Vic Moriana, a 34-year-old who loves Halloween, has decorated his home with violent props, such as a bloody crucifixion scene, a pentagram, and church benches, making it a contentious attraction. He maintains his sophisticated arrangement is just recreational, disregarding the concerns of a few irate neighbors.
For Halloween, Moriana of Metairie, Louisiana, spent thousands on a spectacular display outside his rental house. The majority of his neighbors love his decorations, but a small group of religious protesters see them as blasphemous and have started picketing.
Protesters waved placards reading “Catholics reject blasphemous art” and “Anti-Christian art is hate speech, not free speech.” The demonstrators, in Moriana’s opinion, have misinterpreted the meaning of his decorations; he was raised Catholic but no longer practices.
With the words, “The religious vibe just tends to be the most scary,” Moriana made it clear that his display had no intention of insulting religion. A terrifying Halloween would be great in my opinion. Furthermore, he clarified that he had no intention of using his decorations to make a political statement on free speech.
Moriana is resolute in his stance, unwavering in the face of the objections. “I must admit, I am not bothered by the demonstrators,” he declared. They’re calm. He is grateful for the attention his decorations have received and respects their right to free speech.
By stating, “It was people trying to shut this down that blew up the story,” Moriana asserts that the efforts to remove his billboard have only served to raise its profile. That’s simply further exposure. He does not sympathize with the demonstrators since, in his opinion, the demonstrations are backfiring.
Making the decorations together has been a wonderful bonding experience for Moriana and his daughter, who is six years old and can tell the difference between the genuine and phony parts of his set. All he wanted was for the grownups who were mad at him to see things from his point of view. His next remark was, “Maybe choose a different street to stroll down if that’s not your thing.”
The demonstrators’ objections, according to Moriana, are without merit, and he emphasized that every year he checks that his exhibit abides with all municipal and state regulations. But there have been personal difficulties as well; his ex-girlfriend dumped him because he wouldn’t take down the decorations, and demonstrators have contacted TV stations in an effort to cause trouble, which has affected her career and caused a temporary split. Moriana seems unfazed by the setbacks, declaring, “I’m actually doing what I love,” and asking, “At what point do I have to appease you and stifle my own artistic creativity?”
