With Halloween drawing closer and closer some homes and establishments have begun decorating their places already.
The Barrett family from Parma, Ohio clearly took things to the extreme, as evidenced by the complaints they are receiving. In fact, so many parents and kids are disturbed about their realistic-looking displays for being too gory and terrifying.
“I felt scared because I thought they were real people,” said an unidentified young girl.
Another complaint against it is its location since the family’s house is just a few steps away from an elementary school.
Parents have called up the city government in the hopes of asking the Barretts to remove – or at least tone down – the horrific displays. The officials, however, said that the family isn’t violating any existing laws.
Vicki Barrett commented “We don’t want to scare kids. We just want to do the Halloween fun of it but definitely no ill intent.” She also added that they have been putting up scary displays for three years already but do not understand the sudden influx of complaints and media attention this time around.
According to Vicki, the family has no plans of removing the displays anytime soon.
Halloween Traditions In The United States
Halloween festivities have always been coupled with scary displays and traditions in the United States.
Children usually go out for trick-or-treating while wearing their Halloween-themed costumes. Adults, on the other hand, attend costume parties as well. Traditionally, costumes were mostly characters from horror movies and literature. According to reports, 85 to 90% of children in the United States go trick-or-treating or participate in other Halloween celebrations each year.
Decorations are also a huge part of what makes Halloween fun. Carved Jack O’ Lantern pumpkins are a common sight during the season as well as inflatable ghosts, skeletons, bats, and tombstones, among others.