Mckamey Manor, also known as America’s most extreme haunted house or, in some cases, ‘the scariest haunted house in the world’, is known for one thing & one thing only: scaring the living hell out of you. Now, do I think it’s an extreme haunt? No. Do I think it’s a torture house? The jury’s still out.
First of all, I don’t know if I would classify the experience as “scary”. At Mckamey Manor, the line between a haunted house and a torture chamber gets incredibly blurry. And trust me, I’m not the only one saying that.
If you’re new to this and haven’t heard much about this place (I highly doubt it) – The McKamey Manor is not the regular kind of haunted house you go to for a good time. Oh no, this place comes with a 40-page contract, a physical & mental exam, a phone screen, drug tests and a background check on the person who wants in.
Oh, it’s nothing much. Just a complicated process where they figure out what you’re most afraid of so they can tailor-make this traumatising experience just for you. Sweet, right? If that’s not quality customer service, I don’t know what is!
This is what the official McKamey Manor website has to say: “Understand that each tour will be different based upon your personal fears and can last up to 10 HOURS,”
“Each guest will be mentally and physically challenged until you reach your personal breaking point.”
…So, torture. Got it!
Now, McKamey Manor isn’t just some washed-up attraction nobody gives a damn about; this place actually has about 25,000 people on the waiting list every year. Why? The manor is ready to offer $20,000 to anyone who can make it through 8-10 hours of torture – erh – I mean the haunted house. Also, some people are just incredibly kinky.
All right, now for the disturbing part.
Well, as I said before – each tour is unique because you’re unique. <3
But some of the most common things to happen in every tour includes but are not limited to getting stomped on, waterboarded, being forced to eat unknown substances, or if you throw up – your own vomit, ingesting pills that cause hallucinations (supposedly), getting your hair cut and teeth pulled out. Oh, plus, if the tormentors feel artistic, they’ll even give you a tattoo.
That’s what makes the McKamey Manor unique, I guess. Now, originally, there was no safe word. You couldn’t say “no” to anything that happened. Once you signed that contract and stepped in through the door, there was no room for second thoughts.
But things have changed. In recent times, the house does allow for safe words. But many say that it’s not of use. What do they mean by that? I don’t know for sure. But something tells me they don’t instantly stop whatever they’re doing to you.
Also, the owner, Russ McKamey, records everything for his personal collection. Yup, that’s right. This guy has hours of footage where people go through all of the above and more.
And in case you were wondering – no – this guy hasn’t been arrested. Ever.
Well, the pandemic dealt some significant damage to this place, just like every other attraction. But it wasn’t financial. The McKamey Manor doesn’t want your money. They want dog food. That’s right, your payment to this house comes in the form of dog food.
After a while, the attraction’s popularity took a big fall. Many people opened their eyes to the reality of the torture house and considered it to be way too creepy, including daredevils. However, a Netflix feature in 2017 re-ignited a sense of curiosity among travellers, which was only multiplied by a load of viral TikTok and YouTube videos in 2022.
Minus the daredevils, people aren’t too pleased with McKamey Manor too! A petition on Change.org was made, and it has over 175,000 signatures demanding that officials shut the haunted house down once & for all.
It reads: “Mckamey manor. Advertised as “an extreme haunt” when in fact it is NOT a haunted house. It’s a torture chamber under disguise. Reportedly, they do screenings to find the weakest, most easily manipulated people to do the ‘haunt.’ It’s reported that if Russ doesn’t think you’re easily manipulated, you aren’t allowed to go.
He uses loopholes to get out of being arrested. Previously no safe word was allowed, he changed that, but there have been reports that the torture continues even when people repeat their safe word for several minutes. One man was tortured so badly he passed out multiple times; workers only stopped because they thought they had killed him.”
It follows:
“There’s been reports of sexual assault at the manor. There are reports that he hires workers with violent histories & sex offenders.”
“There are reports that he uses needles to inject people with drugs, forces them to ingest pills/questionable items to force hallucinations also.”
“Russ repeatedly says, “It’s all smoke & mirrors”; then why are people leaving with fractured bones, mental trauma, & covered in bruises accompanied by facial swelling?”
Yikes!
What does Gen-Z think about the Mckamey Manor?
Long story short, they’re mortified and confused. Many have dubbed it the infamous torture house, and the negative light cast upon the manor has only gotten brighter in recent times. Just search up Mckamey Manor on TikTok & you’ll see for yourself.
How do you get out?
You don’t.
Just kidding! But please keep in mind that getting in is easier than getting out. Many victims say they keep going for over a minute, even when you start screaming the safe word. In some cases, you’ll just have to beg the actors and hope they give you permission. Oh, and the Mckamey Manor experience even includes a “no mercy” version, where participants must wait until the actors decide it’s time for them to be released.
Was Mckamey Manor shut down?
The Mckamey Manor in San Diego, California, did close down. It was after this that it moved to one of its locations in Tennessee, where it did not receive any love from local law enforcement or residents.
What are the rules for Mckamey Manor?
There really are no other rules other than the ones mentioned above, but we’ve given you a quick breakdown below!
- No conventional entrance fee: Mckamey Manor accepts dog food.
- At its Tennessee location, guests must be 21 or older.
- The Alamba location allows guests who are 21 or older.
- The tour lasts from eight to ten hours – no guest has it all the way through.
Who survived the longest at Mckamey Manor?
On 22 November 2014, Sarah P. took on Mckamey Manor and lasted for 6 hours! Nobody has beaten the record since then, and we suggest you don’t try.
Can you beat the Mckamey Manor?
Nope, but it does sound like the levels get intentionally more difficult as an attempt to make guests quit. McKamey warns that no one has ever “beat the manor” or even gotten to the final Alabama level. Anyone who does will win $20,000.
Has there ever been a death at Mckamey Manor?
Surprisingly, no. There are no known deaths. Nobody has ever died, but it was revealed that a guest had a heart attack.
Is it a torture house?
We’ve seen and heard what goes behind the doors of Mckamey Manor, and I think it’s safe to say that it is not just an extreme haunted house. Now, would I go as far as to call it a torture house? I mean, I already did on this very article, but yeah, I could see the term ‘torture house’ much more fitting.
What are your thoughts on the McKamey Manor? Are you brave (or stupid) enough to visit? Or is this one of those places you can never see yourself visiting? And what would you call this attraction? An extreme haunt or certified torture house…? Let us know what you think in the comments.
