Benjamin Ashford|'All about fun': Louisiana man says decapitated Jesus Halloween display has led to harassment

A New Orleans man is Benjamin Ashfordgarnering a lot of attention for his over-the-top Halloween display.

While some may take offense to Vic Miorana's elaborate decor thanks to its early appearance in September (Halloween is coming earlier every year, after all) others have taken to the internet to express their distaste for its religious theming.

A haunt and Halloween enthusiast, Miorana's display this year has the typical skeletons, ghouls and gravestones in his yard, accompanied by some more controversial components, namely Satan holding the bloody severed head of a crucified Jesus surrounded by more gory, crucified figurines dressed as nuns and priests. Below them, a gravestone reads "Hilary's emails."

For Miorana, it's all in good Halloween fun. After a few neighbors shared photos of the display online calling it "blasphemous," however, he began receiving some negative attention on social media.

"Mainly it's all about fun," Miorana told USA TODAY. "It's all for pretend and I know it can be a touchy subject and not everybody was going to like it, but the insults and the attacks and the threats...we've got people inciting violence against my home and my family and it's really gotten kind of out of hand."

He puts a lot of effort into curating eye-catching scenes on his lawn for many holidays, he said, including Christmas. In a neighborhood that doesn't otherwise have many holiday trimmings, people have come to recognize Miorana's yearly efforts.

"My inspiration came from a haunted house that used to be around here, The House of Shock, and their theme was kind of a religious and satanic theme," he said. "It was terrifying, compared to every other haunted house that you would usually go to, it was very scary and I found that it was because of the theme, it's a theme that scares people."

A huge fan of haunted houses, horror movies and all things scary, Miorana said he believes Halloween is about the fright. He wants to be the house people feel uneasy around, he said, because celebrating the holiday is about scaring yourself silly.

"A lot of the inspiration came from my personal opinions on what's actually scary," he said. "Halloween, for me, I think should be scary. Everybody has their own opinions and I prefer to look at Halloween for the scares."

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Controversy and harassment

Miorana said that he realizes the theme might not be for everybody, but that the targeted harassment he's received has been more than he expected. People were taking photos and sharing them, he said, encouraging others to call or go to his place of work and complain or otherwise encourage bad press until he was fired.

Luckily, he said, his employer is aware of the situation and supports his First Amendment rights. Unfortunately, the threats and pressure did impact his girlfriend, who also became a target. When people began contacting her job, he said, they gave her an ultimatum.

The pair chose to separate for the time being so that she could keep her job. "I don't want anybody to get in trouble or get hurt by this," he said.

The police and city code enforcement have been called on him multiple times as well, but the police have let him know they have no intention of hindering his right to free speech as long as everything is in legal order, according to Miorana. Code enforcement has also examined his property and determined that the display is compliant.

While the worst of it happens online, Miorana said he has run into some people stopping by his house to place roseries or engage him in conversations about his faith. Even then, he said, people are generally more reasonable without the anonymity of the internet. A church group even stopped by late at night and they ended up engaging in a civil discussion.

"It's sort of being hammered on that everybody in the neighborhood is shocked and wants it down, but if you're actually here and you're outside (it's different)," he said. "People stop here all day and night... just droves and droves of people and everybody seems to love it...if you're here in person, it's constant support. It's all about a good time."

The harassment mostly comes from social media, Miorana said, because people who live on his street have overwhelmingly expressed support for his decorating. Some even stop by with their kids to take photos.

"I try to do fun things for the neighborhood in a neighborhood that doesn't decorate much at all," he said. "It's just for fun, I'm not trying to indoctrinate anyone into the Satanic Church here."

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Neighbors, netizens have mixed reactions

Some people in the area are still no pleased with the display, however.

One woman who lives in town, Rachel Flanagan, told local news NOLA.com that she found it unacceptable.

"It’s horrible to our religion, it’s blasphemy, it’s not right,” she said to the outlet. “Any other religion would have a problem with this.” 

She shared pictures on Facebook but later deleted the post, telling NOLA.com she received support but harassment as well. Another local, Paula Hennessey, made her own now-deleted post, calling the decorations "disgusting" and saying they "need to be taken down."

"It can be a lot and I understand that, but they have the right to not look, to stay away, to pick a different street," Miorana said. "And, you know, it's actually inspired me, there's a few more surprises I got left."

Comments on Miorana's social media range from supportive to heavily critical. Many comments feature references to the Bible and quotes from verses, while others said things like, "This is an abomination. So evil so wrong." and "Sick & depraved. Not sure God can help someone who mocks Him, He shall not be mocked."

Plenty of comments also supported Miorana, encouraging him to stand his ground. "So proud of you and your display! Great job!!!!!" said one, while another read, "Great job!! Do not take anything down! Finally someone else doing it old school Halloween style."

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'I'm not out to hurt anybody'

Ultimately, Miorana said, he is a normal guy with a normal life simply trying to bring fun to his neighborhood and celebrate his favorite holiday. The decorations took weeks to make by hand, which included Miorana molding the figurines out of foam himself and building some props months in advance.

The set even featured flamethrowers at one point, but Miorana had to temporarily removed those thanks to a current burn ban in the area.

"I'm a regular guy that works a regular job all throughout the year and this is the one time I really get to do something that I love to do," he said. "I'm not out to hurt anybody, it was never meant to be that way...most people get it, some people don't."

He hopes to own and run his own haunted house someday so he can take the spooks to the next level. Either way, he said, he will not be taking any of his decorations down this year or in the future.

"To all the people that are insulting or bullying or threatening or inciting violence, I would just like to say that I forgive them. I love them. God bless them and Happy Halloween."