Americans are going large this year with realistic illusions and other extreme Halloween displays. Are you thumbs up or down on them?
From ginormous skeletons and rotting zombie corpses to haunted houses and sinister graveyards, neighborhoods across America are alive with Halloween spirit.
For some, going over the top and then some with their yard displays is the point of Halloween. Good taste isn’t nearly the factor it is in Christmas decorating, they say. Among these folks, there’s no such thing as too much fun on Halloween.
They make the case that the history of All Hallows Eve, as Halloween is also known, is on their side. In ancient indigenous cultures, especially among the Aztecs, it began the celebration of the Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos. These indigenous people of what is modern-day Mexico believed mourning was disrespectful and instead that a person’s passage from the physical to the spiritual world should be joyfully celebrated.
Decorations can go too far, though.
Amanda Peden and Sam Lee stir up controversy every Halloween with a smoky light display that gives the illusion of an inferno inside their South Carolina home, resulting in numerous 911 calls to the local fire department.
Although the couple asked emergency dispatchers to call them first before sending a truck in response to 911 calls, the fire chief, Russell Alexander, told NBC’s “Today” show, “It’s bad practice to not send a truck and, ethically, I can’t take that liability. If we get a call, we’re sending a truck, no matter what.”
Halloween decorations can be too extreme for young children who can’t yet distinguish fantasy from reality and are terrified by violent or gory imagery, according to mental health experts.
“I’m going to need someone to explain to my why people decorate their homes for Halloween in complete horror … when there are neighborhood children … that ride bikes, play outside, drive by these homes for the entire month of October,” one mom complained in a TikTok video. “I get the joy …. of explaining what that picture is and trying to shape it in a way that doesn’t sound terrifying to my young children.”
What do you think about extreme Halloween decorations? We’re asking for Block Talk, Patch’s exclusive neighborhood etiquette column. Just fill out the survey below. And as always, we don’t collect email addresses.
About Block Talk
Block Talk is a regular Patch feature offering real-world advice from readers on how to resolve everyday neighborhood problems. If you have a neighborhood etiquette question or problem you’d like for us to consider, email beth.dalbey@patch.com, with Block Talk as the subject line.
Catch up on Block Talk
What To Do When Your Neighbor’s Weed Stinks Up The Joint
How Early Is Too Early To Decorate For Halloween?
Fire Pit Season Heats Up; Here Are Some Dos And Don’ts
It’s ‘One Big Goose Latrine’ In Some Neighborhoods
If You Don’t Return A Shopping Cart, Are You A Total Jerk?
‘Poop Cleanup In Aisle 9’: Do Dogs Belong In Stores?