Halloween stunt showing 'decapitated man' triggers 911 calls

A scarily realistic Halloween display of a decapitated man crushed by a garage door sparked panic in the US.

Tennessee police officers urged people to stop calling 911 after finding the blood-splattered puppet stuffed with straw.

Greene County police department said it had received calls about a “suspicious person lying in a driveway with bloody handprints on the garage”.

The department said terrified neighbours should congratulate the homeowner “on a great display” instead of calling the police.

It wrote on Facebook: "ATTENTION EVERYONE!!! For those of you driving on Chuckey Pike in Greene County: THIS IS A HALLOWEEN DECORATION!

"Do NOT call 911 reporting a dead body. Instead, congratulate the homeowner on a great display."

The post, which carries an image of the realistic display, has been shared more than 6,000 times.

One user commented: “Literally congratulations to these people making something look so real!"

And another said: “[This is] how you know your Halloween decorations are good.”

But not everyone was impressed by the display.

One Facebook user wrote: “What kind of picture does this paint for young children?”

Other users questioned why such decorations were appearing in September, with one commenter adding: “A little early for Halloween decor ain't it?”