haunted house manor 40 page waiver

Creator of extreme haunted house with 40-page waiver responds to outrage: 'It's all entertainment'

A haunted house has gone viral for its hair-raising requirements for entry : participants must clear a background check, pass a doctor's physical and mental exams, and sign a 40-page waiver. 

And with virality comes controversy: plenty of speculation and outrage has arisen online over how safe the extreme haunted experience really is. 

The premise of McKamey Manor: "contestants," as they're dubbed, are pushed through a series of terrifying, seemingly dangerous tasks while blindfolded as they're transported to various locations between Summertown, Tennessee, and Huntsville, Alabama. Owner and creator Russ McKamey offers a $20,000 prize to anyone who can complete the course, though nobody ever has. 

NSFW videos of past contestants' experiences are required viewing before signing up for the tour. The images are harrowing: they show grown adults sobbing, shaking, often soaking wet and covered in what looks like blood. McKamey maintains the danger is all an illusion. Critics say participants are signing themselves up to be tortured.

But people continue to sign up anyway.

'There's a chance of death': Inside the chilling 40-page waiver

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. 

Kris Smith, a remote volunteer for McKamey Manor, has been through the tour twice.

But before both attempts, he was initially scared off by the waiver, which details all the physically painful, mentally scarring and grotesque things that could happen along the way: it says you could be be buried alive in a coffin, for example, or swim through a tunnel system with minimal air pockets and caimans trying to bite you. 

"I read it and I quit," Smith says in an interview with USA TODAY. "I got to the last page and turned around and went home. ... There's so much. You have to pull out your own teeth, there's a chance of getting a tattoo, a chance of your fingernails getting pulled out. It's really overwhelming. There's a chance of death. Accidents do happen." 

When a participant finally gets the courage to hand over their John Hancock, there's still the actual tour experience go through. 

'Just putting on a big show'

McKamey comes across as a charismatic, theatrical man. He grew up loving movies and theater. After serving for 23 years in the Navy, he spent another 13 working in veterans affairs before turning McKamey Manor into a full-time gig. 

"It's all entertainment," McKamey says. "Halloween is nothing more than a big play. (The Manor) is just putting on a big show. That's all it is, just a big production." 

Much like a reality show, potential contestants are screened beforehand ("We want people that are going to be outgoing, people who are going to put on a show for fans," says Smith.)

Each contestant is filmed through their attempts at making it through the tour, with clips of their experiences shared for fans to watch through a private Facebook group. 

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. 

"I'll be your best friend," Smith says of his relationship with contestants leading up to their tour date. "I'll be calling you, checking up, ... getting into your head to figure out what makes you tick." 

Smoke and mirrors: McKamey explains the making of some of the horror

The appeal of a typical haunted house or horror movie lies behind its safety. Guests or viewers can enjoy something shocking and seemingly frightening because they know deep down the danger is make-believe. 

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. So far it's gotten over 62,000 signatures.

The petition, which cites Reddit threads and unnamed "reports," calls the Manor "literally just a kidnapping & torture house" and claims "some people have had to seek professional psychiatric help and medical care for extensive injuries." 

"It’s a lot of nothing. The manor is not getting shut down," McKamey says of arguments like those, adding he's not going to stop doing something just because some people don't like it. 

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. It's a mental game now. 

"They're not getting hurt," he says. "I use a lot of hypnosis, a lot of mind control techniques. If you can hypnotize people, you can make them think whatever you want. I don’t need to rough anyone up. Hypnosis is a powerful mind tool. I can put somebody in a pool with 3 inches of water and tell them there’s a great white shark, and they’re going to believe they're swimming (in the ocean) with a great white shark."

Smith recalled tapping out during his second attempt at conquering the manor: he said he went through a round of hypnosis that gave him a "complete panic attack." 

Who would sign up for something like this?

Adrenaline junkies, McKamey says; people who see the tour as an extreme obstacle course and a challenge to beat their personal best time. 

Repeat contestant Brandon Vance told The Nashville Scene in 2018 that after serving in the Army, he's constantly seeking a similar adrenaline rush. Extreme activities like skydiving and bungee jumping don't do it anymore, he said. So he turned to McKamey Manor to get his extreme thrills. 

"I don’t get that adrenaline rush from jumping out a plane anymore. It’s not the same as when you’re sitting in a Humvee, locked and loaded, you’ve said your last prayer and go outside the wire — it’s very hard to replicate that," he said. “With McKamey Manor, that’s the closest I’ve ever come. I get to experience that feeling again — it’s almost euphoric.”

That's what McKamey says it's all about: "The energy and the folks; entertaining the folks," he says. "It's fun to be able to design something that comes to fruition and succeeds and does all the things you hope it would. Its rewarding to see that take place. Its just entertainment – nothing more, nothing less."

Contributing: The Associated Press.

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Tennessee Haunted House, McKamey Manor, Requires 40-Page Waiver, Pays $20K If You Can Last Full 10 Hours

In the words of Randy Jackson, “That’s gonna be a ‘no’ from me, dawg.”

The twisted brainchild of Navy vet Russ McKamey, McKamey Manor in Summertown, TN and Huntsville, AL is likely the scariest haunted house on planet Earth. Just how scary is it?

Scary as a MF’er.

In fact, some people have dubbed it a real life torture chamber that shouldn’t even be in business. Why? Well take a look at some requirements that you need to pass the screening process:

– they make you sign a 40, FORTY, page waiver.

– you must be 21 and above, or 18-20 with parents approval.

– you must get a “Sports Physical” and doctor’s letter stating you are physically and mentally cleared.

– pass a background check.

– pass a screening via Facebook face time or phone.

– have roof of medical insurance.

– and finally pass a portable drug test on the day of the “tour.”

Once you schedule your pants-shitting experience, you’ll partake in the horror fest that takes over 10 hours. IF you complete the journey (and follow the  rules they lay out  such as no cursing, drinking, smoking, running, eating, or touching the actors or props),  you can win $20,000.

Oh, I should add,  NOBODY has ever finished.

Their  website gives you all the info you need, and even itself looks outta control and scary, but somehow, more than 20,000 people have applied to participate. Granted, it doesn’t cost anything more than a 50-pound bag of dog food (weird) to enter.

According to Nashville Scene , the house can  shave your head or eyebrows, inject you with hallucinogens, make you eat bugs, snap you with a mousetrap, wrap plastic wrap around your face, whip you, taze you, bury you alive… and that’s just the beginning.

So while so claim they were scarred for life by the experience, others have tried to complete the challenge more than once. And since Russ films the entire encounter, there is tons of footage available detailing what you can expect.

There is a massive Change.org petition to have the place shut down. Some have claimed they left with broken bones, bruises, were waterboarded and that founder Russ McKamey and company don’t adhere to the proposed safe word in a timely fashion.

However, despite opposition… to  appears  to still be up and running.

Here’s the original trailer that put McKamey Manor on the  map.

Here’s a video from 2015, going behind the scenes with owner/creator Russ McKamey.

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The Scariest Haunted House in the Country Requires Visitors to Sign a Waiver Before Entering

Critics have called the attraction "a torture chamber under disguise"

McKamey Manor is not your average haunted house .

Forget a 10-minute walk through a spiderweb and fake blood-filled maze — this terrifying attraction is self-described as a “new level of extreme horror,” in which guests are forced to come face to face with what scares them most.

“Understand that each tour will be different based upon your personal fears, and can last up to 10 HOURS,” the website reads. “Each guest will be mentally and physically challenged until you reach your personal breaking point.”

Visitors afraid of clowns, for example, can expect to encounter plenty of the creepy jokesters during their journey. Someone who’s deathly afraid of drowning will likely experience some simulation akin to that experience.

In 2015, a participant named Amy Milligan told the San Diego Tribune that she had been slapped, waterboarded and locked in a coffin with cockroaches crawling over her face during her tour.

“I’m going to die here,” Milligan recalled thinking. “‘I’m going to drown.’ My hair is wrapping around my neck and I start freaking out. I’m telling them I can’t breathe and they’re just laughing and doing it more.”

The Manor’s owner, Russ McKamey, says he has invested over $1 million in the attraction over the years, and offers a $20,000 reward to anyone who can complete the entire experience. No one ever has. The Navy vet turned wedding singer created the attraction over 30 years ago, combining his love of haunted houses and theatrics.

“Doing a haunt is like doing a play, but in October,” McKamey tells PEOPLE.

But this controversial destination is the farthest thing from a typical theater-going experience. McKamey says he uses mind-control techniques and hypnosis to put people through mental torture, and that he can get them to believe anything he wants. “That’s my ace up my sleeve,” he says.

Tours at the McKarney Manor — which start in Summertown, Tennessee and end about 70 miles away in Huntsville, Alabama (if you make it that far) — are absolutely free to take part in, but guests must go through a lengthy admissions process to enter.

Because of the personalized nature of the Manor, it runs only once per week.

According to the website , potential guests must complete a “sports physical,” provide a doctor’s note stating they are in peak physical and mental health, pass a background check, provide proof of medical insurance, pass a screening over webcam, pass a drug test, sign a 40-page waiver and watch a two-hour warning video among other requirements.

Guests must be 21 years of age or older. Those aged 18 to 20 can sign up with a parent’s permission.

While the manor may appeal to masochists and horror-lovers, a petition on Change.org is currently going around to put a halt to the attraction, claiming it is “a torture chamber under disguise” and “a shame to all haunted houses.”

The petition was started by a user named Frankie Towery, and appeals to the Tennessee State Senate, Tennessee Governor and Alabama State Senate. It has been signed by over 80,000 people as of Halloween 2019.

The petition description details that “they do screenings to find the weakest, most easily manipulated people to do the ‘haunt.’ If Russ doesn’t think you’re easily manipulated, you aren’t allowed to go… he uses loopholes to get out of being arrested… One man was tortured so badly he passed out multiple times, workers only stopped because they thought they had killed him.”

The document also claims that there have been reports of sexual assault inside the manor, that people with violent histories and sexual offenders are hired, and that needles are used to inject participants with hallucinogens, among other illegal activities.

“It’s literally just a kidnapping & torture house,” the description continues. “Some people have had to seek professional psychiatric help and medical care for extensive injuries. I propose that all locations where this is happening be shut down immediately.”

Despite these allegations, McKamey maintains that the Manor is legal, and that the petitioners’ claims are untrue.

“I find it funny,” he says of the accusations. “It’s my private property, and it’s just something I enjoy doing. Just because I have this unusual hobby that people get all bent out of shape about, they’re not going to shut it down.” He did not clarify which portion of the experience is on his property, as the route covers many miles and crosses state lines.

McKamey also says that the District Attorney has been out to the site many times and has never seen any cause for concern. “You have to use your common sense,” he says. “If torture was happening the way they think it’s happening, then I’d be in jail right now.”

For now, McKamey says he is overwhelmed not by negative attention, but by the amount of people calling him looking to set up a tour.

“I have to put my phone on ‘Do Not Disturb’ because my phone just rings 24/7 now with people trying to take the tour,” he says.

As for the current number of people on the waiting list? “Well over 27,000.”

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McKamey Manor

The One and Only ORIGINAL

"Extreme Haunted Attraction,"

and "Surivial Horror Challenge"

1. 21 and above, or 18-20 with parents approval.

2. Completed "Sports Physical" and  Doctors letter stating you are physically and   mentally cleared.

3.  Pass a background check provided by MM.

4. Be screened via FB face time or phone.

5. Proof of medical insurance.

6. Sign a detailed 40 page waiver.

7. Pass a portable drug test on the day of the show.

For Your Safety You Must Meet Basic Requirements

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clock This article was published more than  4 years ago

An ‘extreme’ haunted house requires a 40-page waiver. Critics say it’s a torture chamber.

Before someone can enter the “survival horror challenge” of McKamey Manor, there’s a physical exam. Then there’s a background check, a phone screen, a 40-page waiver and a drug test. If all that goes according to plan, participants have to watch a nearly two-hour documentary featuring every person who has attempted the haunted attraction in the past two years.

McKamey Manor, based in Summertown, Tenn., bills itself as “an audience participation event in which (YOU) will live your own Horror Movie.”

“Understand that each tour will be different based upon your personal fears, and can last up to 10 HOURS,” the website says. “Each guest will be mentally and physically challenged until you reach your personal breaking point.”

An online petition with tens of thousands of signatures says it’s all a front for a torture chamber and urges state officials to shut down the attraction.

The complicated screening process for McKamey Manor is meant to select participants who can be easily manipulated as the attraction’s cast duct-tapes their heads, forces them to eat things and waterboards them, according to the petition, which had been signed by more than 67,000 people by Wednesday afternoon. The petition also claims that founder Russ McKamey hires employees with violent histories and makes people ingest pills that cause hallucinations.

“It’s literally just a kidnapping and torture house,” the petition says. “Some people have had to seek professional psychiatric help and medical care for extensive injuries.”

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McKamey told The Washington Post that he didn’t “want to confirm or deny which areas are real and which are not” from the petition but that no torture or illegal activities are part of the experience. Law enforcement keeps a close eye on the manor, he said, and he calls police to warn them before each new participants begin the tour in case they get reports of any issues.

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.

“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 said.

Hundreds of haunted house attractions alarm and delight Americans each year, particularly around Halloween. “Extreme” haunted houses, which aim to terrorize through physical and psychological stress, are less common. They are often subject to fierce criticism , while thrill-seekers line up for the chance to be scared out of their minds.

Since a story about the manor from WFLA-TV this month made waves online, McKamey said he has kept his phone on “do not disturb” mode because thousands of people have been calling to set up visits. He said the attraction has a long wait list.

The manor, he said, is an interactive experience that relies on mind games meant to make people believe things that aren’t really happening. He said people are not really waterboarded, for example, but he uses hypnosis and other mind-control techniques to put that thought in their heads.

“If you’re good enough and you’re able to get inside somebody’s noggin like the way that I can,” McKamey said, “I can make folks believe whatever I want them to believe.”

McKamey, who said he served in the Navy for 23 years and moonlights as a wedding singer, started the manor 30 years ago as a cross between his theatrical background and his love for haunted houses. In all that time, he said, no one has completed the manor experience.

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Reservations are required to tour McKamey Manor, and only one or two people are allowed in at a time. Participants have to be over 21, or between 18 and 20 with a parent’s permission. Guests who are pregnant or claustrophobic, or have seizures, respiratory, or heart issues, are urged not to participate. The cost of admission is a bag of dog food for McKamey’s five dogs.

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.

“I’m like the most strait-laced guy you could think of, but here I run this crazy haunted house,” McKamey said. “And people twist it around in their little minds.”

McKamey said he has invested more than $1 million in the attraction, which is a mobile experience. 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.

If participants lasted long enough in the experience, McKamey said they would end up in Huntsville, Ala. No one, however, has ever gotten that far.

“It really is a magic act, what I do,” he said. “It’s a lot of smoke and mirrors.”

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Haunted houses require 40-page waiver, insurance, drug test

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SUMMERTOWN, Tenn. (AP) — A haunted house that promises an extreme experience that can last up to 10 hours requires participants be medically cleared by a doctor and sign a 40-page waiver.

The McKamey Manor experiences in Summertown, Tennessee, and Huntsville, Alabama, also require visitors be at least 18, insured, and pass a background check and drug test.

WFLA-TV reports that owner Russ McKamey offers thousands of dollars to anyone who completes the tour, but says no one ever has. He records each tour on video — for his own protection he says — and then posts them online , showing them quitting in humiliation.

It’s costs nearly nothing to enter: Just a bag of dog food. The website warns of physically demanding environments, but McKamey says the manor is a mental game.

McKamey Manor: Haunted house requires 40-page waiver, offers patrons $20K if they can handle 10+ hours

Haunted house offers ‘extreme’ experience with 40-page waiver.

People who are into haunted houses during the Halloween season may be in for an intense experience at McKamey Manor.

SUMMERTOWN, Tenn. - Haunted Houses are a staple of spooky season, but one “extreme haunted experience” pushes people to their limits and requires patrons to sign a 40-page waiver, create a safe word and pass a physical exam.

McKamey Manor touts itself as the scariest haunted house in the country. There’s a location in Summertown, Tennessee, and Huntsville, Alabama, according to the website .

Russ McKamey owns and operates the terrifying experience, which appears to take more than 10 hours to complete. People can take the tour by themselves, which is called “Desolation,” or they can take part in a two-person “personalized interactive experience.”

In order to participate, a reservation has to be made and the haunted house fan must be 21 or older. Then they must go through a lengthy screening process.

The process requires each person to complete a sports physical, which includes a doctor’s letter “stating you are physically and mentally cleared;” pass a background check provided by McKamey; a screening on Facebook, FaceTime or over the phone; provide proof of medical insurance; sign a 40-page waiver; create a safe word and pass a drug test.

Once a person has passed the rigorous process, they have to watch a two-hour video and pay to get in with a bag of dog food for McKamey’s pets.

If a person has the physical and mental strength to finish the house, they can walk away with a lifetime of nightmares and $20,000. But they also have to follow a required set of rules or they’ll lose out on some of the cash.

Those rules include no cussing, drinking, smoking, running, eating, or touching the actors or props.

So far, McKamey said no one has completed the intense tour.

The original location for the house was in San Diego, California, but eventually it closed down and McKamey moved to the Tennessee and Alabama locations.

This story was reported from Los Angeles.

McKamey Manor: Haunted house requires 40-page waiver, offers patrons $20K if they can handle 10+ hours

Haunted house offers ‘extreme’ experience with 40-page waiver.

People who are into haunted houses during the Halloween season may be in for an intense experience at McKamey Manor.

SUMMERTOWN, Tenn. - Haunted Houses are a staple of spooky season, but one “extreme haunted experience” pushes people to their limits and requires patrons to sign a 40-page waiver, create a safe word and pass a physical exam.

McKamey Manor touts itself as the scariest haunted house in the country. There’s a location in Summertown, Tennessee, and Huntsville, Alabama, according to the website .

Russ McKamey owns and operates the terrifying experience, which appears to take more than 10 hours to complete. People can take the tour by themselves, which is called “Desolation,” or they can take part in a two-person “personalized interactive experience.”

In order to participate, a reservation has to be made and the haunted house fan must be 21 or older. Then they must go through a lengthy screening process.

The process requires each person to complete a sports physical, which includes a doctor’s letter “stating you are physically and mentally cleared;” pass a background check provided by McKamey; a screening on Facebook, FaceTime or over the phone; provide proof of medical insurance; sign a 40-page waiver; create a safe word and pass a drug test.

Once a person has passed the rigorous process, they have to watch a two-hour video and pay to get in with a bag of dog food for McKamey’s pets.

If a person has the physical and mental strength to finish the house, they can walk away with a lifetime of nightmares and $20,000. But they also have to follow a required set of rules or they’ll lose out on some of the cash.

Those rules include no cussing, drinking, smoking, running, eating, or touching the actors or props.

So far, McKamey said no one has completed the intense tour.

The original location for the house was in San Diego, California, but eventually it closed down and McKamey moved to the Tennessee and Alabama locations.

This story was reported from Los Angeles.

McKamey Manor: Haunted house requires 40-page waiver, offers patrons $20K if they can handle 10+ hours

Haunted house offers ‘extreme’ experience with 40-page waiver.

People who are into haunted houses during the Halloween season may be in for an intense experience at McKamey Manor.

SUMMERTOWN, Tenn. - Haunted Houses are a staple of spooky season, but one “extreme haunted experience” pushes people to their limits and requires patrons to sign a 40-page waiver, create a safe word and pass a physical exam.

McKamey Manor touts itself as the scariest haunted house in the country. There’s a location in Summertown, Tennessee, and Huntsville, Alabama, according to the website .

Russ McKamey owns and operates the terrifying experience, which appears to take more than 10 hours to complete. People can take the tour by themselves, which is called “Desolation,” or they can take part in a two-person “personalized interactive experience.”

In order to participate, a reservation has to be made and the haunted house fan must be 21 or older. Then they must go through a lengthy screening process.

The process requires each person to complete a sports physical, which includes a doctor’s letter “stating you are physically and mentally cleared;” pass a background check provided by McKamey; a screening on Facebook, FaceTime or over the phone; provide proof of medical insurance; sign a 40-page waiver; create a safe word and pass a drug test.

Once a person has passed the rigorous process, they have to watch a two-hour video and pay to get in with a bag of dog food for McKamey’s pets.

If a person has the physical and mental strength to finish the house, they can walk away with a lifetime of nightmares and $20,000. But they also have to follow a required set of rules or they’ll lose out on some of the cash.

Those rules include no cussing, drinking, smoking, running, eating, or touching the actors or props.

So far, McKamey said no one has completed the intense tour.

The original location for the house was in San Diego, California, but eventually it closed down and McKamey moved to the Tennessee and Alabama locations.

This story was reported from Los Angeles.

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Guests at McKamey Manor must be screened and sign 40-page disclaimer before being trapped

Visitors to America’s infamous scare attraction McKamey Manor must sign a 40-page waiver and undergo screening, including a drugs test, before they can enter.

McKamey Manor , which features in a new documentary titled Monster Inside , is dubbed ‘America’s most haunted house’ and it’s certainly not for the faint hearted.

To date, no one has ever made it through the full tour, whether that's the original incarnation back in San Diego , or in Summertown, Tennessee, and Huntsville, Alabama.

Run by Russ McKamey , the attraction promises participants a psychological tour de force.

In an interview with LADbible back in 2020, he revealed that some guests have been so scared that they’ve pulled out their own teeth.

"They do it to themselves," he told us. "I don't do it myself.

"They pull their own tooth, which is very difficult to do, and they pull their own nail, and they cut their own hair. I just monitor it.

"With the use of hypnosis and other types of mind control techniques that we use, we can get them to do some crazy things - but they still have to be willing to do it, they have to, you know.

"Even though we use hypnosis and different mind control situations, they're still very much aware of what's going on. They're not like, completely out to where I can make them jump off a building or something."

He added: "So yeah, when the times that we've had people take out a tooth, they've taken out their own tooth, which is crazy to me. That's like, that's nuts to me. But yeah, they get into it, they get into it, and they try the best they can to really succeed."

But before people even get a chance to enter McKamey Manor there’s a lengthy and strict set of criteria they need to meet first, as well as signing a hefty disclaimer.

As you may have assumed, McKamey Manor is strictly for adults: visitors must be over the age of 21 or, if you’re 18 to 20, you can go with parental permission/guidance.

Anyone wishing to scare themselves silly at the Manor must be screened over the phone, Facebook or FaceTime before they’re invited along.

Alongside this, guests must complete a ‘sports physical’ and have a doctor’s note to prove that they are physically and mentally clear to give it a go.

McKamey Manor also runs a background check on its would-be guest and carries out a drug test on the day.

With all that done, there’s also some paperwork to take care of, including a 40-page waiver and proof of medical insurance.

Featured Image Credit: Hulu

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Inside America’s most extreme haunted house McKamey Manor – that’s so scary you have to sign waiver ‘in case you die’

• Ashley Palya
• Published : 13:20 ET, Oct 12 2023
• Updated : 15:08 ET, Oct 12 2023

A HAUNTED house is so extreme and interactive that goers must sign a waiver that covers the possibility of death.

McKamey Manor is considered one of the scariest haunted houses in the US and is a 10-hour attraction that you need to meet a list of requirements to enter.

McKamey Manor offers a new theme each year – for 2023 it is “Descent," and there is one performance each week.

The website describes it as the one and only original “Extreme Haunted Attraction" and a "Survival Horror Challenge.”

If you do make it through the 10 hours the owner, Russ McKamey, promises to give you $20,000.

But no one has been able to make it through the full 10 hours yet.

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“Be warned, Mckamey Manor is not your standard (boo) haunted house,” the website warns .

“This is an audience participation event in which you will live your own Horror Movie.

“This is a rough, intense, and truly frightening experience. You must be in great health to participate.”

ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK

The waiver goes over how attendees must accept the intense behavior of the actors .

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“Participant fully understands and agrees that their Tour may include the use of hypodermic needles, zappers, tasers, or dog shock collars,” the wavier said, per Metro .

The waiver added that various fluids like food coloring, grease, fake blood , or other liquids may be placed in a participant's mouth and they are responsible for not swallowing it.

Once you have signed up for the haunted house, you must commit to it.

“There is no quitting unless serious physical or psychological injury is present,” the waiver said.

“Participant fully understands and agrees that being scared, having a panic attack, etc. does not count as a serious injury."

McKamey Manor also requires participants to agree to possible injuries and even death when entering.

“Injuries may occur during their tour... which may include, but not limited to, head, neck and back injuries, death, stroke, traumatic brain injury,” the waiver said.

For safety, the haunted house requires that attendees meet seven basic requirements.

• You must be 21 and above or 18-20 with your parent’s approval
• Complete a sports physical
• Doctor's letter stating you are physically and mentally cleared
• Pass a background check provided by MM
• Proof of medical insurance
• Sign a detailed 40-page waiver
• Pass a portable drug test on the day of the show

In 2012, Los Angeles Times entertainment reporter Brady MacDonald reviewed the haunted house and said it was like nothing he had ever experienced before.

“Over the years, I've been through my fair share of theme park mazes, independent haunted attractions, and backyard spookfests,” he wrote .

“So, I like to think I’ve seen it all — from the mundane to the extreme. But I've never experienced anything like McKamey Manor.”

“And I can safely say I'll never forget the experience. ​ McKamey Manor is unlike any other haunted house I've ever seen — amateur or professional. Truly Terrifying!”

Moreover, a Reddit thread about the McKamey Manor talks about how it could be considered torture.

"McKamey Manor is the most extreme of extreme 'haunts'. It's not a haunt at all, it's just torture," the Reddit user said.

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"Most participants don't get through it and end up tapping out before it's over.

"It's not for extreme haunt enthusiasts, it's for people that want to be tortured."

• United States

Extreme Haunted Houses: Blackout & McKamey Manor Sinister Sisters

• Documentary

On this week's spooktacular special episode for October, Felicia & Lauren both take us through a couple of extreme haunted houses!  Felicia kicks it off with the grandfather of extreme haunts - Blackout. This notorious NYC/LA-based immersive horror experience, tailored to people’s individual fears, was created in 2009 to be the antithesis of the traditional haunted house and has been called “more performance art than haunted house" by its creators. Participants had to sign a liability waiver as Blackout’s performers are able to touch and physically interact with the participants.  And yet it still pales in comparison to Lauren's pick this week: the infamous McKamey Manor. McKamey Manor was created in San Diego by madman Russ McKamey, who describes it as a "survival horror boot camp experience.” If you beat McKamey and the manor, you receive a $20,000 grand prize. No one has ever won this prize, but participants do have to sign a 40 page waiver. The experience may involve guests being physically assaulted, waterboarded, forced to eat and drink unknown substances, or being bound and gagged, but the list goes on. And as you can imagine much controversy surrounds McKamey Manor and its creator.  Listen with caution this week for a very spooky and memorable episode.  PS: If you have requests for future episodes or just want to hang out, follow us on Instagram @sinistersisterspodcast 

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• © 2023 Sinister Sisters

We Got This Covered

What is Hulu’s haunted house documentary?

Posted: November 1, 2023 | Last updated: November 1, 2023

Broken bones, bruises, extracted teeth, shaved heads, and crushed spirits are just some of the things that have allegedly resulted from an extreme haunted house experience that is at the heart of a new Hulu documentary, Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House .

The full-length feature documentary centers on the haunted house’s creator Russ McKamey and the allegations swirling around him that he is “a manipulative abuser, according to three people who realize the horror is never over once you decide to enter the Manor,” according to the film’s description.

In a nutshell, McKamey Manor is a survival horror attraction in which participants sign pages upon pages of waivers in order to agree to being physically and psychologically tortured. Originally founded in San Diego, CA, the attraction has a cult fanbase online thanks to McKamey posting videos from the debaucherous experiences to a closed Facebook group. The extreme haunted house experience has since moved to Summerville, TN and Huntsville, AL, in 2017, after locals complained, according to Country Living .

With each tour being tailored to an individual’s fears, the liability waiver allows “volunteers” associated with the experience to subject participants to torture ranging from “waterboarding, being tased, drugging, being forced to eat and drink items including vomit, restraints, and much more,” the article said.

Is McKamey Manor legal?

Even when McKamey Manor was located in San Diego, it drew a number of complaints from past participants. In one such case, Amy Mulligan claimed the cameras were shut off for the worst portions of her experience, in which she had her head held underwater, with her hair wrapped around her neck, and begged the “actors” to let her go home, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune .

McKamey even had the cops called on him during his tenure in Tennessee in which witnesses saw “a screaming woman being dragged from a vehicle,” according to Nashville Scene . However, the police left without incident after it was established the woman was actually there consensually. Ever since then, McKamey has taken to calling the police ahead of any tours he gives to let them know they may be getting calls of strange occurrences on his property that is all part of the show.

Despite these disturbing accounts , which have drawn the scrutiny of local Lawrence County Commissioner Scott Franks among other critics, McKamey Manor is still in operation to this day. As Lawrence County District Attorney Brent Cooper explained to Nashville Scene, “It’s legal because basically the people that are subjecting themselves to the McKamey program, or whatever you want to call it, they’re doing so voluntarily […] That was one thing we went over at length with Mr. McKamey.”

With that said, Cooper clarified that “Tennessee is a state where you can withdraw your consent at anytime,” meaning that if a contestant doesn’t want to participate any more, they should be allowed to stop it when they want. If not, McKamey could be considered to be “committing a crime.”

Torture accusations and supposed grand prize

One woman, Laura Hertz Brotherton, claimed her San Diego-based McKamey Manor experience in 2016 amounted to brutal physical torture in which the “actors,” with McKamey behind the camera calling the shots, did not stop hurting her until several minutes after she repeated her safe phrase. She later shared photographs on social media of injuries documented from a hospital, such as having a swollen face, a lump on her forehead, wearing a neck brace, having red and puffy lips, and her mouth corners having small cuts from alleged “fish-hooking,” which also scraped the inside of her mouth. She also claimed to have a hairline fracture in her foot. Though she tried to go to the police, they told her she didn’t have a case due to the waivers she signed.

Supposedly, the grand prize for surviving the entire 10-hour experience is $20,000, which no one has ever achieved. However, that hasn’t stopped adrenaline junkies from all around the country from applying and participating in McKamey Manor. The only cost of admission, which requires a lengthy vetting process that includes interacting with McKamey himself beforehand and joining the closed Facebook group, is a bag of dog food that he supposedly donates to a local shelter. With that said, there is a $500 penalty for any curses uttered during the attempt and any challenges that contestants fail, according to Parade .

You can check out Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House on Hulu.

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