Movie of the Week: Haunters - The Art of the Scare

Alexa: I have a lot of mixed feelings about “Haunters: The Art of the Scare.” I was intrigued by the exploration of how horror emerged as a form of escapism after the Great Depression, and the resurgence of that following the 2008 recession. The sociology behind people’s connection with the horror genre is pretty fascinating to me, and I appreciated the sort of anthropological approach to this subculture. But I’m with Jason; I wanted to know more about not just why these people haunt, but how they do it. And the attractions I was most interested in received the least attention - the Universal Studios themed horror nights and Delusion, the interactive theatrical experience. My most visceral reaction was complete disgust with the fact that something like McKamey Manor exists. I have plenty of issues with the Blackout experience (I do not think simulated sexual assault constitutes “entertainment”), but at the very least, those guys will stop the show if participants are no longer comfortable. I don’t understand how something as extreme as McKamey Manor is legal. If people get sick, pass out, beg for the experience to end, Russ will not let them leave. It was deeply troubling to me how much pleasure and humor he found in forcing those people to do what he wanted. Yes, they sign up voluntarily, but if the experience is too much for them, let them stop. As far as I’m concerned, it’s not entertainment; it’s actual torture. And “Haunters” never figured out the right balance between McKamey Manor and the other haunts. Sometimes it wanted to be to a documentary about the haunt subculture and sometimes it wanted to be a documentary about the ethical issues with McKamey Manor. I think there is a way to weave the McKamey Manor stuff in with the rest of the material and include it as one element of a larger story. But the film spent a disproportionate amount of time on that attraction compared to the others, and as a result never found any cohesion.

Joel: There are two really interesting documentaries here that are kind of smashed together. One is a really great dive into haunted houses, their history, the people that put them on, how they’ve changed and evolved over the years, and what it means to be a haunted house today. The other documentary is a look into this one particular attraction, one that describes itself as a haunted house but runs closer to a torture simulation. Honestly, both documentaries are fascinating. Each one ends up feeling a little short changed, and I would really like to see two 70 minute documentaries, one focusing on Haunts and how they’re done, with the other one focusing on the frankly insane story of this McKarney Manor, rather than one 90 minute movie that covers both topics.

That being said, it’s a fairly minor complaint to say that my biggest issue was with the format and that the format I would have prefered is one that would have ultimately resulted in more movie. Perhaps I’m wrong, and a movie focusing solely on either thing would have felt stretched. But this is a case where I really would like to know more about each segment of the movie. Like others have said, I would have loved to see more detail about how many of these haunted houses were constructed and a comparison of how a low budget personal haunted house works to create the same scare effect as Universal Studios for their horror themed events. I would also have loved to go into more of the controversy surrounding McKarney Manor. We get a little bit of some of the other “haunters” discussing problems with the Manor (namely the lack of a safe word) but a little bit of research shows that there is tons of issues surrounding this particular attraction and it’s touched a raw nerve for a big part of this community. You have a guy that clearly has some issues, and has created something horrific hiding behind the guise of entertainment. It’s appalling, but it makes for a really interesting documentary subject.

Leaving the audience wanting more is a pretty standard goal in any form of entertainment and Haunters honestly does a great job of that. It also is able to take a subject that would have a niche audience and presenting it in a way that is interesting even to those who might not be interested in haunted houses themselves. My wife, who will never come close to anything even remotely horrorish, watched the movie with me and just as invested (and repulsed by McKarney Manor) as anyone else. It’s the sign of a good documentary that can make something you have no interest in compelling and Haunters is a great example of that.

Chris: Long ago, I accepted the notion that I was probably born without whatever desire it is that people have to watch horror movies or visit haunted houses (extreme or otherwise). I simply don’t understand the logic behind spending money to be terrified. Beyond that, I take issue with Russ’ excuse for doing what they do as part of some sort of escalation in order to be successful. Russ discussed how the same old thing just doesn’t work and they have to find new ways to scare people and he says this while there’s footage of people getting terrified from a costumed monster jumping out at them, literally the oldest way you could ever scare another human being. The excuse that McKarney Manor’s purpose is to simply scare people in new ways is a lie, it is one man’s torture chamber hiding behind a waiver that all it does is cause mental trauma or unlocks something within the visitors that probably shouldn’t be awakened. Had the documentary focused on the other haunters and took a deeper look at what all goes into creating their haunted houses, this would have been a more interesting documentary. However, I could’ve done without the large focus onto one man fetishizing mental and emotional trauma. Forget punching the monsters, aim for the guy with the creepy smile holding the camera.

Jason: So we watched this one last night and I am still having thoughts about it now. Going in, I thought it was going to be a more in-depth look at how these folks do their home haunts instead of why and how they affect their lives. I have long dreamed of setting up my own haunt at my house someday but after watching this, I don’t think I have the right mindset! The one person I could relate to in this doc was Shar, the “Legendary Scare Actor”. She had a love of scaring from a young age, her parents did not understand or appreciate her fondness for it, and she does it for the thrill of sharing those moments with people. The other two main guys, Donald and Russ, seem to be in it as a twisted power trip. Russ, particularly, ticks every box as a diagnosable sociopath: charismatic, charming, love of animals, no empathy, seemingly no limits, and delight in watching others suffer. The end of this doc shows his operation getting shut down but a quick googleing tells me that he now has two locations, no longer accepts dog food as payment but suggests a not-required monetary donation, and the waiting list is thousands of people long. The waiver they have to sign is over 40 pages in length! Also, he rents the full length videos of his torture sessions to whoever wants to see them. This dude is seriously sick. I’m really not sure how he hasn’t caused more damage than he has or not gotten in more trouble. I’m all for scary stuff but he takes it too far. It’s supposed to be enjoyable for both the actors AND the person experiencing the haunt. These people are being literally tortured for this guy’s jollies.

The others, on the other hand, are doing it right. Even Donald, who scares people because it give him power over them, isn’t causing physical and emotional trauma. I liked getting to see them have good outcomes to their stories. I love that Shar found a way to continue doing what she loves while still being safe.

I still would love to do my own haunt someday. I would like to see a documentary about haunters who aren’t bat-crap insane, like me!