Key Takeaways
McKamey Manor is the scary ghost house in America . It ’s been repeatedly call a " anguish bedroom , " and aChange.org petitionasking the Tennessee province senate to keep out it down has more than 183,000 signatures .
And yet , Russ McKamey says there are thousands on the waiting list to have the haunt . The lucky few — if you’re able to call them that — who get to attempt it every weekend have to sign a 40 - page waiver acknowledge that strong-arm or psychological impairment could befall them . They also have to go by a physical and a background bank check .
There ’s no admission fee , though , other than a 50 - Syrian pound ( 23 - kilogram ) bag of dog food . McKamey , an animal lover , says some of it goes to his five dogs , and the rest is donated to delivery .
McKamey Manor Taps Into Deep-seated Fears
" dreadful masses really is n’t hard to do , " McKamey says . " There ’s like a top five or seven fears that everybody has . "
First is creepy crawlies . " It ’s going to be , you know , bug , spiders and cockroach and snakes and that type of matter , " he say . Also gamey on the inclination are " claustrophobia , water , the fear of drowning , heights . All the introductory things that the great unwashed are uneasy about are the thing I use at the show . "
Personally , McKamey says he gets the creeps from snails ( " I freaking hate those slimy things " ) , dislikes height and is a little bit claustrophobic himself . " I kind of built the show around my care , " he says . " My awe are like everybody ’s fears . "
A Tailored Type of Terror
Once contestants overstep the viewing and are selected to attend the resort , McKamey says that ’s when the " show " starts coming together .
" It ’s definitely a personalized survival of the fittest horror experience , " he says . " We find out a lot of information about an individual , with information we gather from them , from their friends and family , all form of sources . We determine out what really makes them tick , and then we build a show around their fears and phobias . "
multitude tend to be pretty undetermined about what scares them , McKamey supply , because " they desire it to be as extreme as possible . "
The haunt does have its limits , though . McKamey is readable that there ’s " never anything intimate . No one ’s going to whisper anything out or keeping into your ear . No one ’s start to touch you in an out or keeping path . "
There are also no religious reference , and there ’s " no cussing allowed , " McKamey articulate . " It ’s really very PG-13 ; like [ Disney ’s ] Indiana Jones mount on steroids . "
But while it may notactuallybe as extreme as it ’s made out to be , McKamey state it feel over - the - top to the contestant , and that ’s the whole point .
" I ’m going to get inside your head , and that ’s what take a leak it shuddery , " he says . " It ’s a very psychological experience that include hypnosis , and once I hypnotise you , I can make you conceive whatever I need . I can put you in a kiddie pool and tell you there ’s a great white shark in there , and you ’re going to freak out out like there ’s a shark . "
But that has n’t stopped the minus pressing , which insists McKamey Manor is a incubus that has no business continuing to operate .
" Let them think what they require , " says McKamey . " I ’m still in commercial enterprise . I ’m not in jail . "
Streaming the Scaring
Back in San Diego , McKamey started filming everything that happened inside McKamey Manor as an insurance insurance , so he ’d have proof of what really go down — and what did n’t — anytime law enforcement came knocking . Now , each protester ’s experience is livestreamed to a Facebook hearing of over 10,000 .
" They have to do all kinds of unhinged activities for the week before their term of enlistment — just fun and ridiculous challenges , " McKamey say . " The audience get to experience them and the protester make to know the audience . Everybody ’s really on their side . And then when it comes down to the real show , everybody ’s just really stoke about seeing what this somebody can do . "
And what they can do is , fit in to McKamey , not a lot . Most people do n’t make it a half - hour into the experience before tapping out . Still , there ’s no shortage of people vying to confab McKamey Manor .
" They require to be here because they just do n’t get frightened at normal haunted house , " he says . " They are adrenaline junkies , they ’re thrill seekers . They come to me to go through terror or to experience inflammation or whatever . "
And the fact that it ’s " all smoke and mirror , all just putting a boastful play on , " as McKamey puts it , does n’t cease fans from making a return trip for more threat .
" masses make multiple visit here , " he order . " There ’s got to be a reason why the great unwashed keep coming back clock time and time again . for sure , they had a beneficial prison term . "
Russ McKamey: The Man Behind the Manor
McKamey has a flare for the spectacular . " I ’m just an entertainer , " he say , " whether it be the resort or being in a band , take on guitar or tattle , doing comedy . " It ’s all about bringing a smile to folks . It ’s all showbiz . "
After 23 years in the Navy , McKamey says , he started creating haunted experiences in his backyard in San Diego . " Every twelvemonth , thing just kind of progressed . multitude really enjoyed all the interactivity of it and delight all the consultation participation aspects of it . "
While the traditional Halloween haunted planetary house relies on jump panic attack and eery costumes to frighten , McKamey ’s experience was a lot more hands - on . Participants might be bind , blindfolded or otherwise moderate . There may be bugs or Hydra take . McKamey has buried the great unwashed awake , as well as take down them into a tank full of eels .
There was so much need for his extreme version of a obsessed firm , in fact , that eventually McKamey Manor had five positioning . There were faculty involved , plus EMTs standing by , and a particular policy policy .
McKamey ’s report grew until his was one of the most recognizable names in the horror community . To some , he was an trailblazer . To others , a sociopath .
He does n’t really mind that people reckon he ’s " some variety of wild psychopath , " but he does palpate that ’s a mischaracterization .
" If they only know , " he laughs . " I stand for , for example , I ’ve never been drunk in my living . I ’ve never had a coffin nail . I ’ve never had a loving cup of coffee in my life or taken a drug . I ’m the most clean - cutting form of guy you could reckon of . "
But finally , the criticism mounted and so did costs in San Diego . McKamey sold his property there and settled in Tennessee , where he reopened McKamey Manor as , he says , " a one - gentleman’s gentleman show . "
