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| Images courtesy Hulu |
Hulu has premiered its new horrifying documentary on the haunts at McKamey Manor, giving an inside look at the torture, torment and sheer terror that takes place inside the confines of Russ McKamey's residential fortress of pain and endurance. Initially built as a standard haunted house attraction, McKamey has become known for his all-out assault on the senses putting his attendees through full on mental and physical attacks that have left them harmed permanently.
The film chronicles the rather innocent beginnings of his attractions and follows through to current times with McKamey picking up shop and moving across the country to avoid the neighbors that had grown tired of his narcissistic antics. Monster Inside digs deep into the psyche of the folks that willingly attend his overnight torture events and gives a brooding view inside McKamey's harmful intent and the purist evil that somehow keeps people coming back. His manor has become less of a haunted house and is now a one-man business that exists on the pain and bloodshed of others.
However, the movie does take broad strokes to paint his victims (customers) as part of the problem. Although they're here to cast a vivid portrait of Mckamey's techniques and fortitude for brutality, they all admit that they willingly decided that they wanted to push their own physical and mental limits by being part of his horror project. Imagine torture porn without death with real life humans being pushed to the brink of a mental breakdown. McKamey Manor is a symptom of a larger problem and is also the work of a twisted mind. Yet, even the psychology professionals that are interviewed on film say that this is a worthwhile component for people that like to live on the edge and push their bodies to the limits.
Monster Inside reveals actual footage from the haunt, none of which is recreated. With just the minor glimpses they show in the docufilm, it's enough to induce an anxiety attack for those that might become claustrophobic or have general fears of being locked up and water boarded, beat into submission, or watching any type of physical trauma caused on people that signed off on a legal waiver. The entire thing is the definition of insanity.
Where McKamey initially designed his haunted houses as an event type destination, it has fully devolved into a personal project of pain. There are no redeeming qualities. There are no visual effects or costumes. Instead, it's now an overnight venture into a poorly designed hellscape all at the control mechanisms of one twisted individual. If you're a fan of horror, this is an interesting watch as it shows the entire spiral of McKamey's early beginnings as a local hero providing family entertainment to the later versions of his manor which exists solely to twist and maim his attendees.
-CG