For some people, the scarier the better when it comes to Halloween decorations. A zombie girl with glowing eyes who rips the head off her teddy bear? OK. A 6-foot-tall, chain-saw-wielding hulk who emits bloodcurdling screams and buzzing? Trick or treat!
Decorating with scary stuff can be part of the fun.
But other people, including those with little kids, find the aesthetic disturbing, and prefer their Halloween without the gore.
“I want to preserve my little ones’ innocence as long as possible, and the creepy, mischievous, evil side of Halloween brings up topics I don’t want my child to know about until they’re old enough to understand it’s fake,” said Jamie Morrissey, who has three children under 3 in suburban New York.
For those after a more dialed-down but still spooky and dramatic look, there are plenty of decorations and themes.