Halloween horror or a hoot?

Halloween decorations in a West Kelowna neighbourhood have stirred up controversy among residents.

An outdoor display in the Rose Valley area has generated a range of emotions from locals.

"It's not appropriate for children... the content being displayed is of a psychopathic nature," said neighbour Angel Rockwell.

Jessie McKay is the creator behind the "baby doll bloodbath" display and says he doesn’t mean any harm with the decor; he just wanted to have some fun.

"I wish that people would come to us and tell us these things, just because obviously we are not here to scare little kids to the point where they don’t want to be at our house."

"Halloween is really touchy. Some people are going to be offended, but I have only heard good things."

Rockwell became aware of the decorations when her six-year-old daughter was delivering newspapers on Friday. She noted that her daughter saw the display and began to cry.

"She was in tears... honestly. We had some issues going to bed that night, and it has been a topic of conversation every day since. She’s having bad dreams, so it is definitely a concern for us," Rockwell said.

Rockwell has not directly reached out to McKay about her concerns.

As a mother of two, Rockwell mentioned that several other neighbours share similar concerns.

"Everyone I’ve talked to feels the same way... all of our neighbours."

"If this were a movie, the content being displayed in our neighbourhood would be rated R, and children wouldn’t be allowed in a movie theatre to see something like this," Rockwell added.

She says that if the decorations remain up for Halloween, her family will stay at home.

"We are not going to do trick-or-treating because my daughter is too scared. I don’t want to subject my children to being horrified when it’s supposed to be a fun tradition."

Another neighbour mentioned having contacted West Kelowna Bylaw Services, which cited the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, stating that individuals are guaranteed freedom of thought, belief, and expression.

"We just want to make it fun for kids. If there are kids that are way too scared by things we put out there, we would obviously like to hear those concerns so we can avoid those things," McKay added.

The decor has received a number of positive messages of support on Facebook.

"Well done to our neighbours Great display at Christmas and even better Halloween. Creepy AF. Love the rotisserie," the post said.