The creepy specters will lure in trick-or-treaters from a house on top of a hill. Image: Tim Hatfield

It seems like Halloween decorations are getting more elaborate every year. Instead of a viral 12-foot skeleton , a digital creator in Alaska has turned to nature to find inspiration for his spooky embellishments.

In 2025, photographer and Homer resident Tim Hatfield was walking on a beach with his girlfriend. They noticed that some strands of bull kelp ( Nereocystis luetkeana ) had washed ashore. Bull kelp , sometimes referred to as “mermaid’s bladder,” is a fast-growing annual seaweed that grows along much of the coast of North America.

A spooky kelp-o-lantern made by Homer, Alaska’s Tim Hatfield. Image: Tim Hatfield.

Hatfield’s girlfriend pointed out that one of the pieces of kelp looked like a face, and said that she’d seen them used as Halloween decorations before. Hatfield decided to give it a try himself, and returned to the beach after a big storm to bring some home.…