Let's preface this by saying that these so called "haunted" houses by Russ McKamey are nothing more than things contrived to completely f*ck with someone's head and traumatize them. They aren't haunted or even, truly scary. They are simply designed by Russ and his misfits to psychologically & physically torment the participants.
To go through one of his "haunts" you must first be psychologically deemed fit to do so by a doctor. You must pass a background test. You must pass a drug test the day of the event & sign a reported 40 page waiver.
There are reports ranging from there is a safe word or phrase to that there isn't or; the phrase doesn't work and when participants want to stop, they are just laughed at. McKamey lets only 2 people into the haunt at a time and reports it can last anywhere from minutes to a jaw dropping 36 hours and that the time is all dependent on what the participant can "handle."
And by "handle" we are talking reports of waterboarding, being caged with spiders, forced to eat your own vomit, physical torture, being dragged by a chain around your neck through mud, being force fed in a straight jacket, ETC.
Supposedly, the entire thing is videotaped. However, there have been participants wanting their tapes back and getting tapes with entire portions edited or blacked out. Russ then will tell people he just "can't" show all of it because then it would ruin the allure of his haunts.
Russ reportedly tries to talk people out of participating and if they do participate, he "makes friends" with them first.
Aside from the medical pass, drug testing, and background testing, there are reports ranging that people "pay" with dog food to get into the haunt. The dog food McKamey then donates to shelters, supposedly. There are other reports of people paying upwards of $500 to get in.
So, why does McKamey do this shit? He loves it!! He reportedly has always had a fascination with haunted houses since a child. The "actors" that help torment the participants are reported to be previous participants or, basically random people Mckamey recruits.
Supposedly, McKamey keeps a trained medic nearby at all times in case he needs to pull someone out. Videos have emerged of people in rough shape who have no idea of who they are or where they are, completely disoriented and messed up. I'm not going to post them here. You go find it yourself. They are disturbing. So you can make the choice yourself if you want to see that.
McKamey is a psychopath that individuals have reported comes off "so nice" in person but completely changes during the "haunt."
McKamey is former military & has always lived a "square" life and is a conservative. He's also in a ton of debt from the operating costs of his haunts, receives death threats, and is in legal throes as well. One wouldn't have to wrack their brain much to figure out why.....
I guess it all ultimately boils down to, is it morally okay to do whay McKamey is doing? I don't think so. Fortunately, he does have a 21 and older policy. And, if you are 18 you can participate with parental permission in addition to the other previously discussed requirements.
McKamey runs his "haunts" year round, not just during Halloween. On the one hand, you could just label McKamey as a crazed lunatic. On the other hand, at least he is somewhat transparent about his psychotic-ness. According to him,
"Everyone is so blasé about what happens in the world. They need a safe release. It’s about creating a cinematic experience and making people feel they’re living their own horror movie. Movies can’t fool us anymore. It’s really hard to get emotions out of people."
So, clearly he is doing us all a favor. What a saint. And, his waiting list is 27,000 deep, so hop on quick so you can be "saved!!"
Would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this. Currently, Russ is under a lot of fire for his new site that I believe is still under construction in Huntsville, Alabama - much to many local residents dismay. There is also a petition going around trying to permanently stop him from running his legal torture acts:
I didn't sign it. Honestly, I don't agree with or condone what he is doing, but he certainly isn't forcing it on anyone. I just think he is a big liar and shouldn't promise full release tapes if he isn't going to deliver. Furthermore, he claims he has a live feed in Vegas where people bet on the participants and give him and his "talent" ideas on what to do next. Like, WTF? The more I have read on the guy, the more questions I have. One thing is for sure, I will never be on his "waiting" list, if there even is one.
Lastly, why would someone want to do this? Possible theories:
- They want a "release"
- They want to die (surprised this hasn't happened yet)
- They don't take the reports of this seriously
- Following on my last comment, some may think, well, if it was that bad Russ would be in prison. Well, I have news, lotsa of people are too humiliated to want their tapes seen by the police, let alone a jury.
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/watchdog/sdut-mckamey-conversation-2015oct30-htmlstory.html