Halloween is the one night of the year when we all agree to be a little weird, a little spooky, and eat way too much sugar. It’s supposed to be fun. But for one couple, their “Cursed Carnival” masterpiece turned into a real-life horror show, not because of a ghost, but because of an unhinged, entitled neighbor.
Our story comes from a 28-year-old woman and her husband, who are new to their neighborhood. They are, by all accounts, the best kind of new neighbors. They’re the ones who go all out for Halloween. We’re talking full-on costumes, a decorated house, and candy for all the kids. This year, they went with a “Cursed Carnival” theme. The wife was a spooky ringmaster, and the husband was a clown.
They spent all day setting up their “immersive experience” on their walkway and front lawn, making sure to stay on their side of the property line. They were just trying to give the neighborhood kids a good show and some candy. A noble, candy-corn-fueled goal if you ask me.
Dusk rolled around, and it was showtime. The couple was in character, handing out candy, and by all accounts, the other kids who stopped by were loving the show. It was a good time.
And then, the neighbors from hell emerged. The neighbor came out with their young son, who, upon seeing the husband in his clown costume, almost immediately broke into tears.
Now, let’s just pause. Kids get scared on Halloween. It happens. It’s dark, there are costumes, and sometimes a clown is just too much. A normal parent would say, “Oh, honey, it’s just a costume,” maybe laugh it off, and walk a different way down the street. It is a one-night-a-year occurrence.
But these were not normal parents. They marched over to the ringmaster and demanded that she and her husband take all their decorations down by the time they returned from trick-or-treating. Their reasoning? Their son “won’t be able to come home” unless he knows “the clown show” isn’t there.
I am sorry, what? Is the child now the legal owner of the street? Are you planning on sleeping in the car? The sheer, unmitigated gall to ask someone to undo hours of work and ruin their own night because your kid got a little spooked is just staggering.
The couple, who had invested time, effort, and money into their setup, gave a very reasonable “no, that’s not going to happen.”
This is where the neighbors went from “entitled” to “completely unhinged.” The dad threatened to call the cops and tell them the couple was “harassing children.” Harassing? By… existing in a costume… on their own property… on Halloween? That is a level of “Can I speak to the manager” energy I wasn’t aware was possible.
The couple, now (and justifiably) so irritated they didn’t care about the crying, held their ground. The neighbors left, hiding their son’s eyes from the spooky, spooky clown.
But the story doesn’t end there. Oh no. When they returned, the mom got in on the action. She “cursed out” the narrator, and then—I am not making this up—she tried to tear down their inflatable decorations. She. Put. Her. Hands. On. Their. Property.
So, is the narrator the ahole for… checks notes… decorating for Halloween, refusing to be bullied by an unhinged neighbor, and then getting mad when that neighbor tried to vandalize her home?
Let me be abundantly clear: N-T-A. You are not the ahole. You are a Halloween hero. The neighbors are the villains of this story. Their kid being scared is a normal part of Halloween. Their reaction—the demands, the cop threat, and the actual, literal attempt at property destruction—is certifiable.
I do not think you are TA in this scenario. The lad was frightened by Halloween decorations, not chased by your dog. There was not a threat to his safety or physical or mental well-being. Thus the request that you and your husband remove all Halloween decorations, by the time they return home from trick-or-treating no less, is incredibly entitled, unreasonable, and a total
a-hole move. If the child was this frightened, perhaps the parents should choose a different activity for Halloween. It is the parents’ responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of their children on Halloween, not those simply decorating and passing out candy. Though the neighbors passing out candy do have a social contract of sorts to ensure that the children and parents on their property are free from harm and the threat of harm to their person and property. The narrator and her husband did nothing to threaten or violate the well-being of the son. 100% NTA.