The Conjuring: The Last Rites will be the final Conjuring movie, as confirmed by James Wan. The film is based on the real-life Smurl family case of 1986. Most horror movies use the tag of “based on real-life events” quite lightly, often dramatizing the events for entertainment and shock value. So, how true is The Conjuring: Last Rites? Here’s a breakdown of The Conjuring: Last Rites vs the real Smurl family story and whether Conjuring: The Last Rites is based on a true story.
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What Is Conjuring: Last Rites About
The Conjuring: Last Rites’ story is based on the true story of the Smurl Family Haunting in 1986. Multiple sinister entities tormented the family, forcing Ed and Lorraine Warren to travel to Pennsylvania to investigate what became known as “the case that ended it all.” James Wan, one of the creators of the Conjuring Universe, wanted to adapt the plotlines ever since the inception of the franchise. He called the story “one of the more Googleable ones.”
The film stars Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga, reprising their roles as Ed Warren and Lorraine Warren. Mia Tomlinson plays the role of Judy, Warren’s daughter, who plays a pivotal role in the movie. On September 5, 2025, The Last Rites opened worldwide and earned $187 million, making it the second biggest global horror opening ever. Last Rites also takes place as the final movie (as of writing) in the Conjuring timeline (see our watch order guide).
Who Were Jack and Janet Smurl
The Smurl family consisted of Jack and Janet Smurl, along with their four daughters. Jack’s parents also lived with them, who lived on the other side of the duplex. The story begins in 1973 when the Smurl family moved into a duplex in West Pittston, Pennsylvania, after a flood destroyed their last home.
Jack, a former Navy veteran and neuropsychiatric technician, had poured all his life savings into the house that would soon become the family’s living nightmare.
The Real Smurl Family Haunting
Everything was going well at first. Right after they moved in, Jack earned a promotion at work, the kids thrived in school, and even the in-laws felt happy. However, as is the case with any paranormal disturbance, the signs crept in slowly. Tools started vanishing and reappearing and old wall stains bled through freshly painted walls.
The disturbances then escalated even further. Nauseating odors of sulfur and rotting flesh often filled the house, and kitchen appliances caught fire even when they were unplugged. The family even reported seeing a shadowy figure floating through the house. After the birth of twins, the disturbances grew more violent.
By 1985, things started getting violent. Jack’s mother suffered a heart attack. The family’s dog, Simon, was thrown against the wall, and their daughters reported being pushed down the stairwell. Jack himself later claimed he was sexually assaulted by a demonic entity. This one time, a light fell from the ceiling and left one of the Smurl daughters with a head injury.
The Warrens’ Investigation and Media Coverage
For almost a decade, the Family kept quiet about the Smurl family haunting and tried to deal with it on their own. In 1986, however, when things got violent, the family reached out to the Church for help. Several priests were called in to bless the house. The Smurl family even claims there were two failed exorcisms.
Finally, the Warrens were called, and Ed and Lorraine Warren stepped in, calling the Smurl family their final case. The Warrens stated that the Smurl family hadn’t done anything to invite the evil in. Ed Warren even described them as “the chosen,” claiming the family was being haunted for reasons beyond human control.
Lorraine later confirmed that four entities haunted the Smurl family: a man who had died in the house, a violent young girl, the spirit of an elderly woman, and a demon that used the other three spirits to instill fear in the family.
Is The Conjuring: The Last Rites Based on True Story
Despite borrowing from real-life events, much of Conjuring: Last Rites’ story is glamorized for entertainment. Michael Chaves, the director of Last Rites, opened up about what was real and what was fake in the movie in a conversation with USA Today. Here’s a breakdown of fact vs fiction in The Conjuring: The Last Rites:
| In the Movie | In Real Life |
|---|---|
| The haunting begins with Heather Smurl receiving a cursed mirror as a confirmation gift. | In reality, there was no cursed mirror in the Smurl case. |
| Ed and Lorraine Warren’s daughter Judy and her fiancé Tony are heavily involved, and Judy even gets possessed. | Judy and Tony were never involved in the Smurl case. Judy Warren has spoken of being sensitive to psychic activity but was never possessed. |
| Jack Smurl levitates above his bed. | No authenticated reports of this actually happening were reported. |
| Jack Smurl is being sexually assaulted by a succubus. | Yes, Jack Smurl stated he was sexually assaulted by a demonic entity, which was later revealed to be a succubus by Lorraine Warren. |
| Dawn Smurl vomits shards of glass. | One of the younger sisters stated that she would have episodes of throwing up whenever the Warrens would arrive. Chaves stated that he saw this as “an opportunity to go bigger.” So no, the daughter didn’t actually vomit glass shards. |
| The entity is shown as three spirits, including an axe-wielding man. | In reality, there were four entities in the house: an old woman, a young, violent girl, a man who died in the house, and a demon controlling them. |
| Ed and Lorraine’s retired after the Smurl haunting case. | Ed and Lorraine Warren actually worked up until Ed’s death in 2006 and Lorraine’s in 2019. |
| The Smurl haunting is resolved by breaking the mirror. | Since the mirror was never real, this never happened. The Warrens couldn’t really help the family, with Ed even stating it was one of the few cases they could never fully solve. |
What Happened to the Smurl Family
Rev. Joseph Adonizio was the one who finally got rid of the demonic entities, as he claimed “intense prayers” were what helped drive the foul odor and demons away from the Smurl family house. However, Janet Smurl allegedly heard knocking and saw shadows up until 1987. By the following year, the family decided to leave the house and move to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
While the Warrens couldn’t really help the Smurl family with the hauntings, they helped the family document their story in a book titled: The Haunted: One Family’s Nightmare. The book was even adapted into a TV movie by the name of The Titled, released in 1991.
Where Is the Smurl Family Now
Jack Smurl passed away at the age of 75 on June 22, 2017. Janet Smurl continues to live her life in Laporte, Pa. The Smurl daughters are also leading happy and prosperous lives. Heather Smurl is a teacher in Wilkes-Barre and is a mother of two children.
Dawn Smurl, also living in Wilkes-Barre, has raised a son who went on to play as an offensive linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, and Indianapolis Colts. While the other daughters have chosen to stay out of the public eye, Carin Smurl pursued a career in social work and is also a part-time paranormal investigator, a path inspired by her childhood experiences in the Smurl family haunting.
