperature dropped 30 degrees, a dark mass appeared, and furniture started going poltergeist-mode. Lorraine, ever the clairvoyant, sensed four entities: a gentle grandma ghost, a little girl with violent vibes, a sad dude who died in the house, and one demon using the rest as puppets.

The Conjuring: Last Rites release date

Hollywood may have added some spice, but the core story? Totally real. Jack and Janet eventually wrote a book in 1986 titled The Haunted: One Family¡¯s Nightmare. A TV movie followed. And now, with Last Rites hitting theatres on 5 September 2025, the Smurl saga is getting the full Conjuring Universe treatment.

Jack passed away in 2017, but his daughter Carin still investigates the paranormal. According to her, their story was never about fame, it was about surviving the unexplainable and helping others do the same.