Floating ‘Stranger Things’ Halloween Display Taken Down After One Neighbor Complains

A Plainfield, Illinois, couple’s Halloween display of a floating mannequin, based on the TV show Stranger Things, was taken down after one neighbor complained about the increased traffic it was bringing into the community.

The display pays homage to a memorable scene in the fourth season of the popular Netflix series when one of the main characters, Max Mayfield, played by Sadie Sink, is levitating in the air while possessed.

@horrorprops♬ Stranger Things – Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein

Dave Kedzie and his wife Aubrey Appel used a life-like dummy — dressed as Max — and were able to make it appear as if the prop was levitating without using wires. The family posted the display on TikTok on September 15, and the video has since received over 14 million views.

The online popularity of the display has attracted crowds of people rolling into Plainfield to view Dave and Aubrey’s creativity. However, the family has drawn the ire of one neighbor who was reportedly upset about the increased traffic of people into the area.

The couple says they went around notifying neighbors about the display and received overwhelming support, including from the upset neighbor at first, before they had a change of heart.

“Everyone seemed OK with it, until they weren’t,” Aubrey told WLS. “It’s upsetting, you know, to be told ‘we support you. We’re behind you. We understand why you are doing this’ and to have that blow up in your face.”

The neighbor voiced concerns that the increased traffic endangers the community’s children and increases the possibility of burglaries. Following the complaints, the family reluctantly took the floating Max prop down, CBS Chicago reported.

Despite the one unidentified individual’s objections, other neighbors were impressed by the prop and did not have any issue with the crowds.

“It’s so awesome,” neighbor Trina Mahon told WLS. “They put so much work into it.”

Mahon noted that her children thought the display was the “most awesome thing” and were “crying” when they found out it was being taken down.

Dave and Aubrey plan to meet with Plainfield officials Wednesday in hopes of keeping the display running through the rest of the Halloween season.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.