154:, said there might be other "less demonic" explanations. The home was blessed by several priests who said they saw "no harmful activity while on the property." Janet Smurl claimed an unidentified priest performed three "unsuccessful" exorcisms, and that the demon avoided the rites by "moving between the double-block home" and following the family to other locations. In 1986, a priest from the local diocese spent two nights at the Smurl home and said "nothing unusual happened" during his stay there.
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staff writer Joseph
Marusak who wrote, "Robert Curran forsakes the principles of his trade to give readers a one-sided account of what did or didn't occur over several years in Jack and Janet Smurl's former home". Reviewer Mary Beth Gehrman wrote that the book was poorly written, adding that "it is
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or brain impairment, and advised that they submit themselves to psychiatric and psychological examinations. Jack Smurl told a newspaper reporter he had "surgery to remove water from his brain in 1983 because he had been experiencing short-term memory loss due to a case of meningitis in his youth."
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That same year, the pastor of
Immaculate Conception Parish in West Pittston, Rev. Joseph Adonizio, said the Smurls felt that after intense prayers, "things are back to normal." In 1987, Janet Smurl told reporters that they still heard knocking and saw shadows. After the Smurl family moved to
110:. Warren claimed he felt a drop in temperature and saw a "dark mass" form in the home, and the demon once left a message on a mirror telling him to "get out". After months of investigation, Warren alleged that he had a number of audiotapes containing knocking and rapping caused by the demon.
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hard to conceive of a supposedly sophisticated objective and (as far as I know, at least until now) credible reporter like Curran taking their story seriously given the complete lack of any empirical or physical evidence to support it."
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said the
Warrens weren't objective, independent, or impartial investigators and characterized the Smurls' claims as "a hoax, a charade, a ghost story." Kurtz said that the family's claims were possibly due to delusions,
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psychologist Robert Gordon commented that "people often look at demonology to explain many tensions that they experience as individuals and within their families".
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that caused loud noises and bad odors, threw their dog into a wall, shook their mattress, pushed one of their daughters down a flight of stairs, and physically and
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Wilkes-Barre, Debra Owens moved into the former Smurl home in 1988 and told reporters she "never encountered anything supernatural while living there."
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In 1986, the Smurls told the press they were tired of the constant media bombardment; however within a few months, they had authored (along with
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Haunted Places: The
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inhabited their home between 1974 and 1989. The Smurls' claims gained wide press attention and were investigated by
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explanations. The Smurls' version of their story was the subject of a 1986 paperback titled
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Ed Warren; Lorraine Warren; Robert Curran; Jack Smurl; Janet Smurl (4 October 2014).
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371:"A look back: Smurl family makes claims in 1985-86 about West Pittston residence"
221:"Annabelle's Real - But The True Story of The Conjuring is Far More Terrifying"
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Scinto, Sarah. "Jack Smurl, famous for haunting story, dies at age 75",
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Committee for the
Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal
251:"Film's 'ghost hunters' also probed Smurl case in '86 - Times Leader"
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in August 1973. They claimed that the premises were disturbed by a
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36:
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said they were unsure what might be causing the disturbances.
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American
Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty
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People from the
Scranton–Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area
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In 1986, the family brought in a pair of demonologists
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430:The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ghosts and Hauntings
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23:refers to claims made by Jack and Janet Smurl of
347:. James Paton. pp. 15–. GGKEY:TUHK23W0TQH.
324:"Scientists wary about 'haunted' Pa. residence"
169:. The book was criticized by reviewers such as
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344:The Book of Ghosts, UFO's and the Unexplained
184:In 1991, a two-hour made-for-TV movie titled
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69:a 1991 made-for-TV movie of the same name
16:Alleged haunting of a Pennsylvania house
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150:theology professor Alphonsus Trabold,
99:family members on several occasions.
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400:Michael W. Cuneo (15 October 2002).
375:The Times Leader, Wilkes-Barre, PA 1
280:. Graymalkin Media. pp. 169–.
277:The Haunted: One Family's Nightmare
406:. Crown/Archetype. pp. 260–.
219:Richardson, Jancy (5 March 2015).
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567:The Smurl family Demonic Haunting
369:Delazio, Sheena (March 3, 2008).
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454:Dennis William Hauck (2002).
433:. Alpha Books. pp. 57–.
602:Luzerne County, Pennsylvania
303:Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice
249:O'Boyle, Bill (2013-07-20).
115:State University of New York
43:who encouraged the family's
89:West Pittston, Pennsylvania
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148:St. Bonaventure University
490:. Internet Movie DataBase
121:and then-chairman of the
87:house on Chase Street in
113:Professor Paul Kurtz of
83:The Smurls moved into a
525:Pittsburgh Post Gazette
488:"The Haunted (TV 1991)"
607:Ed and Lorraine Warren
531:The Skeptical Inquirer
159:Ed and Lorraine Warren
104:Ed and Lorraine Warren
587:1980s in Pennsylvania
582:1970s in Pennsylvania
140:Roman Catholic Church
138:Spokespeople for the
35:, who alleged that a
462:. Penguin. pp.
519:Scrantonian Tribune
57:scientific skeptics
539:, Jack Smurl, 1988
533:11, Winter 1986-87
521:, November 2, 1986
427:Tom Ogden (1999).
198:as Jack Smurl and
167:St. Martin's Press
97:sexually assaulted
527:, August 25, 1986
515:, August 27, 1986
473:978-0-14-200234-6
440:978-0-02-863659-7
413:978-0-7679-1141-2
287:978-1-63168-019-9
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45:supernatural
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549:The Haunted
543:The Haunted
537:The Haunted
225:Movie Pilot
187:The Haunted
163:The Haunted
65:The Haunted
592:Demonology
576:Categories
545:Book, 1988
260:2015-03-12
235:2015-03-12
206:References
494:16 August
385:16 August
133:Allentown
144:Scranton
119:Buffalo
108:praying
79:History
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55:, and
49:clergy
93:demon
37:demon
496:2011
468:ISBN
435:ISBN
408:ISBN
387:2011
282:ISBN
67:and
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19:The
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464:370
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