Ohio town demands zombie nativity scene come down

Jasen Dixon and Amanda Baker view their zombie nativity scene. (Photo: WLWT-TV video screenshot)

An Ohio man's zombie nativity scene is causing some of his neighbours grief.

Jasen Dixon's display outside of his Sycamore Township home features zombie statues dressed as Mary, Joseph, and the Three Wise Men, and there is even a zombie baby in a manger.

Dixon said he and his fianceé, Amanda Baker, love Halloween, and wanted to extend the spooky holiday into December. Dixon is also the manager of the Thirteen Rooms of Doom Haunted House in Rising Sun, Indiana.

"(We had) ugly stuff to work with," Dixon told WLWT-TV.

The nativity scene is entirely homemade, except for the zombie baby and zombie Joseph. Baker said that passersby cannot believe their eyes.

"People come by all the time and they take pictures," she explained. "They'll take videos and they'll get out of their cars. We never expected the reaction that came of it.

"There's a lot of traffic coming through just to see the Nativity scene. They see it on the news, and they see it on Facebook and they want to see what it's all about."

Some of the neighbours are none too thrilled about the display, however. Sycamore Township Administration Office representative Greg Bickford reported that two people anonymously complained about the zombie Christmas scene.

An inspector was sent to the home, and found several zoning violations. Dixon had multiple doors and windows in the driveway, and the nativity scene took up more than 35 per cent of the front yard. He could face a $1,000 fine if he does not take the display down by noon on Friday. Dixon could also appeal the order.

"I'm sure I'm going to take it down and put up something that's going to offend them just for a week," he laughed.

Baker said she was raised Catholic and recognises the religious significance of the Nativity, but also enjoys shows such as "The Walking Dead."

She also insisted that the display was not meant to offend anyone's religion or make a statement about Satanism.

"We've heard stuff like that," she said. "This isn't something about, like, we're not devil worshipers."

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