Debt - Additional Information (Detail) € in Millions		3 Months Ended
		Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2017 USD ($)	Jan. 13, 2017 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2016 EUR (€)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Feb. 27, 2015 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Document Period End Date		Dec. 31, 2016
Amortization of debt issuance costs		$ 3,300,000	$ 3,400,000
Interest Expense		91,700,000	95,200,000
Amortization of debt discount		400,000	$ 300,000
Long-term Debt		5,563,400,000					$ 5,540,700,000
Debt Instrument, Unamortized Discount (Premium), Net		$ 22,200,000					$ 22,800,000
Euro Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member] | Interest Rate Cap [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt Instrument, Basis Spread on Variable Rate		2.75%
HGI [Member] | Seven Point Seven Five Percent Senior Unsecured Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, interest rate							7.80%
Long-term Debt							$ 890,000,000
HGI [Member] | Seven Point Seven Five Percent Senior Unsecured Notes [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, interest rate		7.80%				7.80%
HGI [Member] | 7.875% Senior Secured Notes, due July 15, 2019 [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, interest rate		7.90%				7.90%	7.90%
Long-term Debt							$ 864,400,000
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Four Point Zero Percent Senior Notes [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, interest rate		4.00%				4.00%	4.00%
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member] | Interest Rate Floor [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		0.75%				0.75%
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member] | Interest Rate Cap [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		1.50%				1.50%
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Interest Rate Cap [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		2.50%				2.50%
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Base Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		1.75%				1.75%
Spectrum Brands [Member] | CAD Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member] | Interest Rate Floor [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		0.75%				0.75%
Spectrum Brands [Member] | CAD Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member] | Interest Rate Cap [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		3.50%				3.50%
Spectrum Brands [Member] | CAD Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member] | Base Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		2.50%				2.50%
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Euro Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member] | Interest Rate Floor [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		0.75%				0.75%
Spectrum Brands [Member] | ABL Facility, expiring May 24, 2017 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		$ 300,600,000
Spectrum Brands [Member] | ABL Facility, expiring May 24, 2017 [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		5.60%				5.60%	0.00%
Long-term Debt		$ 165,500,000					$ 0
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Six Point Three Seven Five Senior Notes [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, interest rate		0.00%				0.00%	6.375%
Long-term Debt		$ 0					$ 129,700,000
Debt Instrument, Unamortized Premium, Current		4,600,000
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Letter of Credit [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Letter of credit outstanding		$ 24,700,000
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Six Point One Two Five Percentage Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, interest rate		6.10%				6.10%	6.10%
Long-term Debt		$ 248,000,000					$ 250,000,000
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Five Point Seven Five Percent Senior Notes Due July 15 2025 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, interest rate		5.80%				5.80%	5.80%
Long-term Debt		$ 1,000,000,000					$ 1,000,000,000
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Interest Rate Cap [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		2.75%				2.75%
Spectrum Brands [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Base Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		1.75%				1.75%
Spectrum Brands Foreign Subsidiaries [Member] | ABL Facility, expiring May 24, 2017 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Remaining Borrowing Capacity		$ 9,200,000
Salus Capital Partners L L C [Member] | Secured Borrowings Related to non-qualifying participating loan interests [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term debt, interest rate		0.00%				0.00%	0.00%
Long-term Debt		$ 1,000,000					$ 2,000,000
Salus Capital Partners L L C [Member] | Collateralized Loan Obligations [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 37,000,000					$ 39,700,000	$ 578,500,000
Salus Capital Partners L L C [Member] | Unaffiliated Long-Term Debt of Consolidated Variable-Interest-Entity [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		0.00%				0.00%	0.00%
Long-term Debt		$ 37,000,000					$ 39,700,000
United States of America, Dollars | Spectrum Brands [Member] | Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		3.40%				3.40%	3.60%
Long-term Debt		$ 1,003,000,000					$ 1,005,500,000
United States of America, Dollars | Spectrum Brands [Member] | CAD Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 53,300,000					$ 54,900,000
United States of America, Dollars | Spectrum Brands [Member] | Euro Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		3.50%				3.50%	3.50%
Long-term Debt		$ 58,800,000
Canada, Dollars | Spectrum Brands [Member] | CAD Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate		4.50%				4.50%	4.60%
Euro Member Countries, Euro | Spectrum Brands [Member] | Four Point Zero Percent Senior Notes [Member] | Unsecured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt		$ 445,800,000				€ 425.0	$ 477,000,000
Euro Member Countries, Euro | Spectrum Brands [Member] | Euro Term Loan, Due June 23, 2022 [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt							$ 63,000,000
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, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate	[1]	0.00%				0.00%	0.00%
Long-term Debt	[1]	$ 58,800,000					$ 63,000,000.000
Subsequent Event [Member] | Margin Loan, due July 13, 2018 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Security Owned and Pledged as Collateral, Fair Value					$ 508,000,000
Subsequent Event [Member] | Margin Loan, due July 13, 2018 [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Line of Credit Facility, Maximum Borrowing Capacity					150,000,000
Long-term Debt				$ 50,000,000
Debt Issuance Costs, Gross					$ 1,100,000
Subsequent Event [Member] | Margin Loan, due July 13, 2018 [Member] | Interest Rate Cap [Member] | Secured Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Long-term Debt, Percentage Bearing Variable Interest, Percentage Rate					2.35%

[1] 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.