If you've never heard of McKamey Manor, buckle up, cause this is gonna be a bumpy ride.
Billed as one of the most extreme - if not the most extreme - haunted house experiences on the face of the planet, people travel thousands of miles to be the star of their own horror movie. But just how real is the torture?
Earlier this month, Hulu released its exposé on the Manor, Monster Inside, which claimed to tell the truth about the haunt.
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And for several people who had taken tours with Russ, it was all a bit too real, with the idea of consent allegedly a grey area.
Set up in San Diego by Navy vet Russ, the original show involved a cast of actors who would help participants live out their worst nightmare.
Videos shared from the tours show people being chased by masked figures carrying chainsaws and axes, dunked in water, locked in coffins, and covered in all kinds of s**t. In short, terrorised.
But after a bit of controversy, it eventually closed down and moved to Summertown, Tennessee, and Huntsville, Alabama, where it resides today with no overzealous actors involved, Russ says.
Those who choose to take part must sign a 40-page waiver before being put through a gruelling psychological horror show.
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One of the wildest claims over the years, which has seen Russ come in for some criticism, is that people have had teeth pulled out of their heads during the tour.
However, speaking to LADbible, Russ says that if anyone was really hurt, or if he did anything illegal, such as administering some DIY dentistry, he would be in prison already.
"It's all part of the smoke and mirrors game," Russ tells me. "So just between you and me? Of course not, but is it fun to say, just to get people talking?
"Again, if somebody actually pulled their tooth out, don't you think somebody would have gone and reported [it] to somebody? But it makes a good story, doesn't it? It gets people talking.
He goes on: "I'm really good at manipulating the press. I'm really good. In fact, I'm the best at it. I have put so many stories out there just to spin people up and get them talking in all crazy. That's what I do. It's all about a mind game with everybody, and that's something that nobody else can do. And that's something that, you know, is unique to the Manor."
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The same, Russ claims, is true for reports that someone had a heart attack at the original haunt back in California.
"It's a story," he says. "It's a story. I'm a storyteller. Of course."
He admits that some of this may have led to the negative comments and allegations that have been made against him over the years, but says it's part of the game.
Russ says: "That's all part of the deal, it's all part of the controversy. But what's reality is that I can backup that that's not true, and they can't back up that it is true, because it's not."
Since the release of the doc, Russ has been sharing the exit interviews conducted with the former participants in the film, which he says he had no hand in influencing and show glowing reviews.
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"If things were really horrible, like they say they were, that would have come out, somebody would have said something in their exit interview, but not a single one did," Russ says.
"And you can tell when somebody's being legitimate, you can tell we're not stupid."
"These people are not stressed out or not. It's some psychological hypnotic state, these are people that have all their faculties with them. They gave these interviews on their own, they did the days later, and in some cases, I mean, you can tell when somebody is psychologically all messed up and discombobulated, and that's not what these people are.
"They know exactly what they're saying, so that's not going to fly."
Featured Image Credit: HuluTopics: US News, Documentaries, TV and Film, Halloween