A haunted house in Tennessee where the host physically assaults visitors is still open despite the backlash and recent legal action against the owner.
McKamey Manor was first opened by Navy veteran Russ McKamey in 2017 in Summertown, Tenn. It’s billed as an “immersive horror” experience and requires attendees to sign a “detailed 40-page waiver” to participate, according to the official website.
Each “tour” can last up to 6 hours and will be personalized to tap into the individual’s deepest fears. Guests will be “mentally and physically challenged until you reach your personal breaking point,” the site says.
Guests, who must be 21 years of age or older, must also meet additional requirements that may include passing a “sports screening,” obtaining a medical certificate attesting to your mental and physical health, proof of health insurance, and reviewing a phone call with McKamey, among others .
The country’s scariest haunted house requires visitors to sign a waiver before entering
The Monster Within: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House.
Hulu
Hulu documentary from 2023 The Monster Within: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House exposed viewers to the horrors participants are exposed to during a tour of McKamey Castle.
Previous visitors referred to the “full contact” experience as a “torture chamber” in the film.
“There is no topic that is off the table,” recalls one participant in the documentary. At one point, the haunted house had a waiting list of 27,000 people and offered a $20,000 reward if you completed the entire tour.
The guests also told how McKamey “became famous” by sharing videos of the experience on YouTube and Facebook, and they claim that he enjoyed filming their reactions to being submerged in water, trapped in small boxes, torturing tarantulas and even more horrific acts.
“The ticket price for this 8+ hour adventure? Four cans of dog food or a bag of dog food,” McKamey is heard saying in the document. “We are known for not giving up and not having a safe word. Either you actually end the tour, which isn’t going to happen, or you’re at such a breaking point mentally or physically that it’s not safe for you to continue and I have to take you out.”
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Stock photo of a haunted house.
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In a waiver they had to sign “on the spot” after being selected, the guests say they were given a glimpse of what might happen to them in the house.
“Participant fully understands and agrees that once Participant enters MM there is no waiver unless serious psychological injury is present,” reads one respondent from a waiver obtained for the documentary. “You might get your hair cut, you might get dental work done, you might get a tooth pulled.”
A 2019 Change.org petition called for the attraction to be scrapped. It had been signed by more than 80,000 people by Halloween that year, PEOPLE reported, and currently has 192,838 signatures with a goal of 200,000 total signatures.
Owner of controversial haunted attraction in Tennessee arrested for rape and attempted murder
After The monster inside was released on October 12, 2023, Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti opened an investigation into McKamey and Castle, according to local news outlet WKRN.
McKamey responded with his own lawsuit in March 2024, alleging that the inspection of his property violated his First, Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights, per outlet.
On Friday, July 19, 2024, McKamey was arrested on charges of attempted murder, rape and domestic assault in connection with several alleged incidents, PEOPLE previously reported. The charges were dismissed on Monday, September 23, per Tennessean and WKRN.
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While it’s unclear what type of event McKamey is putting on this year, the 2023 tour has been described as a “survival horror” show called “DESCENT.”
McKamey confirmed to PEOPLE on Oct. 7 that his company is open and operating.
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Source: HIS Education