Spooooooky! Alaskan man makes terrifying ‘kelp-o’-lanterns’

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 annua