'Extreme haunted' house is 'torture chamber' in disguise, says petition to close it

Table Of Content

• Extreme haunted house: inside the real life kingdom of masochists
• Nightmare Fears Factory Haunted House Captures Guests Freaking Out
• The Depraved Real Life Attraction Behind Hulu’s ‘Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House’
• McKamey Manor: Too Extreme for Most, But Creator Calls It PG-13
• The Untold Truth Of McKamey Manor, America's Most Controversial Haunted House
• Getting into McKamey Manor takes some harrowing feats
• Entertainment

But are those kinds of things really happening at this attraction? Despite the wild stories that come out of the place, owner Russ McKamey insists that it's all theatrics. Most sane people wouldn't call the haunted house exciting, and might regard a mere few minutes at McKamey Manor as more than enough. However, that still hasn't stopped some folks from becoming repeat customers, wanting to prove to themselves that they can last longer than their previous tries. McKamey Manor is supposedly such a torturous experience that even the toughest military veterans and masochists are pushed well beyond their limits. Of course, according to McKamey Manor's founder, Russ McKamey, the attraction is designed to be impossible to finish.

‘Monster Inside’ Filmmaker Responds to McKamey Manor Probe (Exclusive) - Hollywood Reporter

‘Monster Inside’ Filmmaker Responds to McKamey Manor Probe (Exclusive).

Posted: Fri, 03 Nov 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Extreme haunted house: inside the real life kingdom of masochists

The alleged injuries that participants have suffered are not for the fainthearted, and include all manner of torture just shy of acts that constitute war crimes. Among these rumored acts are being dunked repeatedly underwater, beating until bones break, and more. The documentary's director, Andrew Renzi, revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that, while it wasn't his intent to draw the attention of the authorities to McKamey Manor, he's glad the participants who were subjected to the excessive torture may finally see justice occur. "The Attorney General is taking notice, so maybe the way my team made the film, as a horror film, has sparked a more visceral reaction in people than if we'd followed a more straightforward true crime template," he told the publication. Take Laura Hertz Brotherton, for example, who in 2016, traveled from Colorado to the McKamey Manor's original location in San Diego, California, as part of her quest for a more extreme horror experience. According to her interview with Nashville Scene, she got far more than she bargained for in the form of waterboarding, tasing, whipping, and slapping.

Nightmare Fears Factory Haunted House Captures Guests Freaking Out

Referred to by critics as a torture chamber, the McKamey Manor website claims the experience is the “next evolution in interactive survival horror theatre.” Each experience is tailored to the participant’s personal fears and can last 10 hours. The experience may involve abductions, assaults, and other terrors—all of which can lead to a number of injuries and even death. Every moment of the experience is said to be filmed, and it’s allegedly heavily edited to only show the parts online that wouldn’t put the operation at risk. Anyone who wants to participate has to meet a long list of requirements.

The Depraved Real Life Attraction Behind Hulu’s ‘Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House’

Get our newsletter and join our community powered by horror fans like you. I make it simple because I’m a simple guy, and I can’t have too many rules, or I’ll get confused. McKamey said he does, however, use mental techniques to convince people they are experiencing things that they are not. He said he films every visit so he has proof of what happened and didn’t happen during it.

Is McKamey Manor safe?

Now, each contestant's experience is livestreamed to a Facebook audience of over 10,000. After 23 years in the Navy, McKamey says, he started creating haunted experiences in his backyard in San Diego. "Every year, things just kind of progressed. People really enjoyed all the interactivity of it and enjoyed all the audience participation aspects of it." Paid actors on site can manipulate guests, but the participants cannot touch the actors. Adrenaline junkies, McKamey says; people who see the tour as an extreme obstacle course and a challenge to beat their personal best time. McKamey Manor in Summertown touts itself as a haunted house like no other.

There is no set fee for touring the haunt, though McKamey takes donations of dog food for his pets. Though possibly more appealing during spooky season, tours take place year-round whenever someone musters up the courage to take on the challenge. Indeed, a number of people have gone public with their terrifying experiences at McKamey Manor. Laura Hertz Brotherton, who went through McKamey’s San Diego haunted house, claims that the experience sent her to the hospital. She arrived covered in bruises, with scratches inside her mouth from actors “fish-hooking” her cheeks. McKamey Manor is the brainchild of Russ McKamey, a former Navy seaman turned wedding singer turned haunted house enthusiast.

The Untold Truth Of McKamey Manor, America's Most Controversial Haunted House

Marines and cage fighters, cops and bikers, plumbers and clerks, housewives and beauticians – all have tried. The contents of the usually 40-page waiver (sometimes more, sometimes less depending on the "activities" that day, McKamey tells USA TODAY) visitors need to sign beforehand are more than frightening enough for anyone looking for a Halloween spook. He pushed the boundaries trying to find new thrills and participated in many interactive and extreme horror houses.

Getting into McKamey Manor takes some harrowing feats

The first takes place in a barn on his Summertown, Tennessee, property, which Redditors and YouTubers believe is located in the Duke Park Estates community. The second phase takes place in Nashville, and the third takes place in Huntsville, Alabama, at an undisclosed location on a multi-acre property, according to WHNT News 19. McKamey attempted to move the experience to Illinois in 2014, but public opposition prevented that relocation. The reasons were because of the high cost of living in San Diego and the fact that his house was too close to neighbors.

A voluntary donation is recommended, according to the McKamey Manor website. So, if this is something you're considering, you should also think about how much that would cost to make it all happen, and go from there. The same contestant said the McKamey Manor's waiver states that there might be "a chance of death," per USA Today. Ahead, you'll find the answers to all your burning questions regarding McKamey Manor, including how it works, how you can visit, the prize money, if it's still open today, and more.

Guests start in Summertown, but McKamey said he transports them to different locations in Tennessee and rents out other people’s farms and abandoned buildings for the stunts. Participants start the tour with the chance to earn $20,000 and lose $500 every time they fail an activity, McKamey said. He also takes away $500 if a guest says a curse word, since cursing is not allowed at the manor. According to a volunteer who worked remotely for McKamey, the 40-page waiver that participants sign includes the possible risks of having teeth removed, being tattooed and having fingernails extracted. Most people don't make it a half-hour into the experience before tapping out. Still, there's no shortage of people vying to visit McKamey Manor.

He insists that countless participants have been fooled into thinking something happened that never actually did. There is no conventional entrance fee; instead, McKamey accepts dog food for his pet dogs. At the Tennessee location, guests must be at least 21 years of age, or 18 to 20 years with parental consent. McKamey said he has invested more than $1 million in the attraction, which is a mobile experience.

So, if McKamey Manor is a nonprofit that doesn't accept monetary payment, what does it cost to get in? "I've already put in well over a million dollars into the thing," Russ McKamey tells WFLA News Channel 8. Brandy Eaklor is a writer, artist, and content creator who specializes in entertainment and horror subjects. Despite the controversy and backlash, McKamey claims the manor is still thriving. However, several people have come forward stating they were contacted immediately about starting a tour, which doesn’t seem likely if there’s actually an extensive waitlist.