I had a Halloween dish for 15 years that finally died. Looked for the same one, but could not find one that talked. Lots of choices on Amazon that made scary sounds, but no talkers.Selected this one because it had Prime shipping. The same unit from another supplier charges $16.00. Good luck with that!There are 3 activate modes, off, on, and demo.Inserted 3 AA batteries and chose demo mode. Pressed the ‘Try Me’ button in the nose and was unexpectedly startled by the skeleton hand coming out of the back, with a loud growling sound.Will switch from demo mode to on mode when my 3 granddaughters come over. I will enjoy the look of terror on their faces the first time they try to reach for candy in the dish, then watch them laugh on each subsequent try. At my age, this is one way I get my kicks!