I know it's fake and all, but should that really be the main picture of the main story of a newspaper Web site? Seems a little vulgar...

Sounds like some good old fun! I hope no one decides that they are "offended." You know how things go these days!

This is very cool. I remember going to Cunningham's house when I was a youngin'! His house made me love Halloween too. Guess this year I will be going to Stow. Thanks!

This is cool! I hope no do-gooders put an end to it, but you know how things go.

This is cool, but that Dahmer kid...out in Bath kept real heads in his fridge. Hard to top that.

Wow !! Let's all celebrate death .

@Hitman,

You make a snide comment about "celebrating death". Then, you have a name like "Hitman". What are you, a D.J.?

@everyone else,

Nothing wrong with a good old fashioned scare around Halloween time. People are offended by different things. Some get offended by fake gore, others such as myself, are offended by church sex scandals.

Buy the way, good job, Dave Shonk. Nice display. I would like to see it up close. Maybe I will drive by on my way to the Hudson Haunted house.

Love a Redhead: nice dig!!

btw others such as myself..... are offended by blatant stupidity!

What do you say folks out there in message board land,anyone bothered by anything else? Maybe you could air your grievance right here. Why the heck not!!

Happy Halloween!

Got to hand it to him, it is creative with a spooky spin...

It's a good thing that he is not charging admission. The current council members would take credit for "economic development."

If he really wants to make it scary, he should post copies of his parent's water and sewer bills.

what is UP with these freaks...

@Love a Redhead - I'll tell you what offends me are people that are offended by things....and also people texting in heavy traffic.

It's all fun at Halloween. Begging, trick or treat, scary movies and the like. It's when its real that should make you wonder. How many weirdos get their killing ideas from such things? Don't know, just a thought. Good Luck.

What a sad, misguided society we live in. It's okay to view blood, guts, gore and people generally f'd up and tortured but no no no, don't let the younguns look at sex acts.

Send him to Iraq for about 6 months. He'll get over his fascination with gore reeeeal fast.

The last thing I want to see as I drive down the street is a bunch of mutilated bodies, blood and gore in someones front yard. Spirit of the season or not. What happened to carved pumpkins and corn stalks? Just not shocking enough anymore? Can't get any attention that way? No. The shocking thing I see here goes beyond the repulsive display in the front yard. Sure its only up for a couple of days. This stuff isn't pleasing to the eye. You cant argue nonconformity here because this is definitely not the way to express yourself as different, it is marking yourself as someone that should be kept an eye on because there may be something wrong with you if you think a display like this for public viewing in a neighborhood is acceptable. A person that is respectful of the people in the community and his/her neighbors would not do something like this. And the BJ is only encouraging this type of behavior by publishing pictures and an article about it.

@mazdarx781 - You are exatly the type of person that I cannot stand. Do you hate Christmas too? That is right, I said CHRISTMAS!

Yeah I like Christmas, I like Christmas displays, just like I said I like carved pumpkins and corn stalks. But since that wasn't shocking enough, for the attention deprived I guess, the natural progression are things that are distasteful. So in the spirit of distaste I thought up some Christmas displays that you and your buddy here could use when the time comes: A beheaded Santa, Reighndeer with arrows in them. A baby Jesus hanging by a noose, a disemboweled Mother Mary, maybe a blood red frosty the snow man, Instead of a star over a manger maybe a pentagram, zombie 3 wisemen. I'd like to see some other suggestions. Because you know it would be a part of the spirit of the season, and the more shocking you are, you can show the world how edgy and cool you are and they can tell you how 'artistic' you are, because you express yourself in a really special way. But over all take a step back and to consider how much your neighbors and members of your community would like that.

Finally SPD3333 its just ignorant to imply that I would hate a religious holiday because I can't stand trash in someones front yard despite the season or time of the year something that is not pleasant to look at and fills someones yard I will point it out. Im just going to make the assumption that maybe a regional thing...where the community and neighborhood there isn't trash in anyones yard like this, but seeing how you are from Barberton,...you are just used to it and don't know any different, and I'll just end it all with that.

@mazdarx781 - WOW! you must be the recipient of an even more twisted mind to come up with such vulgar ideas for Christmas displays. I would have never thought of that. Did I touch a nerve? Are you offended?

Oh, and by the way, being from Barberton has nothing to do with it. It has to do with education and obviously I have proven myself to be higher up the IQ ladder than you, that all based on your childish little rant back to me. When you can't face me with the original argument and you go and attack where a person lives means that I have soundly defeated you.

Have a nice time thinking up some more twisted Christmas themes because it looks like you have plenty of time on your hands.

Cool! Off to my garage to start implementing some of mazdarx781 AWESOME ideas for a Christmas display! *lol* (P.S. - Great work Mr. Shonk! Love your sense of FUN. See people? That's all it is... FUN. Get over yourselves! ooooo everyone is so offended by everything these days. Geez.)

There are ratings for violence in theaters, what prevents a family from driving past this, innocently, not knowing @ this violent display, and young ones are in the car? Nightmares, terrors for little ones. That's not ok.

Hmmm Drive faster? Teach your kids the difference between something that's real and something that's fake? I don't know. Too many parents don't take responsibility for their kids and what they witness these days. They always want to blame someone else. But that's a whole other story now isn't it? How slow are you driving by that your kids could process all that so quickly?

mazdarx is a doosh.

I hate to burst the young man's bubble, but (1) does he know those "donations" are taxable income, and (2) does he have a permit for this type of thing, because I'd be surprised if he could collect donations like that at a private-turned-public display? I'd hate to see the cops stop by and shut the display down midway through a busy evening, or worse yet , he gets nailed on his FAFSA or by the IRS for not reporting income. Just some food for thought. ;)

Sick. I don't know about you but if my child ever set up a display like that I would suggest they seek mental health services. Who just thinks up disturbing stuff like that??

@mazdarx781

Do you even understand why such disturbing images and gore are used in haunted houses?

Its a way of distracting people so that they can be surprised. Hes not doing it because there is something wrong with him. If you actually took a second to think, you would understand that he is trying to make his attraction more realistic and professional.

I also find it rather distasteful that you are coming onto this and berating him and posting such unnecessary comments. He should be commended for showing such drive and entrepreneurship. Most people his age would not be this committed to building a haunted attraction such as this.

Glad this isn't in my house! Yukkkkk, Way too sick and gruesome for me ... I'll just stick with the smiling pumpkins for Halloween ... Thank you!

While I haven't gone to a haunted house, etc. in years. I applaud this young man with his ideas. However, if he is really expecting 1,000 people to show up, who is going to pay the police for traffic control? Who is going to pay for paramedics? I hope these things were thought out.

You got to hand it to him it looks real and is good for halloween. Maybe he will become a M.E. some day. Or maybe he is related to DEXTER!! Good job kid!

REALISTIC AND PROFESSIONAL! LOL @ DanJakes07, Im with Reality 2 electric bogaloo send him to Iraq and Afghanistan to experience some real life and death situations that aren't glamorized for amusement. Then when his tour is over and he comes back and he still wants to do these things, then he knows how to really do some REALISTIC AND PROFESSIONAL looking displays for charity handouts.

Halloween is a time to have fun and to get scared.
For all the people offended by it, heres an idea...
Don't go to a haunted house, read about something else, get off your high horse and let the boy have fun. It's halloween!

Sounds like fun. Its Halloween...Happy Halloween everyone.

Love It!!!

I'm all for fun and Halloween and even going to Haunted Houses if you choose, but this is in a yard in a residential neighborhood. Someone in my neighborhood had a similar type display last year and since a kindergarten child lived across the street, the kindergarten school bus drove by it every day. My young son knew it was fake, but he found it very disturbing and had trouble going to sleep every night until the display was taken down. He told me that it scared him and he didn't like it, but we couldn't leave our neighborhood without driving by it.

If all the displays are in his garage or basement then I have no problem with it, but it appears that much of the gruesome display is outside and in view of his neighbors and anyone else driving down the public street. They have no choice in whether they want to be exposed to this gruesome display.

@mazdarx781: Lighten up, Francis!

As you said yourself, this is for amusement! People love to be scared, especially this time of year. There is indeed a difference between war and amusement. We see the difference, apparently you don't.

My guess is, over the course of your lifetime, you've never had the distinct pleasure of experiencing: Mary Shelley, roller coasters, Stephen King, haunted houses, Tim Burton, haunted hayrides, Edgar Allan Poe, et al.

This young man has obviously found a creative nitch and he's running with it. Good for him! Now, Maz, why don't you go upstairs and drag little Johnny away from playing Grand Theft Auto on the 'puter and send him outside to help the young man set up. Johnny could probably use the exercise and fresh air. Matter of fact, you should help too. By the sound of your temperament, you definitely could use both.

But just remember, this is NOT real, NOT real, NOT real!

Honestly, all you people out there complaining about this, grow up, it's halloween, a time of the year where a majority of the people want to be scared. I am in class with David and he is so passionate and creative about this whole thing, and I am beyond impressed that someone who is only 18 is able to put on something this big. You better believe I will be there supporting him because he deserves it for all the hard work he has put in to it. All of you trying to tear him down and ruin his dream, should really just stop! Grow up, if you dont like what he is doing then dont go, but you dont have to sit here and be a baby about it and complain.

Maybe before you all judge someone and jump to conclusions you should really think first, it might be hard for some of you, but honestly all of you who posted rude messages about David and his hard work, are plain out immature and rude. Your all being jerks, and there is no simpler way to put it.

GROW UP!!!

Well I guess I've lost total connection with all reality because when celebrating Halloween, and enjoying the holiday bloody, disembowled, headless figures sitting in someones yard is just unappealing and is a sad reflection on our society. That in order to get attention the more disturbing and gross something is, the better chance you are to get your picture in the paper. Well mission accomplished I guess. Im not on a high horse, Im in an Ivory Tower, and Im not alone.

This isn't a front yard display, its a type of haunted house. It's your choice to walk into it or not.

It's nice that this young man decided to continue another man's legacy.

Very creative and "free to the public times" is very generous considering the time it took to make I'm sure.

I can't believe people are bashing his creative efforts.

His parents are idiots. Absolute idiots. Does the name Jeffery Dahmer ring a bell. Anyone in the neighborhood needs to keep an eye on their cats and dogs this next week.

Mazdarx781 - just go back to Iraq.

as i said before "grow up"
@ shiela why dont you stop being so rude, he is following some mans legacy who happened to be close to him, he is tying to provide entertainment for the public, because open your eyes lady thats what people want, and better yet he is being generous and making it free, maybe you should i dont think before you speak so you dont sound so idiotic because lady you do by calling him Jeffery Dahmer, you dont know him so dont judge him, and maybe if you did know him you'd realize he isn't some crazy serial killer, he is enjoying the holiday, and at that in a safe way, unlike other kids who are going to party for halloween then driving drunk. You really are rude! and i guess since were generalizing here saying he is making a haunted house he is jeffery Dahmer, are you saying all people who create haunted houses are jeffery Dahmer, because if thats what you think, your crazy too!

@ sheila- you wanna name call, then i do to, how about we call you Hitler for wanting to stop someone's individuality and doing there own thing! just because you dont agree whit it doesn't mean you have to be childish and try to ruin everyones fun on halloween!

No, Im thinking Hitler would have enjoyed this

David has always been very creative and a very nice young man. Glad to see that he finally got some recognition. You go David!

Trivialized, glamorized and glorified evil is for people who...mmm...love evil. (duh!)
People who love evil need serious HEART surgery. The only physician that I know of that can perform THIS kind of heart surgery is the Great Physician himself: Jesus Christ.

@mazdarx781
You need to stop posting such ignorant comments.

Until you actually take the time to get to know David Shonk I would keep my comments to myself.

And the way you suggest sending him to Iraq makes me sick. There are so many brave Americans supporting our country and i would appreciate it if, you would not make remarks like that.

You mention Iraq, as if it seems to be like some kind of punishment. The soldiers going there are serving us and protecting the rights of us all. Rights that allow people to express themselves such as David, but also rights to disagree with others. So keep your mouth shut, and find something better to do than to throw such hateful and snide remarks.

@ sheila
You can't instantly assume anything about anyone. Not everyone fits a single stereotype. So stop judging and insulting people that you do not even know.

"This isn't a front yard display"

Ya better check out the pictures, friend, some of this is a front yard display. A very gruesome one at that ...

From my Ivory Tower I observe Danjokes07 trying to get on high donkey

I served 3 tours in Viet-nam and I think the kids setup is great for Halloween. We all like to be scared a little and the kids creativeness is great.

I am a parent of a volunteer who is working at David's haunted house. I am extremely proud of David, his parents and all the volunteers who are willing to help make his dream come true.

They are providing a place for the local teenagers to walk through his haunted house instead of going to a party to get drunk or do drugs. With so many families in a financial hardship, its great that there is a place that the teenagers can still celebrate without paying a price.

Its a shame that so many people are putting him down for his efforts. David is probably one of the nicest guys I have met. WAY TO GO DAVE, KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

Seriously, everyone who is complaining about this needs to GROW UP! You are all ridiculous!

Over half of you dont even live in Stow, so if you dont want to see it, then don't go down his street.

If you actually knew David, then you would know that he is absolutly NOTHING like Jeffery Dahmer. He is the nicest guy that you could meet. Don't automatically assume that people who love Halloween and go all out for it are terrible, gorey people. It is hardly the case!!! If thats what you believe, then that is incredibly sad.

If you think it's gross, don't go. Hand out candy or carve pumpkins to enjoy Halloween.

If you think it's awesome, you should make a trip to Stow and enjoy the gory display.

It's really that simple. Why does it have to be anything more than that?

Nice job Dave,
Don't let these miserable people get to you. Just a bunch of jerks that can't enjoy life and it upsets them when other people have some fun.

If this were my kid, I would be disappointed that he can't find something better to do.