Debt - Summary of Debt (Detail) - USD ($)		3 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Document Period End Date		Dec. 31, 2016
Long-term Debt		$ 5,563,400,000	$ 5,540,700,000
Original issuance (discounts) premiums on debt, net		(22,200,000)	(22,800,000)
Deferred Finance Costs, Net		(82,200,000)	(87,000,000)
Total Debt		5,459,000,000	5,430,900,000	[1],[2]
Less current maturities		43,500,000	166,000,000
Non-current portion of debt		5,415,500,000	5,264,900,000
HGI [Member] | 7.875% Senior Secured Notes, due July 15, 2019 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt and Capital Lease Obligations, Maturities, Repayments of Principal in Year Three		864,400,000
HGI [Member] | Seven Point Seven Five Percent Senior Unsecured Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt			$ 890,000,000
Long-term debt, interest rate			7.80%
Long-term Debt and Capital Lease Obligations, Maturities, Repayments of Principal after Year Five		890,000,000
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Six Point One Two Five Percentage Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 248,000,000	$ 250,000,000
Long-term debt, interest rate		6.10%	6.10%
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Other notes and obligations [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 26,900,000	$ 16,800,000
Long-term debt, interest rate		7.70%	9.80%
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Capitalized lease obligations [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 140,900,000	$ 114,700,000
Long-term debt, interest rate		5.30%	5.50%
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Five Point Seven Five Percent Senior Notes Due July 15 2025 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 1,000,000,000	$ 1,000,000,000
Long-term debt, interest rate		5.80%	5.80%
Salus Capital Partners L L C [Member] | Unaffiliated Long-Term Debt of Consolidated Variable-Interest-Entity [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 37,000,000	$ 39,700,000
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		0.00%	0.00%
Salus Capital Partners L L C [Member] | Secured Borrowings Related to non-qualifying participating loan interests [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 1,000,000	$ 2,000,000
Long-term debt, interest rate		0.00%	0.00%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Spectrum Brands [Member] | ABL Facility, expiring May 24, 2017 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 165,500,000	$ 0
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		5.60%	0.00%
Secured Debt [Member] | HGI [Member] | 7.875% Senior Secured Notes, due July 15, 2019 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt			$ 864,400,000
Long-term debt, interest rate		7.90%	7.90%
Secured Debt [Member] | HGI [Member] | Seven Point Seven Five Percent Senior Unsecured Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, interest rate		7.80%
Secured Debt [Member] | Spectrum Brands [Member] | Six Point Three Seven Five Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 0	$ 129,700,000
Long-term debt, interest rate		0.00%	6.375%
Secured Debt [Member] | Spectrum Brands [Member] | 6.625% Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 570,000,000	$ 570,000,000
Long-term debt, interest rate		6.60%	6.60%
Euro Member Countries, Euro | Secured Debt [Member] | Spectrum Brands [Member] | Euro Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt			$ 63,000,000
United States of America, Dollars | Secured Debt [Member] | Spectrum Brands [Member] | CAD Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 53,300,000	54,900,000
United States of America, Dollars | Secured Debt [Member] | Spectrum Brands [Member] | Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 1,003,000,000	$ 1,005,500,000
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		3.40%	3.60%
United States of America, Dollars | Secured Debt [Member] | Spectrum Brands [Member] | Euro Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 58,800,000
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		3.50%	3.50%
Canada, Dollars | Secured Debt [Member] | Spectrum Brands [Member] | CAD Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		4.50%	4.60%
FGL [Member] | Salus Capital Partners L L C [Member] | Unaffiliated Long-Term Debt of Consolidated Variable-Interest-Entity [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt	[3]	$ 58,800,000	$ 63,000,000.000
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate	[3]	0.00%	0.00%

[1] The carrying value of cash and cash equivalents, trade receivables, accounts payable and accrued investment income approximate fair value due to their short duration and, accordingly, they are not presented in the tables above.

[2] The fair value of debt set forth above is generally based on quoted or observed market prices.

[3] The debt balances included in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets and in the table above reflect transactions between the businesses held for sale and businesses held for use that are expected to continue to exist after the close of the FGL Merger. Such transactions are not eliminated in the accompanying Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements in order to appropriately reflect the continuing operations and balances held for sale.