# Halloween display too scary?



## Cat_Bones (Jun 1, 2012)

So i saw this on my news feed and couldn't help but wonder, does this "too scary" yard in Minneapolis belong to anyone here?

http://www.myfoxchicago.com/story/26767569/minneapolis-halloween-display-is-scaring-the-kids

And have any of you ever experienced backlash over your displays being too much for the TOTs? :jol:


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## RWB (Oct 16, 2012)

Not my house, but what's scary is I own several of the props this haunter displays. I'm fortunate that I live in the country and my neigbors live a couple of football fields apart from my house. However I do try to be respectful in not showing the gorey stuff until Halloween night.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

These props are stuff sold at every Spirit store in the country. Why must people find something to make an issue out of? The guy likes some gore and blood, as well as comical zombie babies. I also noticed an American flag flying, FWIW. If your kids are sensitive to that kind of stuff, keep them away or take a different street. So the busy body neighbor is an expert on early childhood development and knows that young kids will be traumatized? I truly hope that the do-gooders of the world never make any headway their attempts to water down or sanitize Halloween. If so, I guess we'll all be displaying skeletons, ghosts and pirates. We've had people walk their kids on the other side of the street from our house, as it as seemingly a bit too intense for them (wait til they see what we have cooked up this year! LOL!), but no outward complaints.


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## HavenHaunt (May 17, 2013)

Since there is no city ordnance sounds like you can put whatever you want up, but If you enjoy seeing the little kids and want them to come to your house then you may want to scale it back. I deck out my house with the little scary stuff in the front and keep the blood and gore for those that dare go into the back yard. That way I get all the families and little kids coming to the house but only those that want to see more can go into the back yard. It seems to have worked for me so far.


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## fontgeek (Jul 24, 2006)

You need to treat your neighbors and neighborhood with the same respect you want them to show you.
Maybe I'm just old in my thinking, but I think there is a point where you have to stop thinking of just yourself, and consider your neighbors and their situations too. While minor scares are fun for kids, having them so traumatized that they end up hating the holiday, and in turn hating and fearing you, doesn't help the "Halloween cause" at all.
Think of it like a neighbor had a PA system going blasting out music that only they liked. I think you'd be doing some complaining too. You need to keep Halloween fun for EVERYONE.


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## Fright Boy (Oct 1, 2014)

*Too Scary??










I do kind of see the point. Even with my tiny display, I have some kids that will not walk all the way to the porch for candy. I have had to walk halfway down the sidewalk, place the candy on the concrete and back away before the kid runs up to grab it. It is a fine line between spooky and too much for little ones. Therefore, I try to keep my haunt a little toned down. We are, or at least I am, there for their enjoyment after all.

It all depends on the kid. This would have creeped me out in big way, but I would have loved every minute of it.
*


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## Turbophanx (Jun 30, 2008)

I am in a similar spot, got the blood on the walls DVD that we were going to project on the side of the house....changed our mind because it spelled out "murder" and "all will die" and "death awaits". And while I am not too conservative in general, his seemed a bit too aggressive considering we are in a family oriented neighborhood. I decided to go without.


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## Spoonhead (Jan 14, 2014)

fontgeek said:


> You need to treat your neighbors and neighborhood with the same respect you want them to show you.
> Maybe I'm just old in my thinking, but I think there is a point where you have to stop thinking of just yourself, and consider your neighbors and their situations too. While minor scares are fun for kids, having them so traumatized that they end up hating the holiday, and in turn hating and fearing you, doesn't help the "Halloween cause" at all.
> Think of it like a neighbor had a PA system going blasting out music that only they liked. I think you'd be doing some complaining too. You need to keep Halloween fun for EVERYONE.


I think this pretty much sums it up for me as well. While a minority might enjoy the blood and guts, the majority will not. Although it's fun to decorate, build props, etc., it is ultimately about the enjoyment of the visitors is it not? Well said Fontgeek!


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

For me, it boils down to personal taste, and someone else's ability to dictate or try to dicate what it acceptable/appropriate. Is this guys yard display something I would do? Heck no, for a number of reasons. Does it seem over the top for young kids, absolutely, for some. We also make an effort to cater to all ages on Halloween, and take pains not to instill fear in the little ones. We offer a pretty harmless front yard display, however the walk through is more intense and this year is pretty edgy, even by our standards. We'll actually suggest that parents don't go through with very young kids because, well, it's going to be scary. My point is that SOMEONE will ALWAYS be able to find fault with SOMETHING, and where is the line drawn? Hell, Christmas displays are deemed offensive by certain special interest groups and taken down so as not to offend. Like many of you, we want to foster good Halloween memories for kids and their families and we receive many thanks and compliments every year for doing what we do. I just feel tht if you are offended by someone's display, then avoid the house and take steps to shield the kids from the potential trauma.


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## Troll Wizard (May 3, 2012)

_*This is one of those gray areas I think. First you have a person who by the neighbors admissions has put this out for several years. So you think by now they would be used to it. Second, these are props that can be purchased at any Spirit, or Halloween City store, and even some Walmarts and stores that you'd think wouldn't carry such things often sell severed heads and the like.

If you already know the house is going to be scary and gross with blood and guts then by all means take the kids to another area or just bypass the house and go to other houses in the neighborhood.

Can some people go over the top with decorations...yes! There are a lot of Christmas decor that I would say is way to much or over the top, but the thing is I still look at them. Instead of complaining about it, maybe the neighbors should go and talk to the owner of the home and see if they can come to some compromise on the decorations he has out.

The thing is that it's Halloween, and some people are going to be scared no matter what you have out there. Good example is I always have kids who get scared just from me having a graveyard set up with some music and fog going in the background. Lighting and such plays into that as well, but some just won't enter the graveyard even with their parents with them.

The tone is already set by the time Halloween arrives and with parents, TV and movies setting the bar for kids to get scared. These same people wouldn't set in front of a TV with a scary movie on and let their young kids watch it knowing how they will react. But on Halloween night those same parents will and I've seen it happen, will try to make their kids go into something that is scaring them and force them to go into the graveyard and get the candy from someone in costume.

If you already know the movie is scary and you don't let the kids watch, then don't make them go into a scary haunt knowing that the same thing will happen. There has to be some responsibility on the parents part in what they allow their kids to see and do. If you know in advance the house is scary and you know how your child will react, then just don't go! Plan and simple! 
*_


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## randomr8 (Oct 24, 2009)

Not my cup of tea. I have to say though: that yard display and the open discussion of it - freedom of speech baby! Freedom of expression.


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

Personally my display is aimed at the younger TOTers, under seven, since that is the demographic of my neighborhood. So really scary stuff is out. Over the years I have even dismantled props that I saw were freaking the little ones out too much. If your average TOTers are the somewhat older crowd then you have to play to your audience. That being said, I do not like the blood and gore stuff myself. It smacks of cheap showmanship with little thought and creativity. Not to say that a "gore" theme can not be creatively done, just they are usually not.

Regrettably, the graphic shock value of these sorts of props is what gives home haunts a bad name, since they are the ones that some parents find the most appalling and gratuitous. I am not saying it is right nor justified. I am all for freedom of expression when decorating for any holiday, but you rarely see a haunt with dancing skeletons and happy pumpkins featured on the news as the source for doing away with Halloween.


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## austenandrews (Aug 22, 2010)

I've got no problem with the display as such. However I do think a less direct presentation could be more effective. Put some big items in the open to get people's attention and tuck others away to reward people who look closer. It's twice as scary and fun when an onlooker suddenly sees something he didn't realize was there. Plus it would mitigate the shock for little ones seeing a corpsed torso several times a day.


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## Shiva (Sep 26, 2014)

We went through this mental wrestling match as we were setting up our display this year as well. 

We opted to make a "little feller" friendly area, and then create an additional area in our garage for those not faint of heart.

We will clearly mark which areas are for the hard-core haunters. We set this up in our garage so it's not in anyone's face that doesn't want to see it. Fortunately, must do


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## CreeepyCathy (Mar 28, 2009)

scariest thing about his display is that danged flag flying near the window.  wth! Get that thing off there! 

AND... that reminds me... I need to go find maggots.


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## drevilstein (Sep 17, 2013)

Hah, Cathy I noticed the flag too. I was thinking that's what got them in trouble, flying a Green Bay flag in Vikings country.


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## RWB (Oct 16, 2012)

austenandrews said:


> I've got no problem with the display as such. However I do think a less direct presentation could be more effective. Put some big items in the open to get people's attention and tuck others away to reward people who look closer. It's twice as scary and fun when an onlooker suddenly sees something he didn't realize was there. Plus it would mitigate the shock for little ones seeing a corpsed torso several times a day.


Really good thoughts and I've debated with myself to figure a better way to display my haunt with this in mind. Many times logistics play a major part in how we have to setup our haunts, but part of the fun in doing a haunt is the planning.

Well I've got less than a week in figuring this out or maybe go with what I've got and start anew next year.


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## Timpbike (Sep 6, 2014)

I like the idea of hauling out the over the top stuffin Halloween night


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## goneferal (Sep 8, 2010)

Working for a Coroner's office I strictly adhere to a no gore haunt. I'm more of an old school witches and ghosts kind of gal.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

We've broached this topic here several times before. The general consensus really is to just know your audience. Yes this is America and HOA and city ordinance aside, just because we have the right to do something doesn't mean we SHOULD do something. Be respectful of your neighbors. Again... Know your audience.

-TM


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