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punk rebel ecks
Dec 11, 2010

A shitty post? This calls for a dance of deduction.
So I was engaging in my typical daily Youtube viewings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A26UD1V7U2k

In short:

- It's an "Extreme Horror" attraction that "simulates" torture.

- Participants sign a literal 40 page waiver stating that they accept that they are okay with the employees: giving them black eyes, breaking their fingers, waterboarding them, feeding them rotten food, burying them alive, that they can have their teeth extracted, you can use a safeword to say you want to end the haunt at any time but the staff is free to ignore you and continue anyway, etc.

Here's an excerpt:

quote:

“19. Participant was warned numerous times about the intensity of MM and by the Owners and other members of the crew that YOU REALLY DON’T WANT TO DO THIS.”

“20. Participant agrees and understands that your life in reality is not in danger and this is just a game.”

”21. Participant agrees and understands that during the Tour and Participant is in the van, they will not be secured by a seatbelt or other safety device.”

“23. Participant understands and agrees that they are not being beat up, kicked, slugged, or actually physically harmed. You will be roughed up but no one is there to hurt you. Knowing that, MM is very rough and not for the meek. Participant will have bumps, bruises, possible black eyes, swelling of the face, etc.”

“24. Participant understands and agrees that they are never being held against their will.”


“28. Participant fully understands that by signing this waiver that they are giving MM permission to keep nothing off the table (except sexual or inappropriate situations). Everything else imaginable can and will happen inside of MM. You are aware of this and are giving full permission for any action that may happen inside of MM.”

“29. Participant agrees to and has full knowledge that if selected to visit the barber, Participant may leave MM completely bald, including eyebrows.”

“30. Participant agrees and knowledges that mousetraps are used within the Tour which may result in bruising, cutting, or breakage of fingers.”

“31. Participant agrees that if selected, they could be buried alive under 12 feet of dirt and rock to which they will have a limited amount of air and that they will have to figure out how to escape and they could possibly breathe in a significant amount of dust, dirt, or foreign objects that may cause death if Participant does not breathe properly or hold their breath at the right time.”

“32. Participant agrees to partake, if selected to participate, in a height stunt that involves walking a plank 25 feet above ground without a safety net.”

“33. Participant agrees that if selected they will come in contact with a variety of live poisonous animals. It is the Participant’s responsibility to not panic or agitate the animals. If Participant is bitten, it is because the Participant made a sudden movement within a confined secured environment.”

- The experience can last up to 10 hours

- If you can last the entire 10 hours you win $20,000

- There is a long interview process before people can be participants

- The operation used to be in San Diego, California, but has since relocated to Tennessee and Alabama.

They had some complaints, such as this one:

quote:

One San Diego participant, Amy Milligan, says that experience was more than “just a game.” According to Milligan, she suffered several injuries beyond “cuts and bruises.” Milligan was waterboarded during her tour. Milligan claims that, while exclaiming she could not breathe, actors laughed while they continued to waterboard her.

“My hair is wrapping around my neck and I start freaking out. I’m telling them I can't breathe and they’re just laughing and doing it more.”

Despite the “traumatic” experience, Mulligan spoke highly of the tour during her exit interview, going as far as adding that she did not feel like she had been “tortured” and treated it “as a game.”

However, Mulligan claims that the only reason she left a positive review was to ensure that McKamey would upload the footage of her tour to YouTube. Mulligan had intended to use the footage as evidence of her excessive abuse. However, Mulligan found herself disappointed when she watched the video. According to Mulligan, the most distressing portion of her tour had been edited out of the footage.

In an interview, Mulligan says that she begged to go home but was forced to continue to tour. “I’m like ‘I can’t do it, I can’t do it, I need to go home let me out, let me out,’ and they’re like ‘you’re not done.’” Mulligan adds, “[They] shoved my head back in the water and I was like, ‘They’re not going to let me out. I’m going to die in here.’”

- It's been said that the $20,000 prize money is bullshit

Some pics:




Not sure why this place hasn't been shutdown and sued to oblivion.

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GolfHole
Feb 26, 2004

DeadFatDuckFat
Oct 29, 2012

This avatar brought to you by the 'save our dead gay forums' foundation.


Has no one just straight up attacked the staff because they wouldn't let them leave?

Chef Boyardeez Nuts
Sep 9, 2011

The more you kick against the pricks, the more you suffer.

punk rebel ecks posted:

- It's been said that the $20,000 prize money is bullshit

Well no poo poo if they can waterboard people. That's a instinctual kill switch for human will.

A Fancy Hat
Nov 18, 2016

Always remember that the former President was dumber than the dumbest person you've ever met by a wide margin

I highly recommend the documentary "Haunters: The Art of the Scare" which covers this place along with a lot more normal haunted houses.

The owner of this place is absolutely jerking off to the footage of you getting waterboarded. They show him just rewinding footage over and over again and giggling, then saying stuff like "I love this part, look at how SCARED they are!".

punk rebel ecks
Dec 11, 2010

A shitty post? This calls for a dance of deduction.

DeadFatDuckFat posted:

Has no one just straight up attacked the staff because they wouldn't let them leave?

One of the rules is "no attacking staff" along with "no swearing".

Either way they have like five guys holding you down.

According to Reddit, there was a participant who had to scratch one of the actors face constantly before they let them go.

A Fancy Hat posted:

I highly recommend the documentary "Haunters: The Art of the Scare" which covers this place along with a lot more normal haunted houses.

The owner of this place is absolutely jerking off to the footage of you getting waterboarded. They show him just rewinding footage over and over again and giggling, then saying stuff like "I love this part, look at how SCARED they are!".
I'm not sure if it was this documentary or another but some camera man did an AMA and gave some details.

- Most of the actors were KIDS. Like high school kids. They'd often go overboard and use too much ducktape and stuff. He described them as "real good kids". The manor replaced them with adults who are not "scare actors" and come across as "shady".

- The entire manor smells terrible. The owner has like ten dogs who poo poo everywhere and the rooms are filled with previous participants dried vomit.

- The owners kids are at times present in the home when these scares are going on. When a reporter asked how they felt about what their dad does they exclaimed "it's really funny because these people really think they're going to die! :mmmsmug:"

- The cameraman in previously mentioned AMA stated that he filmed there, they were doing a haunt on a Kuwaiti woman. She eventually became so scared that she went into a complete state of shock. She was completely unresponsive. He told the owner this and he had them stop.

A few minutes later the cameraman is sitting with the woman in the living room where she snaps back on. And is confused. She asks him "Why am I no longer in the haunt?", to which the cameraman explains that she went into shock. The woman proceeds to yell "I flew 19 hours to be here put me back in now! :byodood:" She was in there for another four hours.

DeadFatDuckFat
Oct 29, 2012

This avatar brought to you by the 'save our dead gay forums' foundation.


punk rebel ecks posted:

According to Reddit, there was a participant who had to scratch one of the actors face constantly before they let them go.

Ah, yeah thats more or less the kind of thing I was thinking of. Like, theres no way the owner is gonna let the employees get injured so if you really wanted out that seems like something you might have to resort to at some point. And whats he gonna do if you assault an employee, call the police? Thats just gonna invite legal issues which I'm sure he doesn't want.

Yaldabaoth
Oct 9, 2012

by Azathoth
Stuff like the torture houses became popular after it was revealed that the Bush administration was rounding up muslims and torturing them in response to 9/11. Along with horror movies like Saw and Hostel, they taped into the cultural fear of being rounded up and tortured to death.

EorayMel
May 30, 2015

WE GET IT. YOU LOVE GUN JESUS. Toujours des fusils Bullpup Français.
Isn't this just Manhunt irl but with less plastic bags

kntfkr
Feb 11, 2019

GOOSE FUCKER
This just reminded me of going on a haunted hayride + paintball thing with my wife , our friend and her family. It was a big group, split across two tractors and my wife and I were with our friends little sister and another couple. There's a large farm/corn maze and you ride past kids in hockey pads and rubber halloween masks over paintball masks that you shoot with paintball guns mounted to railings on the tractors. They're behind barrels and props. Get to one haunted farm stand or whatever and this dude steps out from behind cover and he's just wearing cargo shorts and my friend's sister shouts out "He ain't wearing pads! Shoot him in the dick!" and you could see the guy's body language go from spooky to alarmed to resigned to shot in the dick and legs to lit the gently caress up on the ground.

It was so cruel and it's regrettable but it happened in this hilarious split second and I still laugh and feel bad when I think about it.

Lord Decimus Barnacle
Jun 25, 2005


Hell Gem
So which goon is signing up for it this year?

ilovebeersooomuch
May 23, 2014



I have no jokes, this is unabashed capitalism and mental illness.

Prof. Crocodile
Jun 27, 2020

:doit:

Brother Tadger
Feb 15, 2012

I'm accidentally a suicide bomber!

kntfkr posted:

Get to one haunted farm stand or whatever and this dude steps out from behind cover and he's just wearing cargo shorts and my friend's sister shouts out "He ain't wearing pads! Shoot him in the dick!" and you could see the guy's body language go from spooky to alarmed to resigned to shot in the dick and legs to lit the gently caress up on the ground.

Lol

punk rebel ecks
Dec 11, 2010

A shitty post? This calls for a dance of deduction.

ilovebeersooomuch posted:

I have no jokes, this is unabashed capitalism and mental illness.

The guy who runs it claims it's not for profit. Contestants "pay" in dog food which is donated to the dog shelter. He doesn't accept money from them.

gimme the GOD DAMN candy
Jul 1, 2007
that somehow makes it even more hosed up

OhAreThey
Oct 12, 2012

I like your nurse's uniform, guy.

A Fancy Hat posted:

I highly recommend the documentary "Haunters: The Art of the Scare" which covers this place along with a lot more normal haunted houses.

The owner of this place is absolutely jerking off to the footage of you getting waterboarded. They show him just rewinding footage over and over again and giggling, then saying stuff like "I love this part, look at how SCARED they are!".

We know it's sexual for the guy running it. The real question is...is it sexual for the people who sign up to be tortured?

I feel like it has to be a sexual thing on some level. Like as close to consensual non-consent as you can get.

William Henry Hairytaint
Oct 29, 2011



kntfkr posted:

This just reminded me of going on a haunted hayride + paintball thing with my wife , our friend and her family. It was a big group, split across two tractors and my wife and I were with our friends little sister and another couple. There's a large farm/corn maze and you ride past kids in hockey pads and rubber halloween masks over paintball masks that you shoot with paintball guns mounted to railings on the tractors. They're behind barrels and props. Get to one haunted farm stand or whatever and this dude steps out from behind cover and he's just wearing cargo shorts and my friend's sister shouts out "He ain't wearing pads! Shoot him in the dick!" and you could see the guy's body language go from spooky to alarmed to resigned to shot in the dick and legs to lit the gently caress up on the ground.

It was so cruel and it's regrettable but it happened in this hilarious split second and I still laugh and feel bad when I think about it.

lmao

Xenocides
Jan 14, 2008

This world looks very scary....


I don’t think you can legally give consent to be assaulted.

DeadFatDuckFat
Oct 29, 2012

This avatar brought to you by the 'save our dead gay forums' foundation.


Xenocides posted:

I don’t think you can legally give consent to be assaulted.

Then how is the place still open, riddle me that smart guy

Sophy Wackles
Dec 17, 2000

> access main security grid
access: PERMISSION DENIED.





gimme the GOD drat candy posted:

that somehow makes it even more hosed up

It’s definitely more hosed up because he can’t even claim it’s a way to make money. Torturing people is his hobby.

DeadFatDuckFat
Oct 29, 2012

This avatar brought to you by the 'save our dead gay forums' foundation.


DeadFatDuckFat posted:

Then how is the place still open, riddle me that smart guy

Thats an actual argument the guy uses btw

https://www.wfla.com/community/holidays/if-we-were-torturing-id-be-in-jail-owner-of-americas-scariest-haunted-house-addresses-criticism/

Xenocides
Jan 14, 2008

This world looks very scary....


DeadFatDuckFat posted:

Then how is the place still open, riddle me that smart guy

No one has gone to the police and said they consented to be assaulted but changed their mind afterwards because it would make them appear to be dumbfucks. This is kind of fair because they are dumbfucks.

Lil Swamp Booger Baby
Aug 1, 1981

Lol it's an excuse for the owners/employees to torture people.

Lil Swamp Booger Baby
Aug 1, 1981

Tbh I would have no problem if the people that ran this place would completely ny accidemt find themselves standing underneath a cinderblick that would cause no permanent harm tbh

Shankel Magnus
Jul 4, 2007

Goodness no, now that wouldn't do at all!

Xenocides posted:

I don’t think you can legally give consent to be assaulted.

Boxers and football players do it all the time.

But really this is the kind of thing that I wish goons could use their collective abilities to get it shut down.

EorayMel
May 30, 2015

WE GET IT. YOU LOVE GUN JESUS. Toujours des fusils Bullpup Français.
I see grover moved on to greener pastures :grin:

cake bunny
Oct 29, 2011

Going off of memory here, so I might get some details wrong, but here's what I remember from a few years back.

Threat of getting shut down is a part of why he moved from California. Ironically, it wasn't from the assaulted people going to the cops (though I think at least one actually did) so much as it was from pissing off neighbors with all of the bullshit surrounding having something like that in a normal residential neighborhood. They were calling the police and other local agencies trying to run him out

He also left his wife and shacked up with someone who was into what he was doing. Eventually she left him as well, with a host of unsurprising stories about him being a complete creep and a conman. At least some of his kids used to back him up in interviews and the like, but as they got older they've distanced themselves from him, too.

By all accounts, he's awful and a large part of why he's still operating is due to him picking his new locations carefully and relying a lot on the "nah, I'm a good guy and this is really a dog rescue charity" bit. As of a few years ago, in the pre-COVID times, the latest area he was living in / running at least some of the "haunt" in was starting to look to shut him down or find charges that might stick, since even though he's way more isolated, locals were starting to catch on to what was going on out there and were pretty unhappy with it. Supposedly, he's taken most of it on the road since then, transporting folks via van to who-knows-where. His popularity also was dropping a lot, at least in part due to scandals within his fan community related to him using it as a place to troll for rear end and to harass the hell out of folks who don't suck up to him. All of this was before COVID hit though. I haven't seen anything about him more recent than that.

WILDTURKEY101
Mar 7, 2005

Look to your left. Look to your right. Only one of you is going to pass this course.

cake bunny posted:

Going off of memory here, so I might get some details wrong, but here's what I remember from a few years back.

Threat of getting shut down is a part of why he moved from California. Ironically, it wasn't from the assaulted people going to the cops (though I think at least one actually did) so much as it was from pissing off neighbors with all of the bullshit surrounding having something like that in a normal residential neighborhood. They were calling the police and other local agencies trying to run him out

He also left his wife and shacked up with someone who was into what he was doing. Eventually she left him as well, with a host of unsurprising stories about him being a complete creep and a conman. At least some of his kids used to back him up in interviews and the like, but as they got older they've distanced themselves from him, too.

By all accounts, he's awful and a large part of why he's still operating is due to him picking his new locations carefully and relying a lot on the "nah, I'm a good guy and this is really a dog rescue charity" bit. As of a few years ago, in the pre-COVID times, the latest area he was living in / running at least some of the "haunt" in was starting to look to shut him down or find charges that might stick, since even though he's way more isolated, locals were starting to catch on to what was going on out there and were pretty unhappy with it. Supposedly, he's taken most of it on the road since then, transporting folks via van to who-knows-where. His popularity also was dropping a lot, at least in part due to scandals within his fan community related to him using it as a place to troll for rear end and to harass the hell out of folks who don't suck up to him. All of this was before COVID hit though. I haven't seen anything about him more recent than that.

Really? That's weird. I would expect the guy who runs the torture house to volunteer at St. Judes on the weekends.

OhAreThey
Oct 12, 2012

I like your nurse's uniform, guy.
Isn't the waiting list to participate like a mile long, too?

People either don't do their research or just really want to be tortured.

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe

Xenocides posted:

No one has gone to the police and said they consented to be assaulted but changed their mind afterwards because it would make them appear to be dumbfucks. This is kind of fair because they are dumbfucks.

lol, what are the police gonna do? are they hoping the cops get jealous or something?

the holy poopacy
May 16, 2009

hey! check this out
Fun Shoe
"911 help this haunted house guy kidnapped and tortured me"

"roger that. we'll send a patrol car down with some job applications for him"

gimme the GOD DAMN candy
Jul 1, 2007

OhAreThey posted:

Isn't the waiting list to participate like a mile long, too?

People either don't do their research or just really want to be tortured.

there will never be a shortage of idiots and freaks.

cake bunny
Oct 29, 2011

OhAreThey posted:

Isn't the waiting list to participate like a mile long, too?

People either don't do their research or just really want to be tortured.

From what I've seen, it looks like they were kind of big (for something of this nature, anyway) at one point, like around when Haunters first came out, but Russ is believed to have been inflating stories about waiting lists for a long, long time. Probably always, to one degree or another. People have tried to research how many people are actually coming to his place several times, and none of them could back up anything close to the numbers that McKamey claimed. Last reporter I remember was saying that their best estimate was something like less than a dozen a year.

runnypoops
Mar 26, 2016

been there. done that. prove yourself to me.
Waterboarding is pretty uncool

CPL593H
Oct 28, 2009

I know what you did last summer, and frankly I am displeased.

OhAreThey posted:

We know it's sexual for the guy running it. The real question is...is it sexual for the people who sign up to be tortured?

I feel like it has to be a sexual thing on some level. Like as close to consensual non-consent as you can get.

It has to be this because otherwise it's absolutely baffling that anyone would voluntarily participate in this. That story about the woman who went into shock, was removed, and then asked to be put back in is loving bonkers.

DeadFatDuckFat posted:

Then how is the place still open, riddle me that smart guy

He probably has cop friends or some connection to a local politician.

punk rebel ecks
Dec 11, 2010

A shitty post? This calls for a dance of deduction.

cake bunny posted:

Going off of memory here, so I might get some details wrong, but here's what I remember from a few years back.

Threat of getting shut down is a part of why he moved from California. Ironically, it wasn't from the assaulted people going to the cops (though I think at least one actually did) so much as it was from pissing off neighbors with all of the bullshit surrounding having something like that in a normal residential neighborhood. They were calling the police and other local agencies trying to run him out

He also left his wife and shacked up with someone who was into what he was doing. Eventually she left him as well, with a host of unsurprising stories about him being a complete creep and a conman. At least some of his kids used to back him up in interviews and the like, but as they got older they've distanced themselves from him, too.

By all accounts, he's awful and a large part of why he's still operating is due to him picking his new locations carefully and relying a lot on the "nah, I'm a good guy and this is really a dog rescue charity" bit. As of a few years ago, in the pre-COVID times, the latest area he was living in / running at least some of the "haunt" in was starting to look to shut him down or find charges that might stick, since even though he's way more isolated, locals were starting to catch on to what was going on out there and were pretty unhappy with it. Supposedly, he's taken most of it on the road since then, transporting folks via van to who-knows-where. His popularity also was dropping a lot, at least in part due to scandals within his fan community related to him using it as a place to troll for rear end and to harass the hell out of folks who don't suck up to him. All of this was before COVID hit though. I haven't seen anything about him more recent than that.

Awesome post, but I'm curious where you get this information from?

OhAreThey posted:

Isn't the waiting list to participate like a mile long, too?

People either don't do their research or just really want to be tortured.

The 20,000+ waitlist thing is bullshit.

CPL593H posted:

He probably has cop friends or some connection to a local politician.

He moved from San Diego and now has two locations in two different states. I don't think his connection go that far.

cake bunny
Oct 29, 2011

punk rebel ecks posted:

Awesome post, but I'm curious where you get this information from?

I'm a big Halloween attraction dork and I've watched / read a ton of things on McKamey over the years. I don't remember where I first heard of him, but it wasn't long before Haunters came out. After I saw Haunters, I kept noticing him being referenced more and more in haunt-related articles. Then he started popping up all over the place, it seemed. More articles, YouTube videos about extreme haunts (I've absolutely seen that Lazy Masquerade video before!), even an episode of David Farrier's Dark Tourist on Netflix.

Some of the YouTube videos about him have had interviews with former workers and haunt goers. Hell, if I remember correctly, Chris Hansen was even doing some poo poo about Russ towards the end of his YouTube bids for continued relevance. I think that's where I saw a lot of the stuff about McKamey's personal life and the weird poo poo he was doing with his online community.

A lot of articles and videos just repeat a ton of what Russ has said about himself and his haunt without much deeper digging, but you can find some folks who've at least tried to do actual research and interviews who've made attempts to parse the bullshit out. I want to say that Farrier was one of the ones who seemed like he was doing more than just giving Russ free PR.

Sorry I don't have more concrete links on most of this stuff. It wasn't ever something I was collecting a reference hoard on, and it's been a bit since I've wandered across anything new that I've bothered to read or watch, tbh. I'd say YouTube and Dark Tourist are good places to start, along with searches for old newspaper articles. You'll have to wade through a lot of repetitive poo poo that's slinging clickbait to find too much of substance, though.

cake bunny fucked around with this message at 04:09 on Aug 4, 2021

mrchoupon
Jun 3, 2001


Legal Eagle did a video last year on the legality of the waiver.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dDWH9UbROs

Definitely not something I'd be interested in doing.

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Light Gun Man
Oct 17, 2009

toEjaM iS oN
vaCatioN




Lipstick Apathy
i hear about this place / similar ones fairly often and I just top to bottom don't understand it at all

i worked at a regular haunted house and that was pretty cool

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