The appeal of a typical haunted house or horror movie lies behind its safety. Guests or viewers can enjoy something shocking and seemingly frightening because they know deep down the danger is make-believe. But some contend that at McKamey Manor, people are really getting hurt.

The premise of McKamey Manor: “contestants,” as they’re dubbed, are pushed through a series of terrifying, seemingly dangerous tasks while blindfolded as they’re transported to various locations between Summertown, Tennessee, and Huntsville, Alabama.

Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people have tried to make it through to the end of McKamey’s ‘survival, horror, bootcamp experience’ that is tailor-made to each visitor’s worst fears. But even with $20,000 on the line, no one has ever managed to succeed – many tapping out before they even began.

A change.org petition —which has garnered more than 65,000 signatures—calls McKamey Manor “a torture chamber under disguise.” “They do screenings to find the weakest, most easily manipulated people to do the ‘haunt,’” the petition reads.

What is McKamey Manor known for?

McKamey Manor is known for one thing and one thing only: scaring the living hell out of anyone who dares to visit. LADbible spoke to the mastermind behind the experience Russ McKamey, who said punters have gone so far as to pull their own teeth out: Loading….

He says he got rid of the $20,000 prize money because it attracted the wrong kind of people who were willing to do anything. He says: “I was getting the crazy ones that were like, that would do anything, when the Manor is always gonna win.

How many pages are in a waiver for McKamey Manor?

The contents of the usually 40-page waiver (sometimes more, sometimes less depending on the “activities” that day, McKamey tells USA TODAY) visitors need to sign beforehand are more than frightening enough for anyone looking for a Halloween spook. Kris Smith, a remote volunteer for McKamey Manor, has been through the tour twice.

McKamey comes across as a charismatic, theatrical man. He grew up loving movies and theater. After serving for 23 years in the Navy, he spent another 13 working in veterans affairs before turning McKamey Manor into a full-time gig.

Repeat contestant Brandon Vance told The Nashville Scene in 2018 that after serving in the Army, he’s constantly seeking a similar adrenaline rush. Extreme activities like skydiving and bungee jumping don’t do it anymore, he said. So he turned to McKamey Manor to get his extreme thrills.

Who is behind the Manor petition?

Hide. The man behind the petition, Frank Towery, claims participants have been forced to eat things, waterboarded and forced underwater, and had duct tape wrapped about their heads. He proposes both locations of the haunted house—one in Tennessee and another in Alabama—be closed immediately. McKamey told WFLA that Manor is merely …

Attendees can reportedly be subjected to having to pull out their own teeth, having their fingernails pulled off, or even getting a tattoo, Kris Smith, a 37-year-old who works as a volunteer remotely for McKamey’s tours, told USA TODAY.

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No one has ever completed the Tennessee attraction, he said. He’ll also give $20,000 to anyone who can make it to the end. To no one’s surprise, Manor has garnered national attention; the petition claims McKamey uses “loopholes” to get out of being arrested.

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