When it comes to spine‑tingling true stories, 10 families who survived real‑life hauntings rival any fictional nightmare. From cursed mansions to murderous poltergeists, these households faced terror that would make even the bravest shudder.
10 families who faced genuine paranormal terror
10 The Smurl Family
When Janet and Jack Smurl first set foot on Chase Street in West Pittson, Pennsylvania, they were only looking at a fixer‑upper that needed a fresh coat of paint and some structural repairs. Little did they suspect that the real renovation would begin in the night‑time, when unseen forces started to make their presence known.
Over the next thirteen years the couple and their children endured relentless torments: Janet reported a demonic presence that seemed to assault her in her sleep, while Jack described an inexplicable attack that occurred while he was watching a baseball game on television. Even the family dog was reportedly hurled violently against a wall, adding a chilling animal dimension to the assaults.
Renowned demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren investigated the home and identified four distinct entities—a benign elderly lady, a violent young girl, a deceased male resident, and a controlling demon that dominated the other three spirits. By 1987 the Smurl family had had enough, packed their belongings, and fled, never to return to the haunted residence.
9 The Perron Family
In 1970, Carolyn and Roger Perron, together with their five young children, moved into the historic Old Arnold Estate in Rhode Island—an imposing farmhouse built in 1736. Before they settled in, a previous occupant left a chilling warning: “For the sake of your family, leave the lights on at night!”
The moment they crossed the threshold, strange phenomena erupted. Carolyn awoke to the sight of a gaunt, gray‑haired woman named Bathsheba, whose head hung loosely as she warned the family to depart. The children also formed a bond with a mischievous little boy they named “Manny,” who watched them play from the windows. Meanwhile, malevolent entities tossed the family from their beds, tugged at their limbs, and filled the air each morning at 5:15 a.m. with the nauseating stench of rotting flesh.
Even decades later the Perrons find it difficult to discuss the ordeal. Their eldest daughter, Andrea, now an adult, summed it up succinctly: “Let’s just say there was a very bad male spirit in the home—with five little girls.”
8 The Enfield Poltergeist
Between 1977 and 1979, a suburban house at 284 Green Street in Enfield, England, became the epicenter of a worldwide paranormal sensation known as the Enfield Poltergeist. Single mother Peggy Hodgson and her two daughters, Margaret (13) and Janet (11), were subjected to a relentless barrage of unearthly activity.
The sisters reported hearing menacing voices, sudden bangs that rattled the walls, and chairs being hurled across rooms. Janet even experienced possession, speaking in the deep, guttural voice of a 72‑year‑old man named Bill Wilkins, who had died in the house years earlier. The phenomenon escalated to the point where the girls were thrown out of their beds and the house seemed to vibrate with unseen energy.
Press photographer Graham Morris, dispatched to document the case, recalled, “I thought it was an ordinary job until I walked into the house.” He captured a now‑famous photograph of Janet apparently levitating above her bed, her face twisted in terror—a snapshot that cemented the Enfield case in paranormal lore.
7 The Lemp Family Curse
The Lemp Mansion, erected in 1868 in the Benton Park neighborhood of St. Louis, Missouri, was originally a grand brewery residence. Tragedy struck the Lemp dynasty early in the 20th century: in 1901, William J. Lemp’s fourth son, Frederick, died of ill health, prompting a wave of despair throughout the family.
In 1904, William J. Lemp took his own life with a gunshot, and his son William “Billy” Jr. assumed control of the business. The family’s misfortunes continued: Elsa Lemp Wright, the youngest sibling, committed suicide in 1920 after a divorce; Billy Jr. followed suit in 1922, also ending his life with a gun. Later, in 1949, Charles Lemp shot himself after killing the family dog. The sole surviving brother, Edwin Lemp, eventually died of natural causes, requesting that every family heirloom be destroyed.
Today, the Lemp Mansion operates as a restaurant and inn, yet guests and staff report eerie encounters. A persistent legend tells of a deformed Lemp son hidden away in the attic, whose restless spirit is said to haunt the corridors, adding a spectral layer to the mansion’s already grim history.
6 The Snedeker Family
The Snedeker House, located on Meriden Avenue in Southington, Connecticut, inspired the horror novel and film The Haunting in Connecticut because of its unsettling past. In 1986, Allen and Carmen Snedeker, along with their three sons, a daughter, and two nieces, moved into the sprawling property.
While exploring the basement, Carmen uncovered a set of mortician’s tools, leading her to discover that the house had previously served as a funeral home. Soon after, their eldest son began experiencing vivid visions of malevolent spirits, and both parents reported terrifying sexual assaults by unseen demonic forces. Renowned paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren examined the house and confirmed a demonic infestation.
Since the Snedeker family vacated the premises, no further paranormal activity has been reported. Experts suggest that the evil entities were drawn to the family’s presence rather than the building itself, implying a personal rather than structural haunting.
5 The McPike Mansion
Alton, a small town in Madison County, Illinois, boasts a reputation as one of America’s most haunted locales, and the centerpiece of its spooky fame is the McPike Mansion. Constructed in 1869 by businessman Henry McPike, the sixteen‑room mansion originally housed his family and staff.
In the early 1900s the property changed hands, being purchased by Paul Laichinger who rented rooms to boarders. Those who stayed soon reported hearing inexplicable noises—children’s laughter and chatter despite no children being present, as well as other unsettling sounds echoing through the halls.
After Laichinger’s death in 1945, the mansion lay vacant until 1994 when Sharyn and George Luedke acquired it for restoration. Sharyn observed a ghost‑like figure staring at her from a garden window, while other phenomena included captured orbs on camera and heavy metal doors swinging open unaided. Ghost hunters have identified the wine cellar as the most active paranormal hotspot within the house.
4 The Sprague Mansion
In the mid‑1800s, Lucy Chase Sprague lost her fortune and died impoverished within the walls of the Sprague Mansion on Cranston Street in Cranston, Rhode Island. The sprawling estate later became the residence of Robert and Viola Lynch in 1967, who moved into the 28‑room mansion featuring a famously eerie Doll Room.
During the late 1960s, night watchman Bob Lynch Jr. and his friends experienced blankets being ripped from their beds. Using a makeshift Ouija board, they contacted a spirit that spelled out, “Tell my story!” Another unsettling presence is the ghost of Amasa Sprague, whose body was discovered bludgeoned near the house in 1843, adding a murderous historical layer to the hauntings.
Since the Lynches departed, paranormal investigators have recorded the dolls’ eyes moving on camera within the Doll Room, and the wine cellar remains a hotspot for orbs and unexplained lights, cementing the mansion’s reputation as a genuinely haunted location.
3 The Danny LaPlante Killings
In January 1987, teenage sisters Annie and Jessica Andrews were startled by loud knocking emanating from the walls of their bedroom. Blood‑red writing appeared on the plaster, spelling out, “I’m back. Find me if you can.” The girls, grieving the recent loss of their mother, believed a restless spirit was trying to make contact.
When their father entered the house, he discovered a young boy wearing his deceased wife’s dress and clutching a hatchet. After a frantic chase, police uncovered a hidden crawl space and identified the “ghost” as 17‑year‑old Daniel LaPlante, who had been masquerading as a specter.
Following a brief stint in a juvenile detention center, LaPlante was released, only to commit a second wave of horror on December 1, 1987. He shot 33‑year‑old Priscilla Gustafson and then drowned her two children—seven‑year‑old Abigail and five‑year‑old William—in their Townsend, Massachusetts home. He was subsequently sentenced to life imprisonment for his gruesome crimes.
2 The Lutz Family
On November 13, 1974, the quiet street at 112 Ocean Drive in Amityville, Long Island, became the scene of a horrific mass murder when Ronald “Butch” DeFeo Jr. gunned down his parents, two brothers, and two sisters while they slept. Butch later claimed that demonic voices compelled him to commit the killings.
Exactly a year later, George and Kathleen Lutz, along with their three children, purchased the five‑bedroom house at a bargain price. George began waking each night at precisely 3:15 a.m., the time the DeFeo murders had occurred. The family also reported seeing a pig‑like creature with glowing red eyes staring from the windows, and the children experienced levitation episodes, floating out of their beds.
Both George and Kathleen passed rigorous polygraph examinations affirming the authenticity of their experiences. Overwhelmed by the relentless paranormal activity, the Lutz family eventually fled, leaving the notorious Amityville house forever etched in American horror folklore.
1 The Winchester Mystery House
Located at 525 South Winchester Boulevard in San Jose, California, the Winchester House began construction in 1884 after the death of its patriarch, William Wirt Winchester. Sarah Winchester, his widow, inherited a staggering $1,000‑a‑day fortune—a mind‑boggling sum when the average daily wage was merely $1.50.
Grieving both her husband and an infant daughter who died at six weeks, Sarah consulted a spiritualist who warned her that she was cursed by the spirits of those killed by Winchester rifles. The medium advised her to “build a home for yourself and the spirits,” promising that continual construction would keep her alive, while halting the work would seal her fate.
Heeding the warning, Sarah devoted the next thirty‑eight years to an endless building spree, adding staircases that led nowhere, secret passages, 47 fireplaces, and 160 rooms. The labyrinthine mansion, now a popular tourist attraction, continues to draw paranormal investigators from around the globe, all eager to glimpse the restless spirits said to still roam its endless corridors.