The Home Depot 2024 Halloween props and animatronics are here!
When people think of March they may think of St. Patrick’s Day or the March Madness tournament, but true Halloween fans know that March is when The Home Depot has their annual manager’s meeting and the 2024 Halloween props and animatronics are leaked for our approval and criticism.
This year featured a diverse lineup that I found to be a much needed change in direction from the previous years. The following rankings (subject to change) are based on what we know so far from a mix of leaked photos and official stock images with product descriptions.
Credit: The Home Depot
Other Halloween companies have made spooky trees (Distortions Unlimited, anyone?) and despite the fact that they may have “borrowed” some concepts here and there, it will be so sweet to have this 10 Ft. beauty grace our front yard this year.
First off, the detail looks pretty good. I like the overall color and the fake moss is a good touch. The face has that cross between spooky and fun, which will definitely appeal to a larger audience.
The piece is obviously assembled in five parts, as it is blatantly obvious by the gaps. This doesn’t necessarily take away from the product, but in the right lighting it can be a bit annoying. Near the top of the head seems to be the biggest gap. I’ll be looking around at how other people creatively fix this issue.
Why I’m excited: The tree will come with a memory function to set your preferred color. Both the red and the purple color look phenomenal just from the leaked photos.
Credit: The Home Depot
The original headless horseman (and any others made by companies besides Home Accent/Home Depot) are always highly sought after. By the looks of the excitement so far, this one will be no different. The only true difference is that this isn’t the Sleepy Hollow headless horseman we are used to seeing, but Dullahan, which comes from Celtic mythology.
There’s no indication if it will have movement, or even sound. At the very least it appears to have lighting, which is good enough for me. I expect the price tag to be steep, but the interest to be high.
Why I’m excited: Headless Horseman props are hard to come by. Hopefully this one has some cool movement to go along with the lighting and the option to replace the skull with a pumpkin.
Credit: The Home Depot
The Pumpkin Arch is a long time coming. I’ve been tempted many times to create my own pumpkin arch using YouTube tutorials, but I always waited, and waited…and waited, for an affordable one to hit the shelves at Home Depot.
The arch looks tall enough and features mostly scary looking pumpkins. The color is more of a faded look, much different than the pure orange we saw from the Pumpkin Stacks. I cringe to think of the assembly process for the arch. I am also nervous about how stable it will be.
Why I’m excited: A pumpkin arch is a classic Halloween prop that is versatile and will complement any yard decor.
Credit: The Home Depot
Let’s face it, Marie the Meddling Maid missed the mark. It was clearly supposed to be a sister piece to our beloved Dean the Deathologist, but we needed a flapper looking waitress or singer, not a deranged skeleton lady with a wine bottle in one hand and a feather duster in the other. Jack of Spades rights the ship.
He’s dressed appropriately as a 1920s or 1930s gangster, but we could also dress him up in more of a Wild West attire and build a spooky saloon scene around Jack and Dean. He is able to sit or stand, and if his dialogue is half as good as Dean’s, which is the best I have ever heard from any Halloween animatronic, then Jack will fly off the shelves.
A few people have been disappointed by the fact that he’s a gold skeleton. Yes, it doesn’t make much sense, but I think it looks cool, and maybe his phrases will add some context to this idea.
Why I’m excited: His ability to make him sit or stand adds to his versatility.
Credit: The Home Depot
The introduction of the Mini Inferno was one of the most pleasant surprises this year. Last year they released a mini Skelly that garnered rave reviews. With the 12 ft. Infernos likely out of circulation, the Mini Inferno should sell out quickly.
Why I’m excited: Not everyone wants a 12 ft prop, or has the room to store them. The Inferno had a great design and the Mini Inferno will keep the spirit of the Inferno alive.
Credit: The Home Depot
For the past two years I’ve been using the little Skeleton wolf as a “dog” for my 12 Ft. skelly to hold on a leash. Though it always gets a good laugh, it just didn’t fit right. Enter the 5 Ft Skeleton Dog and suddenly Skelly has a new best friend. His eyes have 8 modes like the new 12 Ft. Skeletons this year, which is pretty neat.
Nothing has been said in the way of movement or sound. A creepy little bark or growl would be a safe bet. If the only movement is the mouth, I’m fine with that. At 7 Ft. in width, I’m adding this guy to my list for Code Orange this year.
Why I’m excited: This will pair perfectly with Skelly. After all, he needed a friend closer to his size.
Credit: The Home Depot
Not much is known about the 12 ft Hovering Reaper, other than he looks fantastic from the photos. They did an excellent job with his decayed body, and the face is perfect. In addition, he should have some solid movements and sounds. Hopefully the assembly isn’t too difficult considering the design is similar to the witch from a couple of years back.
Why I’m excited: A floating Grim Reaper is an excellent concept.
Credit: The Home Depot
We don’t know much about Nosferatu, other than the fact that he now definitely exists in the world of Home Depot Halloween props/animatronics. Unlike some of the others, his stock image write-up wasn’t leaked, therefore, we don’t know if he talks, lights up, sings, or dances. All I know is that he looks great from the pictures, with the mold looking decent, outfit appropriate, and claws seems to be an accurate length. I think this guy could be a hot item if he has some extra features to back it up.
Why I’m excited: Nosferatu is a classic, just like Frankenstein’s Monster. It is only right that he gets to grace his presence at a hardware store near you…or at least on their website.
Credit: The Home Depot
I have been begging Home Depot to explore the original Universal monsters for a while now and my wish has finally come true. Frankenstein will have the same servo motors as Lethal Lily, and although Mary Shelley’s description of Frankenstein’s Monster’s height is 8 ft. tall, his stature is still terrifying. Side note: Boris Karloff’s version stood an estimated 6’2″ – 6’4”, so I suppose 7 Ft. would be an improvement.
The only thing holding me back from freaking out right now is the detail. The current pictures and videos make him a little plain looking. It isn’t quite at the mediocre level of Lowe’s (Jason or Leatherface) but it doesn’t blow me away. Although the servo motors help to distract from this, it would be nice for a static Frankie to look nice too.
Why I’m excited: In addition to the servo motors giving him life-like movements, Home Depot secured the license from Universal, which means Frankenstein will have lines from the1931 film. The only downside to that is it might drive up the cost.
Credit: The Home Depot
Some people shy away from Home Depot’s Halloween collection because they don’t think it is spooky enough. The Plague Doctor is tall (maybe too tall?), scary, and has 3 phrases, which I’m sure will set the tone for a terrifying animatronic.
My gripe with the Plague Doctor is that I think the detail on his face is lacking. If the price is right I will gladly overlook it. If the price is wrong, it makes it a tough sell.
Why I’m excited: I always like to see Home Depot dip their toes into something that pushes the boundaries a bit. It was cool when Spirit did it, and now we can see how Home Depot can respond.
Credit: The Home Depot
Let’s all breathe a collective sigh of relief because Skelly isn’t going anywhere. In fact, he’s getting an upgrade.
The good news: The cost will still be $299.
The bad news: The upgrade is allegedly going to be 8 new settings for his eyes.
Don’t get me wrong, I like having options, but some of the options aren’t that desirable. For example, a leaked picture shows you have the option of changing his eyes to hears, which would be amazing if you keep your Skelly up for Valentine’s Day. Another setting is to change them to stars, which doesn’t add much appeal at all. We don’t know much about these settings, although I hope they give us options to change his regular eyes to different colors because the shapes don’t do much for me.
Someone pointed out that the head is attached differently, making it more stable. This would be a welcomed improvement.
Why I’m excited: The price is still $299 with the added features. Also, it turns out Skelly isn’t going anywhere.
Credit: The Home Depot
In a way it’s almost refreshing that he isn’t a zombie or skeleton pirate. Captain Cuts just looks like a menacing pirate prepared to do some damage. He is supposed to have five “dyamic movements” and five different different phrases. I’m curious to see what these movements will be because he’s welding a pretty big sword!
It’s hard to tell the details in this one from the pictures. He’s got all of the things that a pirate should have, including a parrot, hook for a hand, hat, and jewelry. This will be a very niche item that will be tough to sell, think the Wizard from last year. I would need to see him in person to pull the trigger.
Why I’m excited: If done right, the pirate theme can really turn some heads. It’s nice to see Home Depot diversifying their props. Also, if you are lucky enough to have the 8 Ft. Ferry of the Dead or the Pirate Ship, you could fit this guy into a water theme.
Keep in mind that Home Depot is still going to release other props and animatronics that have not been introduced yet. Also, there was a Scarecrow hiding in the back of one of the displays that I did not list in the rankings because the picture was not clear enough for me to make an initial assessment.
With that said, I am more than pleased with what I saw and look forward to nabbing more than a few of these when they go live on Home Depot’s website in July.
Overall rating of the 2024 props (so far): 4/5 stars