Located deep in the heart of Summertown, TN, McKamey Manor is notorious for being the most extreme haunted house in the United States. Owned and operated by one Russ McKamey, the Manor is quite unlike any other haunt, gleefully pushing its visitors (who have to sign a substantial waiver before submitting to McKamey’s torments) to their absolute breaking points. Less a haunted house than a place where you can volunteer to be tortured, McKamey Manor’s enduring appeal can’t help but raise questions about the man running it and the people who sign up to experience its horrors.
Those same questions will be explored in Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House, a new documentary headed to Hulu as part of the streamer’s Huluween lineup. Let’s take a look at the just-released trailer…
Bloody Disgusting, who premiered the Monster Inside trailer earlier today, quotes Hulu’s description of the doc:
“What would it be like to be trapped in a real-life horror movie? Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House follows the story of Russ McKamey. The Navy Veteran who lures horror enthusiasts into his web. They find themselves pulled into the no-holds-barred world of McKamey Manor – a haunt that doesn’t end until Russ says so.
“Originally starting McKamey Manor to satiate his love of Halloween, as the haunt grew in popularity, both on the ground and on social media, so did the severity of Russ’ scare tactics – realizing that he was attracting more and more followers as he did so.
“By cultivating an online persona and a cult-like following, Russ was allowed to display his basest instincts and rewarded with online fame and notoriety. Driven by his personal fixations, he turned his backyard haunt into a bona fide torture chamber: videotaping “contestants,” particularly vulnerable young women, as he sees how far he can push them – both inside and outside of the haunt.”
On the one hand, this sort of extreme activity is – as pointed out by one of McKamey Manor’s survivors in the trailer above – not all that much different than the other extreme sports and dangerous pursuits taken up by other thrill seekers, which means we probably shouldn’t be that surprised that such a place exists. On the other hand, McKamey Manor does not look like this writer’s idea of a good time, and I’m more than happy to keep my haunt experiences at the Halloween Horror Nights level. No torture for me, thanks!
In any event, Monster Inside looks to offer a fascinating look at the man behind McKamey Manor, not to mention the people who travel to Tennessee to experience it for themselves. We will definitely be tuning in when this one hits Hulu on October 12th. Stay tuned for more on Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House as further updates become available.
