Warning: This story contains sensitive content that some may find disturbing.
A Halloween decoration in Montréal’s Ahuntsic-Cartierville borough is shocking residents and passersby.
Hung up by a noose tethered only metres above the sidewalk from a tree branch hangs a display that looks like a corpse.
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The gruesome display is so realistic that it has been the source of many complaints according to homeowner Mathew Farah.
“I didn’t expect to get all this attention,” Farah said. “I really enjoy Halloween and did this in the spirit of the season.”
The mannequin figure is fully dressed in a jacket, pants and shoes.
Its arms and legs are bound by duct tape. Its head is covered with a bloody bag.
The ghastly effigy has some neighbours impressed with its realistic look.
“For me, the first time I saw this I was like, ‘Woah,’ and I took a picture and put it on social media,” one neighbourhood resident said.
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But not all are impressed with the decorations.
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One woman, at first unaware of the display, gasped at the sight, calling it “despicable.”
Others tell Global News the decoration is “distasteful,” offensive and is too graphic for children.
“It’s great people can do decorations for Halloween, but personally I think it was done in bad taste. It’s distasteful,” one woman said.
Others said the display may cause some who are unaware to call emergency services.
For his part, Farah, a self-proclaimed Halloween enthusiast, said he only wanted to create a good scare.
“I didn’t mean to offend anyone,” Farah said.
A sign that reads “Fake” in red alongside a smiling face has since been placed under the mannequin after a short visit from police, according to Farah.
“I was told to make it obvious or take it down,” Farah said.
Montreal Police say hanging up the decoration is not a criminal act and the homeowner is permitted continue to do so.
While officers did intervene no official complaints to police were filed concerning the mankin according to SPVM spokesperson Caroline Chèvrefils.
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The decoration will remain up, Farah said, until the end of Halloween. He suspects with the added attention and notoriety more people will be knocking on his door on Oct. 31.
“I better have a lot of candy this year because I expect to get a lot more kids at my door this year,” Farah said.
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