Posted by - What it is: an “extreme” haunted attraction founded by Russ McKamey.
- Where: started in San Diego, later moved to Summertown, Tennessee.
- What happens: participants are tied up, gagged, forced to eat unknown substances and subjected to physical and psychological abuse.
- Requirements: a medical certificate, background check, drug test and a 40-page waiver.
- The investigation: in 2023 the Tennessee Attorney General’s office opened an inquiry into its practices.
McKamey Manor
McKamey Manor is a kind of haunted house, like the ones at funfairs. The difference is that a tour can last for hours and is so intense that before going in you have to sign a waiver in which you accept EVERYTHING you will be put through inside the house. In fact, you have to read it aloud: it is 40 pages long.
It was founded by Russ McKamey in San Diego, California. At first it was an ordinary family haunted house, but over time it became an increasingly extreme, adults-only experience, and then moved to Summertown, Tennessee.
At McKamey Manor you will live your own personal hell. Those who have taken part, and the creators of the attraction themselves, urge people not to take part, but perhaps that is exactly why the waiting list is so long. You really need iron physical and mental health to finish the tour. So far nobody has ever made it to the end: they all begged to be let go.
For those who make it, McKamey promises a $20,000 prize. But according to journalist Megan Seling of the Nashville Scene, the prize does not exist: the tour is designed so that nobody reaches the end.
How to take part
Nobody knows exactly where the tour takes place: if you want to take part you have to contact the organisation, which will get back to you. If you are (un)lucky enough to be chosen, you will have to meet a long list of requirements: a sports physical, a doctor’s note stating you are physically and mentally sound, a background check, proof of health insurance and a drug test on the day. You must be at least 18, and from 18 to 20 you need your parents’ approval.
In the early days the “ticket” was paid in dog food or donations to animal charities. Today a cash donation is recommended, but not compulsory.
What happens inside
Some of the treatments you may face are: being tied up and gagged, eating rotten food and unknown substances, being covered in blood, vomit and excrement (fake?), and coming into contact with animals such as spiders and snakes. According to former participants, staff may also hit participants, waterboard them and even drug them. All of this is run by staff dressed as demons, killers, clowns or other macabre costumes.
According to a volunteer guide, the waiver lists among the possible risks having teeth pulled, being tattooed and having fingernails removed.
I know this description doesn’t really give you the idea, so here is a video of a tour. Images not suitable for sensitive viewers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7S1a3jML4Q
Controversies
Of course, along with those who praise this attraction there are those who criticise it: many think it should not be legal. The county district attorney, Brent Cooper, said it is legal because participants give their consent, but that under Tennessee law consent can be withdrawn at any time.
And that is exactly the problem: Laura Hertz Brotherton, who took part in 2016, says she repeated her safeword for several minutes before staff stopped torturing her. Afterwards she was treated in hospital for extensive injuries.
Neighbours have complained too: once deputies were called because someone had seen a woman dragged screaming from a van as part of the show. In 2017 a county commissioner posted an alert against McKamey Manor that drew hundreds of comments.
On 31 October 2023 Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti informed McKamey that he had opened an investigation into his business practices: concerns included withdrawn consent not being honoured, lack of access to the waiver beforehand and a prize that cannot be won. The official McKamey Manor account replied: “Haters gonna hate.”
McKamey then sued the Attorney General and also Hulu, which in 2023 had devoted the documentary Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House to the attraction. In 2024 he was also charged in a separate criminal case, but the charges were later dropped.
A YouTuber, Ben Schneider, known as Reckless Ben, published a series of very critical videos that were watched millions of times, and managed to become the legal owner of the company name. According to what he found, McKamey was by then only running a kind of physical “bootcamp” in his front garden.
Today it is unclear whether McKamey Manor is still active and in what form: in 2026 the official YouTube channel was mainly posting karaoke videos by McKamey himself.
After reading all this, would you have the courage to take part?
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