Home Depot 12-foot Skelly vs. Lowe’s 15-Foot Watcher: I put Halloween's biggest decorations to the test in my yard

Last October, the author set up what they thought were two impressive Halloween decorations: the 12-foot Home Depot Skelly and Lowe’s 20-foot inflatable skeleton. The Skelly proved to be a hit with children, and ultimately, Lowe’s won out due to its ease of setup and its larger-than-life appearance. This year, both retailers released animatronic oversized skeletons: Home Depot’s 12-foot version features a head that turns, a jaw that moves, and customizable phrases via a smartphone app.

In contrast, Lowe’s 15-foot skeleton, dubbed the Watcher, holds its head above its body, rotates back and forth, projects lights from its eyes, and comes with a speaker featuring various spooky phrases. Both are priced similarly, at $379 and $429 respectively, but are currently selling out quickly.

The author assembled both skeletons themselves and found Home Depot’s model to be easier to put together, taking only about half an hour compared to the more time-consuming Lowe’s version. Both skeletons have motion sensors that activate when someone approaches, with the Lowe’s skeleton’s motion sensor able to detect movement up to 20 feet away.

The Lowe’s Watcher rotates its torso, arms, and head, while its eyes beam lights up to 20 feet away. The Home Depot Skelly, on the other hand, has a head that moves back and forth, a jaw that moves in sync with its recorded phrases, and customizable eye and chest lights. The author found the Home Depot Skelly to be the more entertaining decoration, thanks to its ability to recite customized phrases and the sheer size of its 12-foot stature.