Haunt Actor Shares Details About Controversial McKamey Manor In TikTok Video Series

McKamey Manor has been making headlines for years and not for good reasons. The Tennessee attraction that claims to be "The One and Only Original Extreme Haunted Attraction" and "Survival Horror Challenge" has been the focus of a few documentaries and tons of YouTube videos over the years.

One haunt actor, who has no affiliation with McKamey Manor, recently took to TikTok to share information about the "backyard torture chamber," explain why it's not a haunt, talk about the owner's recent arrest, and inside information she was able to dig up in her research.

She sat down with The Blast to share more information about this controversial "haunt" that most people can't believe was able to stay open as long as it did.

Becca, a haunt actor for years, started sharing information about the controversial and much talked about McKamey Manor on TikTok recently. She posted a multi-part video series on the attraction and shared more information with The Blast about the hot topic, just as the 2024 haunt season is about to begin.

Becca said that while she's in no way affiliated or has even visited McKamey Manor, she remembers seeing news articles about it in the late 2000s that piqued her interest.

"I had heard some things about McKamey Manor prior to becoming a haunt actor. But I, just like the majority of people that heard of McKamey Manor in passing, thought it was nothing more than an immersive haunt," she told The Blast exclusively. "When seeing news articles about it in the late 2000s, early 2010s, I actually believed that it might be a fun thing to do. The media portrayed it in a way that it looked just like what it was called at the time, 'America's Scariest Haunt.'"

But once she became a haunt actor herself, her opinion took a drastic turn hearing people in the industry talk about it. Then she went on to do her own research and was "horrified" at what she found and grateful to have never tried to go there to experience it for herself.

In late July, Becca shared her first informational video in the series talking about McKamey Manor.

"When you are someone as sick in the head as Russ McKamey, you believe that all press is good press, and we've seen time and time again that he thrives off of the negative attention that his event receives. I refuse to call it a haunt because that is not what it is," she said in part one of her video series. "It's a man making torture corn (porn) in his backyard and livestreaming it to his audience of people as equally sick in the head."

Becca said she never wanted to talk about McKamey Manor and hoped that one day it would "just disappear."

"Every couple of years, just when I feel like I haven't heard about it in a long enough period of time, some other documentary pops up with an expose talking about 'America's most extreme haunted attraction,'" she said. "And then they do this deep dive into Russ and the people who work with him and all of the people who have been to the haunt and give it so much more attention."

Becca also wanted to point out how the media spoke about it in its earlier days.

"McKamey Manor was on the news several times but always in a positive light," she said. "The reporters would praise Russ McKamey for building an entire haunt in his backyard. He used to have child actors running the attraction. It used to be a backyard haunt, but since the publicity, it transformed into the way we know it today."

Becca continued her video to explain how participants who visited McKamey Manor had no "escape" when they realized it was too much.

"There is no, 'Oh, I've decided I don't wanna do this anymore,'" she continued. "And instead of the haunt actors just grabbing your ankles or pulling you off the trail or separating you from your group, they're hurting you."

Becca told The Blast that when she learned exactly what was happening to the participants who signed up for McKamey Manor, she was "disgusted" that Russ was allowed to call "his backyard torture chamber" a haunt.

"As a member of the haunt industry, a true haunt is never supposed to end with a trip to the hospital or a therapist," she told The Blast. "It's all about the fun of spooky season, jump scares, and fog juice. The haunt industry as a whole seems to have a problem with McKamey calling what he does a haunt."

While Russ always tried to claim that what happens at McKamey Manor is "fake," some of the victims have spoken out publicly, and some were even featured in the Hulu documentary, "Monster Inside: America's Most Extreme Haunted House," released in October 2023.

"Prior to the documentary, their claims seem to have been silenced and they were publicly attacked by the McKamey Manor fans," Becca said. "There is also a huge issue of victim blaming when it comes to the victims of McKamey Manor. I have seen a lot of it in my own comment sections."

Becca told The Blast that one of the most common comments she received on the first two parts of her series was about the waiver that must be signed before participating. Many said that you shouldn't be considered a victim if you signed the waiver.

"Here's the thing about waivers - I've been to several haunts that require you to sign a waiver before you enter. Most haunt waivers say they are not liable for injury or death, so that is not necessarily a red flag on the McKamey Manor waiver until you know what goes on inside," Becca explained. "The waiver covering everything under the sun is part of what has protected him for so long. Victim blaming is another. Lastly, there are rumors of Russ McKamey forcing victims to sign an NDA."

Becca even had one of the victims reach out to her to thank her for bringing attention to the attraction, but when she asked about the experience, she was told that they could not speak about it due to an NDA they were forced to sign.

Part two of Becca's series talks about the waiver that must be signed to participate in the attraction. She shared with The Blast what she feels were the biggest red flags of the waiver.

"I mean, knowing what goes on at these tours, everything. But to narrow it down, the stuff about the dentist really made my stomach turn. According to the waiver (that you are again, signing covered in mud in freezing water surrounded by people who have already put their hands on you with a camera in your face) you give McKamey Manor the permission to remove teeth without painkillers," she explained.

"On top of that, they are allowed to remove your fingernails, shave your head. 'Participant fully understands and agrees that medication may be given that induces hallucinations or sedatives given in pill form or by hypodermic at McKamey Manor's discretion.' This is another very unsettling one."

Becca also explained that "McKamey made sure to cover every possible thing on this waiver."

Becca told The Blast that the Hulu documentary shed more light on the "actual injuries and lasting psychiatric damage" that the victims received while at the Manor.

"I truly believe that the majority of the people who went on this tour of McKamey Manor didn't understand what they were signing up for, unfortunately. The waivers weren't even available online until someone leaked it in a Reddit post. Guests of the Manor did not have a chance to read over the waiver until their tour had begun," she explained. "The waivers were read after the initial pick up where guests are blindfolded and thrown in the back of a van and driven to a swamp near the Manor."

She also said that she's thankful for the documentary because it was the "first mainstream media source to talk about the truth of McKamey Manor." And thanks to the popularity of the documentary, an investigation into the attraction began.

McKamey Manor was first operating out of California before he was forced to close. He moved from California to Tennessee, and after the Hulu documentary was released, the Attorney General began an open investigation on the Manor. Becca said the investigation "seems to have been put on hold" because McKamey was recently arrested.

"It also gave some victims a voice and really went into the details of how McKamey Manor changed over the years to become what it is today," she said. "'Monster Inside' also did a phenomenal job explaining why someone would be interested in something like McKamey Manor without victim blaming which I was very excited to see. I highly recommend making it a part of the McKamey Manor deep dive for anyone beginning their rabbit hole."

Thanks to how great the documentary was in detailing all that happened at the Manor, Russ is now suing Hulu over it.

To view all the videos in Becca's McKamey Manor series, visit her TikTok page.