Gargoyle on top of The Avenue scaring Sydney residents

THIS gargoyle in an Aussie pub is freaking out locals, with some worried the "monster-looking" statue will "come alive" and start attacking them.

Even Ben Stiller got scared by a statue in Night At The Museum.

THERE'S not much that would stop us from entering a good pub.

But a scary-looking gargoyle atop a Sydney pub is freaking out local residents and causing them to avoid the area altogether.

The 1920s-style design feature sits on the roof above the main entrance to 456 The Avenue, a new pub on Sydney's north shore. The venue is styled to resemble those in 1920s New York, where gargoyle sculptures were often built on top of buildings to control the flow of rainwater, which spurted out from their mouths to prevent flooding.

But this particular stone creature has caused ruffles among local shoppers and workers on the busy strip in Chatswood, an area popular with those of Asian descent.

Locals have been walking around the pub's entrance - so as not to walk directly underneath the gargoyle - or simply avoiding the area. It's a strange sight to see at such a buzzing city strip.

Would this gargoyle stop you going to the pub?

Amy Chan, 38, who works in community service and is of Chinese descent, walks past the gargoyle almost every day.

"I don't actually avoid walking past it, because it's a short cut to walk to the station from my office in Help St, but I tend to not to look at it," she said.

"I don't think the Chinese culture has anything against the gargoyle. To me, I just find it quite scary and intimidating to look at, especially when its getting dark.

"I remembered one of my colleagues looked up and saw the monster, she was scared and said 'This is not a normal place to have lunch'."

Ms Chan watches a lot of sci-fi, superhero and superstitious movies such as Batman, Night at the Museum and Alien. She says walking past the gargoyle makes her feel like she's in an episode of a scary monster drama.

"Somehow these movies do make me think that anything is possible. It does slip through my mind that what if the monster-looking gargoyle comes alive and starts to attack everyday people like myself?"

There is little evidence to suggest Chinese cultures are superstitious about gargoyles or they hold a negative place in Chinese history.

"I personally have never heard of anything like this," the head of the Australian Chinese Community Association, Alex Lui, said.

But Geremie Barme, a Professor of Pacific and Asian History at the Australian National University, says they do hold some relevance.

"In the Chinese world protective Door Gods that keep out bad spirits are important," he said. "The Western gargoyle looks devilish and hardly like a protector."

The reaction has come as a surprise to the pub's owner.

"I just laughed at first. I thought 'You're kidding me'," said Andrew Utiger, who also owns a pub in North Sydney.

"We didn't know at all that it might cause, not angst, but that some people might not like to walk past."

But it doesn't seem to be impacting on the pub's success.

"If the restaurant [produces] excellent service and food, people will still come no matter how scary the place looks," Ms Chan said.

No gargoyle should ever get between a beer and a thirsty mouth.