USA's Scariest Haunted House Asked to Shut Down by Online Petition (UPDATE)
“It’s a torture chamber under disguise.”
UPDATE (October 30, 2019): Russ McKamey’s “most terrifying haunted house in the country” is facing serious pushback. A Change.org petition, with over 60,000 signatures and counting, calls to “Shut down McKamey Manor.”
The petition, started by Frankie Towery, reads, “It’s a torture chamber under disguise. They do screenings to find the weakest, most easily manipulated people to do the ‘haunt.’” Towery claims participants have been forced to eat things, waterboarded and forced under water. “It’s literally just a kidnapping & torture house,” he continues. “Some people have had to seek professional psychiatric help and medical care for extensive injuries.”
It’s not the first time McKamey has been under fire for potentially illegal acts. He previously told a NBC affiliate at WFLA, “I’m a very straight-laced conservative guy, but here I run this crazy haunted house that people think is this torture factory, fetish factory. All of these things that it’s not.” Yet Towery’s petition has continued to garner attention; while his original goal was to reach 35,000 signatures, the threshold has now been raised to 75,000.
Head over to Change.org to read more of the petition.
ORIGINAL STORY (October 24, 2019): As Halloween approaches, those who seek adventure and thrill will frequent haunted houses nationwide. While many claim to be the scariest, multiple news outlets allege that Russ McKamey owns the most terrifying haunted house in the country; the experience is so horrifying that he will give $20,000 USD to whoever can make it through.
Located in Summertown, Tennessee, McKamey Manor requires several things from those who hope to complete the tour: you must be 21 years old, complete a “sports physical,” provide proof of medical insurance, pass a drug test and sign a detailed 40-page waiver. Those who pass must then watch a two-hour video titled And Then There Were None.
According to the haunted house’s website, “each guest will be mentally and physically challenged until you reach your personal breaking point.” Actors are also allowed to come into physical contact with you. “This can be an aggressive experience,” the website reads. “You CANNOT in any way return the contact.” At any point, however, visitors can leave by uttering the phrase, “You really don’t want to do this.”
McKamey Manor videotapes every person’s experience to prove that nothing illegal has occurred. “You’d be surprised over the years how many people have claimed something happened to them inside,” McKamey told WFLA. “And I need to go back and show whoever needs to see it the raw and unedited footage, saying ‘here ya go, here’s the complete show.’”
Take a look inside McKamey Manor in the video above. For more information on the haunted house, head over to mckameymanor.com.
For more Halloween-themed news, Starbucks is introducing a charcoal-infused Phantom Frappuccino in UK stores.
