# Do you have any limits regarding taste and decency when creating your yard haunts?



## Tasty Brains (Jan 16, 2019)

As with any decorating, certain judgement calls come up when creatively expressing ourselves through our Halloween haunts. I bring this up because I've only been having fun with this for a handful of years, yet I've already run into quandaries. Just in the first and second years in this first-time home there have been two instances where I had to consider taste and politics for my displays.

In 2017, I had found a broken wheelchair and had intended to have my pose'able skeleton in it wearing old lady garb while she watched over my growing collection of zombie babies. But there's a neighbor only two houses up from me who is confined to wheelchair after a wreck with an idiot who was texting and driving. I've never met the guy, but I worked with his wife years ago, and they're good people. So it just seemed wrong somehow to display a skeleton in a wheelchair. So, I settled for my porch chair and was done with that.

Last year, I wanted to have one of my zombie babies in a medium-sized dog cage, with a torn-up teddy bear and some bones surrounding him. But around the same time there was the (continuing) fuss about the border with Mexico and the photos of kids in cages at the detention centers all over the news. Now, the last thing I intend to do as a newbie is introduce a thread where people debate political matters. Those never go well, and we may all have massive differences of opinion about politics, religion, and what-all, but we are all here for our love of one very special night of the year. So, I'm not here weighing in on either side of that argument, and I ask others to please refrain from hyperbole in reply. My only point here is that I do want to scare, but I'm not trying to make any sociopolitical statements with my Halloween displays. So, I weighed things, realized that people on _both_ sides of the immigration conversation could possibly see it as something to get triggered about, and said, _"Screw it, I'm doing this one anyway."_ And thankfully, nothing came of it, and everyone who stopped by seemed to have a fun time last Halloween.

I'm sure everyone has seen news articles about yard haunters who perhaps take things too far. Some purposefully include political components, or have figures dangling from trees (looking perhaps too much like lynchings). There was one item from late September 2018 where someone had decorated with some of those bloody window clings of blood spatters and words that had a neighbor worried enough to call the Law, just in case. Me, I try for more of a creepy, spooky vibe than gory horror, but that's just my own preference.

I don't know, just thought it was curious that I'd run into quandaries like that both years of my first genuine attempts at yard haunting, and would like to hear from others if decisions like that have ever caused them to drop ideas or how they handled things.


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## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

There's certainly been things along the way where my wife or myself has just said no to on account of not wanting to offend neighbors, but I really don't have a hard fast rule on "no __________". 


(Other than no strobes for medical reasons on some neighbors.)


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## Cephus404 (Oct 13, 2017)

Nope. There is nothing I absolutely won't do, so long as it fits in with the theme. Nobody has ever been offended with anything I've done.


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## Restless Acres (Apr 21, 2016)

I try to limit the gore. This year I dangled 7 or 8 heads from my Tree of Woe. That was a little borderline, but they were kind of hard to notice at night, with everything else going on, and no specific lighting on them.

Props that come with white clothes that are blood covered (like Berzerker Zombie from Spirit, two static little boy zombies) I clothe with stuff from Salvation Army or Burlington Coat Factory. Frankly they are better props that way. I donated (to Salvation Army) several undead lawn jockeys, which I had bought on clearance from Spirit for nothing, that my brother (correctly) pointed out looked a little too much old-school, a little racist lawn jockeys. I won't display my Chin-up Zombie from Spirit for the reason you mentioned in your post (he's hung). Even Hung-Up Zombie (who isn't hanging from the neck, but wrapped around the chest) doesn't go out for the same reason (but I think I would put him out in the right scene). 

I definitely agree with your wheelchair choice. Cage not as necessary, but it is definitely to err on the side of caution with what might offend the neighbors. I also made it a point when new people with small kids moved in across the street to invite the kids over, show them that they were just silly toys, let them know they could come over whenever, etc. My kids are just inured and props don't even register with them as scary.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

I don’t do gore. Not for political reasons but I simply feel that life is gory enough. Halloween for me is Samhain or a harvest celebration.


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## 65Ace (Jan 29, 2015)

I once did a ground breaker who was flipping "the bird" as a practical joke that I sent a picture of to some buddies of mine on Halloween, but I've never incorporated that as part of my pirate graveyard.


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## halloween71 (Apr 22, 2007)

I dont go for gory as much as just creepy.People are just wayyyyyy to sensitive now a days over stuff they havent any reason personally to be.But trust me if I wanted to do something I would.You just have to go with your inner voice of reason.If it feels wrong to you then dont do it.
Everybody is offended over everything anyways so let them be offended...they like to live that way keeping the chaos going.


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

When I was younger I LOVED gore in what I did & watched. But now that I'm over 50 now & feeling more mortal every day, I just don't dig gore anymore (though I still will watch some gory horror movies, just not as many as I used to).

I never really did anything else that would even be considered controversial. That wasn't & isn't what the day & displays are about for me but if you wanna push the envelope, go for it just don't be surprised if someone else doesn't like it & voices their opinion on it in some fashion.

So if you're gonna do it, do it & stand behind it just make sure you're doing it all creatively & legally.


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## Kristin Carroll (Sep 11, 2015)

A few years ago I decided to do a voodoo theme (inspired by travels to New Orleans and American Horror Story - loved their Papa Legba), but I was a little worried about it coming off as offensive. I decided to take a chance and go for it, and thankfully no one said anything. I thought it was tasteful and spooky all at the same time, plus my Papa Legba came out pretty scary looking as he was 7 feet tall!


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## a_granger (Oct 21, 2012)

I'm not big on gore. I like spooky or eerie myself, but to me it's all about the kids. I never want to go too over the top that they are put off of my favorite holiday.


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

No gore
No baby coffins (sometimes too real for some families that have lost children)
No tombstones with local people's names/family names (we like funny epitaphs not real ones!)

Just follow your gut instinct, if you are questioning it, then don't do it.


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## Maniac Marshall (Sep 17, 2017)

I agree with the no gore rule, it is a for the children after all. I leave the gore for the professional haunted houses, if people go there, then they know what they-re in for.

I like to do ambiance with a lot of cool lighting and fog, creepy but not too gross.

This year will be giant spider themed and I'm curious if the little ones will be reluctant to come, spiders really hit a nerve with some people.


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## yeloowtang (Nov 3, 2015)

same here, the only thing I don't do is gore.. we get lots of young kids.. other than a few severed heads  I stick with monsters and zombies in a scary scene.
ohh and can't do clowns because my wife hates them.. LOL


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## timewarrior (Jan 8, 2015)

Nothing polititical or preachy. Just good old fashioned scary fun. It’s escapism and entertainment. If I wanted to teach, I’d have been a teacher.


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## Tasty Brains (Jan 16, 2019)

Kristin Carroll said:


> A few years ago I decided to do a voodoo theme (inspired by travels to New Orleans and American Horror Story - loved their Papa Legba), but I was a little worried about it coming off as offensive. I decided to take a chance and go for it, and thankfully no one said anything. I thought it was tasteful and spooky all at the same time, plus my Papa Legba came out pretty scary looking as he was 7 feet tall!


Love how that all came together! Your Papa Legba is killer, too. I tried for a swampy/voodoo kind of vibe back in 2015 or so, while I was still renting. You pulled yours off way better. Question: Where'd you get those great greenish-blue lights? They look GREAT!


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## Kristin Carroll (Sep 11, 2015)

Thank you so much! I really loved doing this theme, it ended up being a ton of fun. I just bought regular green string lights, I believe purchased from Target or Home Depot at the time. And then I bought a green strobe light and green tea lights as well to give it that eerie swamp vibe. I made the Papa Legba structure out of PVC pipe, but the base wasn't strong enough so he kept falling over. I'm debating if I should just buy a mannequin on a stand for this year (doing a jack the ripper theme) of if I should redesign the positioning of the base so my dummy is more structurally sound.


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## Oak Lane Cemetery (Sep 5, 2011)

I restrain myself from displays of gore or violence because we are a trick or treat haunt mainly for the kids. I am trending towards a tad more gore, but no blood soaked gut-fest, just some more rotting things. Political or ethical statements are a definite no-no, you are just inviting vandalism and other headaches. Religion is a grey area for me. I stay as neutral as I can save for religious symbols on tombstones and of course witchcraft/wiccan themed objects. However, if I ever get complaints from anyone on religious grounds I WILL become offensive and up the ante in a heartbeat just out of spite.


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## lisa48317 (Jul 23, 2010)

I don't like blood & gore, either. My whole cemetery leans toward silly but I'm slowly trying to up the "creepy" along with the humor. Skeletons doing a conga line aren't my idea of scary!


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## Ken F (Oct 20, 2011)

I try to keep the front of my yard kid friendly and I’m adding on a back of the yard ( behind the house) display to be more scary. That way I am not overwhelming children walking by the house. Personally I try to avoid anything that could be offensive. I want to keep Halloween as positive as possible , especially when my neighbor’s are supportive of the display. There are just so many cool things you can do with your display without taking the risks to be hurtful. Don’t get me wrong, I totally believe people are too easily offended these days, but I don’t want the head aches that come along with “crossing the line”. It just goes out of control too quickly!!!!


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## 904Houston (Jul 31, 2017)

My goal is to make sure everyone who comes to our haunt has fun. My one rule is that we do not display any crosses, even on our grave stones. We try extremely hard to make sure everything on display is appropriate for all ages and views. Like to spread the joy of the holiday along with a few harmless nightmares as well.


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## Killed by Death (Sep 29, 2008)

LOL my taste is a bit different from most haunted here I guess. I have child zombies, babies about to be dunked in the cauldron, babies on leashes and in cages for my witches, hanging men from trees, real names and dates on my tombstones( including for my wife and daughter), crucified bodies,etc. I don’t have much gore but I’m not against having it. I have to say in all the years I’ve been haunting I’ve had one complaint. Everyone seems to love it and if anyone was offended I’m not aware of it.


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## Daphne (Aug 11, 2007)

I don't do gore or dead babies/children because I get a ton of young kids and I don't want to give them nightmares (plus I don't care for those features personally). My display is all about the spooky atmosphere so the gore wouldn't fit anyway. I pulled all my strobes last year on Halloween when I found out a new family in the neighborhood, that were really excited to come to our house, has a child with a medical condition where strobes could trigger a seizure. I have been concerned about this for the last year anyway and would be horrified if there was a problem so I decided to pull them and make it safe for everyone. The child had a blast, there were no problems and no one even realized the strobes were gone.


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## Guywithmonsters (Oct 13, 2015)

Tasty Brains said:


> As with any decorating, certain judgement calls come up when creatively expressing ourselves through our Halloween haunts. I bring this up because I've only been having fun with this for a handful of years, yet I've already run into quandaries. Just in the first and second years in this first-time home there have been two instances where I had to consider taste and politics for my displays.
> ...
> I don't know, just thought it was curious that I'd run into quandaries like that both years of my first genuine attempts at yard haunting, and would like to hear from others if decisions like that have ever caused them to drop ideas or how they handled things.


We live in a neighborhood troubled by gang/drug violence so we steer clear of anything violent or frightening. We're just trying to bring a little joy to the kids. 

There has only been one theme so far we nixed as problematic - Africa Safari. Right now it just seems an awkward choice to be a white guy dressed in a safari outfit in a neighborhood that is primarily people of color. Totally not worth the risk of making someone uncomfortable to me.

My two cents.


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## Guywithmonsters (Oct 13, 2015)

"Dispose of your ugly children here" made me laugh. lol


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## stick (Apr 2, 2009)

I go for more for the spooky / creepy side of it or try to. I want something people do not see that often and if they want gore they can turn on the news every night and get all they want. I have people tell me that if they go somewhere there kids tell them to make sure they drive buy my house so they can see it again and again. I have people asking me in September when am I going to be setting up because it would not be Halloween without it and that makes all the work worth it.


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## doto (Nov 20, 2009)

The night should be fun for both you and your guests. Use your best judgement. You'll never make everyone happy but if you think it is something which will offend someone and lead to a confrontation that will affect your fun don't do it. A poorly chosen theme or prop is not worth affecting your fun especially with the money, time and effort you invest.


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## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Daphne said:


> I pulled all my strobes last year on Halloween when I found out a new family in the neighborhood, that were really excited to come to our house, has a child with a medical condition where strobes could trigger a seizure. I have been concerned about this for the last year anyway and would be horrified if there was a problem so I decided to pull them and make it safe for everyone. The child had a blast, there were no problems and no one even realized the strobes were gone.


We have an epileptic in our family and strobes just play havoc with his seizures. Many autistic kids also find them very difficult to deal with. Since we're all about trying to make sure everyone has a good time, we just don't use any form of strobing lights. We try to encourage folks to drop strobe lights out of their front yard haunts and post signs warning kids about the strobes if they have them inside a walk through. Like you, we have found over the years, kids still get creeped out by our props, and no one ever says, "Gee, that would have been so much cooler with a strobe light."  

Our thanks for taking into consideration the needs of the few without diminishing the thrills for the many.


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## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

It seems to us everyone here has a pretty good sense of judgment about what might be too far. Even _Killed by Death_'s display seems pretty fun and not at all offensive. It's not like that baby is going to fool anyone that a child is in jeopardy. And well, everything else is really cool, so what's to beef about?

Our tombstones have jokes for epitaphs, but nothing political. There's no gore. Currently our only zombie is a Pooh-bear with one eye and a skeleton body sticking out of his stuffing and fur. We might get a cease and desist order from Disney, but I don't see us offending anyone because of stuffed toy abuse. I'm out in the graveyard every year to answer questions and make sure everyone has a good time. And there in lies the one and only time we frightened a young child so badly that she wouldn't go upstairs and get candy. She was afraid of men with beards. I had to basically walk away while mom went upstairs for her daughter's candy run. You can't plan for every contingency.

It's hard telling what might be over the line for any given individual. If we scare them because we did something creepy and weird, we're happy. If we offended them because they read something into the display that wasn't there, we're okay with that. We do our best to create a family friendly display. Still, we know that there are families out there who think that we're doing Satan's work by decorating the house and handing out candy. We're not even going to try and win them over. They're going to stay home Halloween night anyway. Trust your gut and go with anything you're comfortable with. Then just roll with the outcome. All I can say is, if this year the cops get called because there's a dead guy stirring a pot of glowing green stuff in our yard, we're going to have donuts on hand to diffuse the situation.


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## Spookzilla (Nov 4, 2007)

This post subject has hit a nerve with me which is funny because the dead have no nerves! Really all I can say about it is anyone is offended by someone Halloween display is three words, “Buck Up Buttercup” it’s Halloween!

But we all have to live in the real world, except for the dead, which sadly for some people means everything has to have a political meaning. Or if not that another way of defining it is that some visitors to your haunt reaction maybe, right or wrong, on how they interpret their perceived symbolism your Halloween haunt display’s. Case in point, I’ve always thought a ghoulishly scary and wonderful prop would be to have a half a dozen corpses hanging by their necks from a tree in different stage decay, just awesomely ghoulish for a Halloween display especially if they were in motion, right? Wrong! Why you may ask it’s wrong is because some people would interpret this Halloween prop display as representing slavery and the Jim Crow period of our country and the result might be very unpleasant for you! I don’t think there is a thing wrong with this prop but I promise you others would and have. Not to many years ago a fellow haunter ended up having his haunt splashed all over the local TV network news and newspaper as being racist because they had a prop of a corpse hanging from its neck from a tree, now do you want that? 

Ask yourself is that reaction extreme and I’d say yes, it is as I believe many of my fellow ghouls and goblin’ets would agree, no? Though I also say extreme or not you must consider the symbolism that your haunt may display to some people. Yes, I believe and most would agree, you do have the right to display your creative talents anyway you want. Even if you want to display dead babies that are aborted or not or whatever garish display of a nightmare vision you wish to create you should have that right. Though you should also be prepared to accept and deal with whatever the consequences that your haunt display may be perceived and the resulting public reaction. If your able to do just that then go for it and if not then you should think and re-think about the theme of your haunt and what you are going to display. 

That’s my pieces if eight from the grave for everyone to think about my Buttercup’s!


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## ironmaiden (Aug 5, 2003)

Personally I don't like gore and will not decorate with it but that is just my preference.

However we live in a society that is extremely reactive. And when people feel offended they will take it upon themselves to vandalize property. 

I figured long ago it would be best to stick with creepy and spooky themes and decor.


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

I don't like the Spirit Zombie Baby trend because they're almost cute sometimes & it's just not my "thing", but I love seeing how others use them in displays.Many here have done some really clever things with them. I'm also afraid if I started buying them then I'd go overboard & I'd have yet ANOTHER THING to collect!!

I don't think most of us here have ever really done anything truly distasteful, at least not that I've seen or that anyone has posted anyway. 

It seems it's all about knowing your audience.


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## FogMaster (Jul 4, 2018)

Very limited gore here as well. I definitely do everything I can to scare TOT's without the gore. What really annoys me is seeing a house very nicely decorated on Halloween night and seeing a dumb political sign mixed in with it. It distracts from your hard work of decorating, give it a break for a night.


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## Dragon (Oct 31, 2007)

I just have an ever growing graveyard. Some skellies, a mummy that I think needs to be retired, coffins, fence, etc nothing real gory. I am also dressed up in a fairly creepy mask and stuff and one thing I try and do is not go after toddlers, they are way too easy, now their mom's are fair game.  Best I ever had was decades ago as a teen. I scared a mom so bad she took off running and left her kid. Ahhh memories. The pack of teens that will not come up to the door. But with the littler ones I try not to move and freak them out more. Unfortunately, this kid dressed in a cute like WWII fighter pilot costume (we are near a big base) saw me move. Fortunately I thought real fast and saluted him and then he was OK with it. (I got lucky).


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## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Spookzilla said:


> Case in point, I’ve always thought a ghoulishly scary and wonderful prop would be to have a half a dozen corpses hanging by their necks from a tree in different stage decay, just awesomely ghoulish for a Halloween display especially if they were in motion, right? Wrong! Why you may ask it’s wrong is because some people would interpret this Halloween prop display as representing slavery and the Jim Crow period of our country and the result might be very unpleasant for you!


We worry about hanging a man in a cowboy outfit because local cattle rustlers and horse thieves will take offense that we belittle their job choices. We worry about those witches we're trying to make from masks of green skinned hags. They will of course raise the hackles of both those that see it as an affront to societal perceptions of beauty, and those of green skin as being speciesist. We do not want Kermit the frog with a sign outside our haunt protesting Halloween night.

If you build it, they will come. And then a certain number will be offended, and a certain number will be horrified, and a certain number will be thrilled. We’re thinking two out of three ain’t bad.


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## Tasty Brains (Jan 16, 2019)

The tree hanging thing has led to numerous issues (just Google 'Halloween hanging tree' in the news subsection of Google) for home haunters. I'm sure most or all of them had no intention of referencing past historical events, but they apparently appeared close enough to cause some dismay.


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## Killed by Death (Sep 29, 2008)

chubstuff said:


> We worry about hanging a man in a cowboy outfit because local cattle rustlers and horse thieves will take offense that we belittle their job choices. We worry about those witches we're trying to make from masks of green skinned hags. They will of course raise the hackles of both those that see it as an affront to societal perceptions of beauty, and those of green skin as being speciesist. We do not want Kermit the frog with a sign outside our haunt protesting Halloween night.
> 
> If you build it, they will come. And then a certain number will be offended, and a certain number will be horrified, and a certain number will be thrilled. We’re thinking two out of three ain’t bad.


Agreed. The horrified ones are always the best. Last year, I remember a car slowly driving by to check out my display, a common occurrence for us all around that time of year. As the car drove by, I could see the look of horror and disgust on his face and then he drove off. Good times. I also had an older woman who was walking by a the yard a few days later as I was setting up. She stopped in front of my crucified corpses and took them all in for a moment, as I prepared for the usual questions/ compliments. Without saying a word, she continued down the road shaking her head back and forth the entire time and mumbling to herself. 99.9% of the people love what I do. The few that don’t like it don't need to stop. I feel if my little haunt/ display isn’t a little disturbing, I’m not doing my job. It is Halloween after all. Everyone's entitled to one good scare!


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## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Tasty Brains said:


> The tree hanging thing has led to numerous issues (just Google 'Halloween hanging tree' in the news subsection of Google) for home haunters. I'm sure most or all of them had no intention of referencing past historical events, but they apparently appeared close enough to cause some dismay.


I think context is everything in a haunt. If you have a hanging man jerking around in a tree thats wrapped up in a sheet tied together or a hood, prepare to have people offended; and rightfully so. If your image directly refers back to a specific, horrific historical act, then expect blow-back. If you have a monster bouncing around, or a skeleton dressed in a medieval knight outfit, then anyone taking offense just wants to be all butt-hurt about something without really thinking it through. 

When I see a rotting corpse hanging from a cross of wood, I don't think, "oh look, Christians being crucified along the Appian way." I actually think, "oh man that's creepy. I wonder how they did that?" and move on. I've always thought of them as scarecrows of epic proportions. Anyone taking offense is choosing to read into the display what they wish; and really, you can't stop them from going to their dark place if that's where they want to go.

If what you put up is clearly not marked by historical conflict, what you put up is just creepy awfulness meant to frighten and delight TOTs. But everyone who sees your hard work will interpret your haunt based on their own perceptions. Little creepy baby dolls in bird cages; gibbeting skeletons in chains, manacles, or on crosses; bloody faced werewolves with human body parts in their paws; whatever you choose to do will have consequences. 

We don't do gore, because that's not who we are. But we do have skeletons hanging from manacles. And this year we'll have witches, which will probably offend someone regardless of how lighthearted we're going to make it. It's a sliding scale, and responses to what we do will also be on a sliding scale. The key is in knowing just how much of a slide on the negative comment side we're willing to accept to get the positive reaction we're seeking.


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## DaveintheGrave (Feb 12, 2004)

I guess I'm old school, since I've always tried to keep my display and the props I build 'kid-friendly'. I try to go for the 'creepy', instead of the scary. I have never been into the gore thing for Halloween and never will. To me, that's not even Halloween. Same thing with clowns and pirates.
I get around 200 Trick-or-Treaters every Halloween and most of them are younger kids with their parents, so I don't want the kids too scared to come in the yard.
I've got pretty good judgement on what might offend someone and shy away from that sort of thing.


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## Cephus404 (Oct 13, 2017)

Killed by Death said:


> LOL my taste is a bit different from most haunted here I guess. I have child zombies, babies about to be dunked in the cauldron, babies on leashes and in cages for my witches, hanging men from trees, real names and dates on my tombstones( including for my wife and daughter), crucified bodies,etc. I don’t have much gore but I’m not against having it. I have to say in all the years I’ve been haunting I’ve had one complaint. Everyone seems to love it and if anyone was offended I’m not aware of it.


It doesn't bother me either. I'm really doing Halloween for me. If kids have fun with it, and they always seem to, then great. If there are some that are terrified to come to the door, and there are usually some of those too, then I'm fine with it. If I'm going to be the one going to all of the trouble and expense of putting together a display, then it's going to be because I enjoy it. That said, I don't typically do a lot of gore, although I've done some. I've done fountains of blood. I've done guts. It's not gratuitous but it's not politically correct either. Nobody has ever said a word and I wouldn't care if they did. If you don't like it, don't come. Year after year, we get tons of compliments on the display. Life's too short to worry about the whiners.


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## HauntedClog (Oct 6, 2017)

I agree with most people on here in regards to the gore. I love the creepy aspects of Halloween.
I really don’t understand the interest in things that are realistically gory. When I see something that includes guts, blood, gore I just shake my head. I am not sure who this is really supposed to appeal to either.
Most people enjoying our Halloween displays are kids anyways so I think it fun to try and make things spooky enough for adults but also enjoyable to the kids.
Just my two cents


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## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

HauntedClog said:


> I agree with most people on here in regards to the gore. I love the creepy aspects of Halloween.
> I really don’t understand the interest in things that are realistically gory. When I see something that includes guts, blood, gore I just shake my head. I am not sure who this is really supposed to appeal to either.


I think those who love gore are a subset of folks who enjoy professional haunts that cater to that genre. If you look at TransWorld's Halloween, the amount of gore and guts is overwhelming. They are the shock jocks of the Halloween world. They have thousands of attendees, so there is definitely an audience for what the vendors are selling. We're just not those kind of folks.

We will watch people's videos of the shows, but never attend one. We are not their target audience.They cater to the haunt industry more than home haunters who think not traumatizing little kids is part of the goal. But, we're all for everyone enjoying what they enjoy, including those who think sawed in half people with their guts hanging out is what Halloween is all about. Then again, TransWorld's Halloween is also moving into Christmas decorations along with their Halloween fare. They are taking a Halloween tradition and letting Christmas creep into it more and more each year. So as far as we're concerned, they violate a sacred tenet not to dump Christmas right on top of Halloween. That more than any guts and gore is too awful for us to ever tolerate.


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## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

Halloween Forum is acting weird tonight. Duplicate posts can't be deleted, but at least I can whittle it down.


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## lilibat (Aug 10, 2015)

There are just some things that are obviously not on, especially in certain areas. Like I would never do a hung skeleton from a tree living in the south. Probably wouldn't do it anywhere else because of the strange fruit association. 

I try to avoid anything that would be appropriative.

I don't do anything as a jump scare because so many of my friends have anxiety.

I just try try to make a nice spooky ambience that everyone can enjoy.


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## LadyMage (Aug 15, 2014)

Like many here, I'm going for a spooky ambiance, not a gore fest. I want the little children to come to my door, not run screaming, and I don't think my much older neighbors would appreciate a gory or super realistic display. I also have a six year old - I have to make her home comfortable for her. 

I would not do something political - not my style.

I have an added wrinkle. I chose to make my graveyard themed with different pop culture fandoms. Most of my stones are more oblique references to the material, not just stones with the names of things I like. So while I want my stones to reference the properties that I enjoy, I also don't want to spoil things in them either. I'm a little more lenient with adult properties since adults can choose what to watch themselves, but I get kids of all ages running through, and I don't want to spoil something that they're not quite old enough to have seen/read yet. The one that really had me thinking was the Harry Potter themed stone. I wanted to do a stone for one of the characters, but the big deaths in the series are enormous spoilers, if, like my kids, they worked through the series slowly, only doing the first few for a while, and saving the later, darker ones for when the kids are older. I eventually settled on doing one for Lily and James Potter, because that kinda made it obvious what it was referencing, and it's not a spoiler - they're already dead right at the beginning, but are still a big part of the story. It helps that the stone was seen both in the book and the movie.


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

chubstuff said:


> TransWorld's Halloween is also moving into Christmas decorations along with their Halloween fare. They are taking a Halloween tradition and letting Christmas creep into it more and more each year. So as far as we're concerned, they violate a sacred tenet not to dump Christmas right on top of Halloween. That more than any guts and gore is too awful for us to ever tolerate.


Ohnononono...that is wrong on so many levels.

I love Halloween first with Christmas a close second. I don't do big stuff outdoors but inside it's pretty much like vintage Christmas threw up.

It's bad enough all the stores start Christmas in September before Halloween but I thought Transworld was Sacred Ground for Halloween Haunts & haunters of all types. I've never been but it seems as though they do tend to cater to the "big boys" in the game but I still enjoy seeing the vids & products in them & getting inspiration for stuff.

I know, I know, it's all about the $$$ for these companies & it's just another way to bring in the business but it still seems wrong.

And honestly, as someone who likes Christmas I really don't wanna see it next to bloody corpses, vampires & zombies.

I do wonder why so many big haunts rely on gore. I guess they're pandering to the "masses" & it's an easy gross out & distraction. Same with jump scares & chainsaws, easy & obvious.


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## Savage Night (Jan 11, 2008)

I've never been much for the gore thing. More Addams Family than Texas Chainsaw Massacre around here. But for several years, I had a basket full of bloody severed arms and legs. I got rid of them a long time ago. Mostly, my skellies wore clothes--Hawaiian shirt or disco duds for Club Dead for example. No blood. They played poker with giant cards, and a mermaid was serenaded by her ukelele playing boyfriend.. I guess the most controversial thing we ever did was to use our tiki torches to light the yard up a bit. Who knew that some assmonkeys would carry them in their hateful rally? This year, we will have skeletons (undressed, except for a couple of tasteful accessories) and our lunging reaper, and all the random bits to pop out at the TOTS. No blood. No gore. No nooses. Some jack-o-lanterns. Spooky music. 

I never thought about the strobes being a danger. In the past, I have suffered seizures, but lights never triggered them. Maybe I should rethink the flashing lights. I'm already a bit concerned about the many children today who are allergic to nuts. Well, there's a few months ahead to think about it.


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

I know PumpkinRot did a theme last year called Church. While it was artistically beautiful and creepy, there are some things that should be kept sacred. I guess I am just oldfashioned.


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Halloween seems to be one of those holidays that runs the gamut on decor moreso than Christmas (just IMHO). 

You can do gore if it's your thing, you can do static creepy if that's your thing, you can go in the kiddie inflatable direction, the cute direction, you can have just zombies, you can do aliens, you can do all blow molds, witches, all JOLs, you can have bloody everything, there just seems to be a myriad of ways to decorate for Halloween & I love it all.

Is all of that my taste? Nope. Some of it is but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate seeing it all. 

So if you have an abbatoir as your theme, I wanna see it. If you have nothing but inflatables, I wanna see that too. I'm just happy that anyone decorates for our holiday.


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## RCIAG (Jul 19, 2010)

Halloween seems to be one of those holidays that runs the gamut on decor moreso than Christmas (just IMHO). 

You can do gore if it's your thing, you can do static creepy if that's your thing, you can go in the kiddie inflatable direction, the cute direction, you can have just zombies, you can do aliens, you can do all blow molds, witches, all JOLs, you can have bloody everything, there just seems to be a myriad of ways to decorate for Halloween & I love it all.

Is all of that my taste? Nope. Some of it is but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate seeing it all. 

So if you have an abbatoir as your theme, I wanna see it. If you have nothing but inflatables, I wanna see that too. I'm just happy that anyone decorates for our holiday.


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## halloweenscreamqueen (Jul 23, 2007)

lisa48317 said:


> I don't like blood & gore, either. My whole cemetery leans toward silly but I'm slowly trying to up the "creepy" along with the humor. Skeletons doing a conga line aren't my idea of scary!



I love the conga line idea! We always did the scary/funny yard haunt too as we had lots of little TOTers... They especially loved the “Cheverly Hillbillies” theme with the skeleton in the outhouse. Once they figured out what an outhouse was for, they thought it was hysterical and asked to have it out every year!


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## Wolfman (Apr 15, 2004)

Two rules at our place. No Gore. No Contact. Nobody gets touched.


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## oaklawn Crematory (Jun 25, 2010)

I have neither taste or decency.....but I make a great lasagna!


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## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

oaklawn Crematory said:


> I have neither taste or decency.....but I make a great lasagna!


Most breaches of decorum and etiquette can be forgiven with a healthy serving of really great lasagna. It's why we hand out lasagna instead of candy at our haunt. (The kids know they've shown up too late at night when all they get is a little bag of tortellinis.)


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## HalloCat (Jul 31, 2016)

Honestly, anything you put out could offend anyone these days. However, I just go with the classics like witches, werewolves, ghosts, pumpkins, graveyards. Never had a problem with those.


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## Meadow (Apr 14, 2019)

We only recently moved to a neighborhood where we could do Halloween displays. Our neighborhood is primarily very little children and I’ve always focused on spooky more than horror. I appreciate the horror displays but am not looking to end up on the news or our town Facebook site.


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## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

oaklawn Crematory said:


> I have neither taste or decency.....but I make a great lasagna!


I just knew this comment was yours OC!!....lol


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## The Skeleton Crew (Aug 2, 2016)

Tell the story you want, who cares what others think... I suddenly feel the urge to create a slenderman, slenderwoman, slenderperson (whatever is politically appropriate these days) theme.


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## 66539 (Feb 20, 2016)

The Skeleton Crew said:


> Tell the story you want, who cares what others think... I suddenly feel the urge to create a slenderman, slenderwoman, slenderperson (whatever is politically appropriate these days) theme.


A whole family of slender people, Mama, Papa, and baby out terrorizing folks as a family outing. What a concept.


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## Meadow (Apr 14, 2019)

Wolfman said:


> Two rules at our place. No Gore. No Contact. Nobody gets touched.


On the nobody gets touched comment, last year we had a lot of people wanting to touch our displays, which were behind fences. I had a small child stomp a light as well and then said.. that light isn’t working. What do you do to deter touching? I mean don’t get me wrong, I want people to enjoy it and at the same time I’d like to not have things destroyed.


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## oaklawn Crematory (Jun 25, 2010)

matrixmom said:


> I just knew this comment was yours OC!!....lol



Hehehe You know me so well my dear!


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## Wolfman (Apr 15, 2004)

By "No Contact" I meant visitors will never be touched. If they want to get touchy-feely with our props we can't stop 'em. But it's all built to withstand that. Nothing store-bought but lights and fog machines.


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## Kdestra (Jul 23, 2018)

Meadow said:


> On the nobody gets touched comment, last year we had a lot of people wanting to touch our displays, which were behind fences. I had a small child stomp a light as well and then said.. that light isn’t working. What do you do to deter touching? I mean don’t get me wrong, I want people to enjoy it and at the same time I’d like to not have things destroyed.


We put up a Halloween Fence which I’m trying to improve this year. 

Maybe you could post a sign. I just saw a cool link from Chilubstuff on
“Need ideas for Best Decorated House Winner Sign” thread. I’m planning to use it for something similar.


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## 128393 (Apr 4, 2019)

I don't like gore...it's too meah ... usually with little story value. I want to entertain the young ones not scare them. That's the reason I stick with Disney themes. I do have some games so there's a bit of interaction with the crowd.

Putting up a Halloween fence this year too. I had over 300 TOTers and it killed my lawn with a few things being accidentally kicked and damaged.

Is it too tacky (not in good taste and decency) to do a fundraiser on facebook? I really have a lot of things I would like to do but run out of money fast.


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## Booda (Jan 15, 2019)

I'm with most of you, I try not to use gore in my haunt. In fact several of you brought up good points about strobes and other items that could be perceived as insensitive. However, I'm a little concerned about one of my props I have planned for this year. The prop was the demonic nun from the Conjuring. She pops out at people and this will be our first time using her. I wasn't going to get it at first since I was concerned those with religious beliefs would be offended. My son and daughter both convinced me to use it this year and after seeing some of the post from here, I'm wondering if I made a bad decisions. We get upwards of 400 kids during Halloween. A lot are trucked into our neighborhood which I believe the more the merrier. I've also made it a point to buy my neighbors extra bags of candy since the crowds have increased because of the display each year. It seems like kids and parents alike enjoy the decorations. I've only had one person, a FedX driver, question me during the daytime whether the display was too scary. That's why last year I began using a remote to shutdown the props that pop out. I also set up two paths from the street to the door. One for little kids and parents with strollers that bypass the scarier props and another that is for those a little more brave. I also give out candy out in the street for any little tikes that might be too scared to walk up to the door. But to be honest, I'm really surprised by how many small children aren't easily scared. I try my best to keep it fun for all each year but I also don't want to alienate anyone because of our props and display.


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## dane82 (Sep 24, 2012)

Booda said:


> I'm with most of you, I try not to use gore in my haunt. In fact several of you brought up good points about strobes and other items that could be perceived as insensitive. However, I'm a little concerned about one of my props I have planned for this year. The prop was the demonic nun from the Conjuring. She pops out at people and this will be our first time using her. I wasn't going to get it at first since I was concerned those with religious beliefs would be offended. My son and daughter both convinced me to use it this year and after seeing some of the post from here, I'm wondering if I made a bad decisions. We get upwards of 400 kids during Halloween. A lot are trucked into our neighborhood which I believe the more the merrier. I've also made it a point to buy my neighbors extra bags of candy since the crowds have increased because of the display each year. It seems like kids and parents alike enjoy the decorations. I've only had one person, a FedX driver, question me during the daytime whether the display was too scary. That's why last year I began using a remote to shutdown the props that pop out. I also set up two paths from the street to the door. One for little kids and parents with strollers that bypass the scarier props and another that is for those a little more brave. I also give out candy out in the street for any little tikes that might be too scared to walk up to the door. But to be honest, I'm really surprised by how many small children aren't easily scared. I try my best to keep it fun for all each year but I also don't want to alienate anyone because of our props and display.


it sounds to me like you've gone out of your way to accommodate as many people as possible. i wouldn't worry at all.


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