Ah, Halloween! It's the one time of year that you can be somebody different, and when calories don't count. The weather is cooling off, orange pumpkins guide you down neighborhood streets with a smile on their face, and homes are decorated with ghoulish displays that are meant to put you in the mood for All Hallow's Eve.
While most people appreciate that Halloween decorations are done in the spirit of the holiday, certain decorations are too inappropriate for some people to handle. We compiled a list of some of the most controversial Halloween decorations and and gruesome, graphic front lawn displays to prepare you for the horror that awaits you while you trick-or-treat this year!
A Ohio Mother's Grisly Decorations Shocked Her Neighbors
In Parma, Ohio, a mother was surprised to find that her neighbors were bothered by her Halloween decorations. Vicki Barrett's front lawn displayed faux bodies impaled on poles, nailed upside down on a cross, and wrapped in plastic. Despite the horrifying scene, Barrett insisted her decorations were just innocent fun.
People in the community complained about the graphic lawn decor, but Barrett didn't want to take them down. However, she eventually relented when her family started receiving unwanted attention from strangers trespassing onto her property for a glimpse of the horror.
A Machete-Wielding Obama Went Too Far in This Anti-ISIS Lawn Display
A homeowner in Butler, New Jersey, was serious about showing his patriotism when he came up with an anti-terrorism Halloween display. The man wanted to send a message to ISIS and any of its supporters by depicting a machete-wielding President Obama killing one of the terror group members. The decorations went even further and showed a prisoner held captive inside a cage.
While the New Jersey man was proud of his decorations, neighbors found the ISIS scene inappropriate, tasteless, and un-American.
A Home on a Military Base Drew Fire for What Appeared to Be a Fake Lynching
The community living on the Fort Campbell military base in Kentucky were disgusted at what appeared to be a racially insensitive Halloween scenario on someone's front lawn. The decorations show three individuals hanging from the tree on the front lawn, while a smaller individual stood at their feet. Residents complained about the scene, insisting it depicted a black family being lynched.
Authorities immediately removed the decorations because they were offensive to the community. Later, someone defended the decorations on Facebook, insisting they were done in homage to a scene in the Ethan Hawke horror movie Sinister. In the scene, a family is hanged by a possessed child.
Home Depot Customers Complained the "Scary Peeper" Made Light of Assault
Home Depot in Canada found itself under scrutiny after a customer took offense to a Halloween decoration called "Scary Peeper Creeper." The item is a prop face of a creepy man who is made to look as though he is peering into your window.
The upset customer claimed the peeper was inappropriate, and that it made light of rape. The company behind the product insisted that their intentions were for the product to be a light-hearted prank, and apologize for the way it was interpreted.
Scary Peeper Creeper was removed from Home Depot stores in Canada, but it is still available in the US.
Baby zombies crawl inside a crib, gnawing on severed body parts as their dead mother watches over them on a lawn in Katy, Texas. The gruesome set-up was all for Halloween - and it proved to be too much for some residents to handle.
Local news covered the house, and one mother said that the Halloween decorations were going too far. She complained that (real) children should not be exposed to the type of violence depicted in decorations like the zombie baby scene. However, other neighbors - including kids - in the area thought the decorations were no big deal.
A Detroit Family Used Halloween Decorations to Address Real Issues
In 2016, a homeowner in Detroit decided to use the Halloween season to bring awareness to police brutality against black people, as well as an array of other issues relating to violence and health in the community. The homeowners used props to depict the victims of police shootings, and even tackled the water crisis in Flint, Michigan.
Homeowner Larethia Haddon said that the real-life horrors of the world are far scarier than boogeymen like Freddy Krueger or Jason Voorhees. She told local news, "The kids aren't afraid of the boogey man anymore...They say grandma, we're scared to go outside and play."
The decorations have garnered a lot of reaction from the neighborhood. They even prompted one visitor to break down into tears. Haddon has started inviting visitors to church with her, and says that people in the world need to start helping each other, or else her decorations will continue to be a reality.
