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Russ McKamey, the owner and mastermind behind the manor, has five dogs to feed. While the traditional Halloween haunted house relies on jump scares and eerie costumes to frighten, McKamey's experience was a lot more hands-on. Participants might be bound, blindfolded or otherwise restrained.
McKamey Manor Taps Into Deep-seated Fears
But there's another box that participants must check before being subjected to McKamey Manor's horrors, which is watching a nearly two-hour documentary that features many of the attraction's previous participants. The purpose of this particular requirement does little to reveal the specifics of what they'll be subjected to as, according to the website's warning, participants must "Understand that each tour will be different based upon your personal fears," meaning no two experiences are the same. Some haunted house attractions have photo booths so visitors can take home a snapshot of themselves, after experiencing thrilling yet tame special effects and actors in spooky costumes. McKamey Manor, on the other hand, lets participants record videos of themselves — bruised, bloodied, and battered — talking about how much they enjoyed the rush.
Getting into McKamey Manor takes some harrowing feats
McKamey is adamant that nothing weird goes on in the manor, despite a report from The Guardian that said visitors may be “bound, masked and held under water, slapped and stomped on, and compelled to eat your own vomit” during the eight-hour tour — if they last that long. McKamey insists it’s a more of a “mental game” between him and contestants, which he wins using hypnosis. "They want to be here because they just don't get scared at normal haunted houses," he says. "They are adrenaline junkies, they're thrill seekers. They come to me to experience terror or to experience excitement or whatever." McKamey Manor is a haunted house attraction that is known for bringing its visitors' worst fears to life.
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Protests scotched an envisaged site in Illinois so he is now preparing another, undisclosed location. “The possible consequences such as dry drowning or possible damage to lungs were never explained. If actors weren’t aware of these consequences and possible life-threatening situations, it’s fair to say that they had no idea what they were doing.
Interactive horror house or a torture chamber?
For starters, you must be 21, or you can get parental permission if you're 18 to 20. Those interested in trying the experience must complete a physical exam, a background check, a phone screen, a drug test, and sign a 40-page waiver, per Fox Business. You also have to show proof of medical insurance and get a doctor's note stating you are physically and mentally cleared, per the McKamey Manor website. Real or not, it seems inevitable that McKamey Manor will continue to draw guests. Considered one of the world’s scariest haunted houses, it’s a magnet for endurance junkies and horror aficionados.
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Before participants can even make into into the Manor, they reportedly have to go through an interview of sorts. But one thing that all three of the participants interviewed wanted was something more. McKamey has denied that visitors are ever held against their will and has said that what appears in his YouTube videos is all "smoke and mirrors." A new documentary on Hulu tells the true story of the controversial experience.
'Extreme haunted' house is 'torture chamber' in disguise, says petition to close it
Once someone has delivered some good answers, they talk to McKamey personally, when he gets to know them even more deeply. Calling McKamey Manor “torture porn” and “a shame to all haunted houses,” the petition claims that participants have suffered sexual assault, injections with drugs, and extreme physical harm. Those who want to participate can still sign up and experience it for themselves. The McKamey Manor website bills it as an "extreme haunted attraction." It requires that visitors be at least 21 years old, or if they are 18 to 20 have a parent's permission, and that they obtain a doctor's note stating that they are "physically and mentally cleared" for the experience.
‘Extreme haunted attraction’ McKamey Manor sparks investigation, Tennessee officials say - Charlotte Observer
‘Extreme haunted attraction’ McKamey Manor sparks investigation, Tennessee officials say.
Posted: Sun, 05 Nov 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
McKamey has buried people alive, as well as lowered them into a tank full of eels. While Russ McKamey hasn't specifically addressed the petitions, he has spoken out about his process, and claims there's nothing illegal going on. “There’s no torture, there’s nothing like that, but under hypnosis if you make someone believe there’s something really scary going on, that’s just in their own mind and not reality,” he told The Washington Post. It operates as a nonprofit, taking just a handful of visitors each weekend and accepting payment only in dog food. It is also unique in not having a safe word, says Jon Schnitzer, who is making a documentary about extreme haunts.
And, like the way reality shows set their contestants up for drama, It's easier to pull off the ultimate scare when Smith and a handful of other volunteers are working behind the scenes with pre-tour screenings that help cater the experience to what would scare each individual. If you successfully join the Facebook group, you've completed step one of the vetting process. You must also speak with Russ personally before being accepted for a tour. Despite its extreme nature, McKamey Manor has a waiting list of close to 24,000 people, even as some people who experienced it say they have suffered aches, pains and emotional scars.
They must sign a 40-page legal waiver, complete a sports physical, get a doctor’s note, pass a background check, show proof of medical insurance, and pass a drug test on the day of the experience. Participants—who need to be at least 21 years old or years old with parental approval—must also comply with the rules. Namely, no running, touching props or actors (aka fighting back), using foul language, or pushing is allowed. If you’ve never heard of the infamous attraction, McKamey Manor is an extreme haunt designed by Russ McKamey to physically and psychologically torture participants, often for hours. Although some of the more intense haunted houses allow actors to touch you but not physically harm you, the manor takes it up a notch. Previous contestants claim they have been kidnapped, waterboarded, forced to eat disgusting things, and often left bruised and injured.
Whether it’s true or not, Russ Mckamey has managed to gain a cult-like following online. Some of those who have spoken out against McKamey claim his “cult” threatened and doxed them, causing them to leave the internet altogether. The owner, who according to WFLA has five dogs, only requires people to bring a bag of dog food. Back in San Diego, McKamey started filming everything that happened inside McKamey Manor as an insurance policy, so he'd have proof of what really went down — and what didn't — anytime law enforcement came knocking.
Hulu's synopsis also describes McKamey as "a Navy Veteran who lures horror enthusiasts into his web. They find themselves pulled into the no-holds-barred world of McKamey Manor—a haunt that doesn't end until Russ says so." McKamey also offers up a nice prize for those that "beat the manor". If anyone has the tenacity to persevere and make it through the whole event could win a $20,000 prize. Originally based in California, Russ McKamey moved his shop of horrors to Summertown in 2017 and has come up with new ways to scare those who dare enter and also gain some criticism over the years. Brotherton says actors blindfolded her with duct tape, submerged her by her ankles in water, and buried her alive with only a straw to breathe through.
He continues to post updates about "challenges" routing followers to the main closed Facebook group for McKamey Manor. There are several ongoing petitions, along with many disgruntled neighbors, calling for McKamey Manor to be shut down. He is still active on both his personal and McKamey Manor Facebook accounts. In the Hulu show, some of the interviewees stated they believed McKamey now spends his days working at Walmart. Even adding in a video of an unidentified woman going into a store, going through a line and exiting stating it was "totally him". "Russ is there the entire time, recording it, and the joy and like pleasure he was getting out of it was extremely weird," she said.
There were staff involved, plus EMTs standing by, and a special insurance policy. McKamey maintains the discussions of controversy are led by folks who haven't gone through the tour themselves and are based on an iteration of the manor that hasn't existed for five or six years. It used to be a more physical experience, with actors "yelling, getting real physical with them." Now, McKamey says, he's the only one who interacts with contestants during the tour. But some contend that at McKamey Manor, people are really getting hurt. A recent Change.org petition by Frankie Towery asking the Tennessee and Alabama governments to shut down McKamey's operation continues to collect signatures. A Change.org petition started in 2019 by Frankie Towery, asks the Tennessee and Alabama governments to shut down McKamey's operation has more than 190,000 signatures at this time.
Although Russ McKamey claims he’s simply a Halloween fanatic who enjoys making horror “movies,” many believe he’s a predator who gets off on making people terrified and uncomfortable. "They do screenings to find the weakest, most easily manipulated people to do the 'haunt'. ... Mckamey Manor is a shame to all haunted houses, and needs to be shut down," the petition started by a person named Frankie Towery reads. SUMMERTOWN, Tenn. — A scary venue that is marketed as an extreme haunted house in Summertown, Tennessee, is now the focus of a Change.org petition striving to shut it down. The petition also claims that founder Russ McKamey hires employees with violent histories and makes people ingest pills that cause hallucinations.
If the details of these tours haven't put you off already, you can still visit the infamous McKamey Manor. In 2017, largely due to local complaints, Russ McKamey moved his attraction from San Diego to Summerville, TN. He also has a secondary tour location in Huntsville, AL, where he takes participants that survive long enough at the Tennessee location.
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