Smoke and Mirrors – Inside McKamey Manor (Halloween Special)

Ashley Plum (0:04)

Hey, Crime Salad Listeners. So before we get started this week, we are gonna be doing something a little different. We're dusting off one from the shelf, and we thought since it's spooky season, we figured there's only one place to go, McKamey Manor. Two years later, and I still haven't got the guts to sign the waiver, and I probably never will.

So if you missed this one the first time, or you just want to relive the scare, grab a blanket, maybe listen with the lights on, and let's travel back to October 2024 when we posted this episode.

I also want to mention that this episode includes allegations made by former participants and people close to Russ McKamey. He has never been criminally charged over anything that happened at the manor, and the 2024 charges that we'll talk about were dismissed. Okay, here we go.

Hello, Crimestide listeners, and welcome back to the show. I'm Ashley.

Ricky Plum (1:06)

And I'm Ricky.

Ashley Plum (1:07)

Now, before we begin, we want to warn you that this episode contains discussions of sensitive topics, including abuse, which may be distressing or uncomfortable to some listeners. Please take care while listening. And also, it's important to know that your mental health is way more important.

As Halloween approaches, and the spooky season is in full swing, leaves are changing their colors. I thought it would be the perfect time to dive into one of the most controversial and notorious haunted attractions out there. This week, we're taking you inside McKamey Manor, a place that is known to be the most extreme haunted house experience. McKamey Manor has been pushing the limits since 2001, where it started out as an attraction in a backyard at a San Diego house, which was situated in a traditional neighborhood. At first, it started as your typical haunted house with jump scares and spooky music, and over time, it became more of an extreme haunt designed to mess with your mind. It became more of a psychological endurance test, which was reportedly pretty harsh. Then it became more of just plain abuse. We're talking broken bones, bloody faces, swollen lips, and not to mention intense psychological effects. In 2017, Russ McKamey moved McKamey Manor to Tennessee, where it was last known to be challenging thrill seekers who wanted to take a chance at Russ's twisted experience, where it wasn't nearly as abusive when it was in San Diego.

It's controversial, it's intense, and it's definitely not for the faint-hearted. So are you ready to enter into this one?

Ricky Plum (3:18)

Honestly, this isn't really something I'd ever be interested in experiencing. But yeah, let's dive in. I'll learn about it. I'm just not doing it.

Ashley Plum (3:28)

All right, Ricky's a little bit of a chicken. But once you agree and the doors close behind you, Russ McKamey uses his full control over the lucky participant who is subjected to physical and psychological challenges, including being touched, grabbed, hit, thrown, smashed, held underwater, anything that just seems fitting to him.

And according to the owner, Russ McKamey, it's all consensual. Before this all goes down, the participant signs a lengthy contract or agreement, which is more like a very detailed torture waiver. And although it includes a pretty disturbing list of rules, I guess you would say, it also has its fair share of typos. This particular house of horrors, which is described as a torture chamber by some, was created in Russ McKamey's backyard in San Diego, California. McKamey is an interesting character, and he's got the looks to go with it. A cheesy, Grinch-like grin. And that's not a compliment by any means, but what's interesting is he seems to have found a way to play out this sadistic fantasy of torturing people, and it seems to get progressively worse over time. Now possibly this was all an exciting challenge for him, also, to see how far he could push the boundaries without facing legal consequences. Fueled by a heavy dose of manipulation and his desire to control his chosen victims, who willingly signed up to do the McKamey Manor tour, and this unforgettable experience.

He seemed to always have a thing for this perfect participant, usually female, someone who was somewhat athletic, but also submissive, but he also enjoyed bringing on men who were once in the military. This really just seemed like pattern based on who would be chosen to go through the tour. What's even more telling is Russ refers to guests entering the manor as victims. So he's well aware that he's doing something that's effed up. However, he reassures his victims that this is all just a game, this is all fun.

And he even instructs them to tell the police, should they arrive, that this is all a part of a game.