The thriving Home Depot Skeleton fandom is just the most recent, concrete proof of a theory I’ve had for years: Halloween decorations (just overall Halloween nostalgia, actually) is a fleeting yet powerful antidote to the actual real-life horrors that persist around us.
While the high of Halloween during childhood is one we’ll be chasing ’til death do us part, the one good thing about being an adult during Halloween is having adult money to spend on the cool decorations. You know, the ones that make people drive a little slower so that they can stare for a second.
If you’re bored with your current humdrum string light setup, I scoured the internet to find the best high-tech Halloween decorations to up your game in 2025. For those of you with a yard, there are some super unique inflatables and towering animatroincs out there — but even apartment dwellers can get creative with some vibey RGB curtain lights and legitimately haunting projector scenes.
And, of course, we have to talk about Skelly. The infamous 12-foot skeleton from The Home Depot is a long-time favorite at Mashable, and this year it’s actually possible to find him in stock, though you may need to go to your local store.
Skelly alternatives: other spooky animatronics at least 12 feet tall
Credit: Home Depot
Credit: Lowe’s
For a second there, Home Depot’s delayed Halfway to Halloween sale had my coworker (and Home Depot Skeleton historian) Haley Henschel worried that tariffs were affecting Skelly stock, among other staples in the Halloween industry. But rest assured: As of mid-October 2025, the beloved Skelly with LifeEyes is in stock for its usual $299, as well as Skelly’s Cat and Skelly’s Dog that Home Depot launched this year.
But for those who are already part of the Skelly Hive, there are other massive animatronics to expand your yard scene. Lowe’s and Home Depot both have other 12-foot options, but the real queen here is Home Depot’s new 15-foot Gally-Crow. The Gally-Crow was originally released with a Worricrow that’s currently out of stock, but the Gally-Crow is arguably more harrowing (think scarecrow with a plague doctor mask) and 50% off. Yes, of course there are already people putting it inside their house.
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Full-scene outdoor lights
Credit: Govee
Tired: orange string lights on the porch. Wired: themed full-scene LED arrangements on your windows, garage, or shrubbery.
Rather than the obnoxious black wires that make traditional Halloween lights tricky to camouflage, Govee’s RGB curtain lights and net lights consist of hundreds of color-changing LEDs, connected by near-invisible wires in a grid pattern. Both types of lights are are waterproof and app-connected — that’s where you’ll be able to access a ton of pre-made patterns for Halloween, plus other holidays and everyday magic.
Get a set of Govee outdoor curtain lights for $199.98 (ideal for walls and other large, flat surfaces measuring 5.41 x 5.77 feet) or a set of Govee outdoor net lights for $99.99 on sale (ideal for bushes and fences, measuring 2.8 x 9.4 feet).
Not your mother’s giant light-up inflatables
Credit: Joyfy
Credit: Joyfy
Halloween inflatables for the yard aren’t an idea you’ve never seen before. But amidst the oversized Snoopys and Minions dressed as mummies on your street, I raise you a giant alien abduction scene or tentacles coming out of the grass — or even coming out of the windows. Both of these options are available in various sizes at Walmart, including a 12-foot version of the UFO inflatable. If you already have a Home Depot Skelly, that unlocks an easy idea for this year’s theme.
High-quality animated spooky projector scenes
Credit: AtmosFX
Halloween projections on the wall or side of a house can definitely be lame if they’re crappy — but can be legitimately haunting if they’re high quality. For anyone who already has an HD projector, AtmosFX is the ultimate destination for realistic Halloween projector scenes. From classic ghostly apparitions and zombies in the window to vintage (un)living portraits and Halloween stained glass, these bright, crisp phantasms move with lifelike animation and often come with sound. There are even options with movie characters: Be a real Trick ‘r Treat stan with multiple Sam holograms or scare all human activity off your lawn with freaky animated glimpses of Art the Clown.
Skeptical about how legit these actually look? A majority of the 40+ listings in the Halloween collection include real photos from customers who are hyped on their own personal display — the AtmosFX fan club doesn’t mess around. All AtmosFX projections come as downloadable .mp4 video files for projectors, TVs, or monitors that support HD downloads, but several are available on pre-loaded USB drives as well. Prices start at $25.
If you don’t have a projector yet, Amazon has quite a few budget-friendly projectors with pre-set Halloween scenes. Go the actually-spooky route with a 3D grim reaper for under $20 or the cutesy spooky route with rotating cartoon ghosts, jack-o’-lanterns, and more for under $40.
Solar-powered eyeballs for the yard
Credit: ASMAD
If you’re paranoid about your spooky season electric bill, solar-powered Halloween decorations can be just as effective. These well-reviewed glowing green eyeballs come in bendy entanglements of eight and can be stuck in the yard to light a sidewalk or terrorize your garden. They charge on their own in the daytime through small panels attached to their stakes. For $39.88, you’ll get a pack of four clusters for a total of 32 LED bulbs.
