Monster Inside centers on Russ McKamey, a Navy Veteran turned master of horror, who lures horror enthusiasts into his web. Participants find themselves pulled into the no-holds-barred world of McKamey Manor – a haunt that doesn’t end until Russ says so.

Originally starting McKamey Manor to satiate his love of Halloween, as the haunt grew in popularity, both on the ground and on social media, so did the severity of Russ’ scare tactics – realizing that he was attracting more and more followers as he did so.

By cultivating an online persona and a cult following, Russ was allowed to display his basest instincts and rewarded with online fame and notoriety. Driven by his personal fixations, he turned his backyard haunt into a bona fide torture chamber: videotaping contestants, particularly vulnerable young women, as he sees how far he can push them, both inside and outside of the haunt.

Merging documentary storytelling with the visual and cinematic language of a horror film, Monster Inside follows three participants as they dive deep into Russ’s world and then find the will to fight back. By showcasing the reasons why they were pulled into McKamey Manor, the film explores why people make themselves vulnerable to harm. The world of immersive horror is a world of misfits, outsiders and those trying to overcome their trauma. Through the stories of the main characters, along with expert commentary, Monster Inside hopes to show how a person’s past can draw them towards extreme activity, some forms of which might actually be beneficial, and thus more broadly answer the question – why do we do anything extreme?

Monster Inside: America’s Most Extreme Haunted House premieres on October 12, 2023, during the 2023 edition of Huluween.