# Making a Kraken, Sea Monster, Giant Octopus for your Pirate Themed Halloween



## Frightshow

The house is under attack this year! To go along with the Pirate theme for 2015, my family said we needed something attacking the house. Okay - let's do a Sea Monster -

No wait... LET'S DO THREE!










This build is relatively straight forward and uses very low cost materials.


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## Frightshow

*How to build the Kraken:*

My front porch has some large columns, so the idea is to have 3 tentacles of the Kraken emerge from the flower beds and be wrapping around the columns of the house. One extra long tentacle will be wrapping around a skeleton pirate on the porch.

Let's get started!

To get begin, you'll need:


36" or 24" Plywood circle base (Home Depot)
Roll of Chicken Wire
Dryer Hose
Foam Pipe Insulation (for suction cups)
Duct Tape
4 Rolls of Wide Masking Tape
Staple Gun
Roll Plastic - (the kind for packaging pallets)
Spray Paint


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## Frightshow

*Part 1: Building the Base *

These plywood bases from Home Depot make for quick work in building the foundation for your Kraken Sea Monster. They come in widths of 36" and 24". For my three Sea Monsters, I opted to buy 1 large and 2 of the smaller sizes.

The process begins by unrolling a length of chicken wire and stapling it down on the bottom of the base.









The key here is to twist the wires together to make a type of wire tube as the armiture. The second row of wire overlaps the first by about 4" and you just keep adding layers until you get the height you want. Make sure to taper the chicken wire as you go up.

Once the armiture is made, you can flatten on side of the chicken wire - that's where the suction cups will go!

For safety - make sure to wear thick gloves and eye protection while playing around with chicken wire.


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## Frightshow

*Part 2: The Tentacle*

Using the dryer vent, you'll need some tin snips or a wire cutter to cut the length you need.

Tapering so it doesn't look like a dryer vent...

In order to taper the tentacle, you need to split the vent all the way down. The wire is stiff, so stay with it and cut it along the length.

Starting at one end, use duct tape to gradually overlap the vent so you create a nice, tapered effect. Since material is made from a thin aluminum, I opted to wrap the entire vent in duct tape to keep it from splitting.

















Next, secure the tentacle (dryer vent) over the top of the chicken wire with more duct tape.


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## Frightshow

*Part 3: Adding Skin*

For those of you who love Paper Mache - God bless you! I avoid it when I need to and also realized that Paper Mache would be too heavy for the armiture. So I opted to go with the masking tape method. Make sure to purchase plenty of tape. I purchased the 5-roll pack of masking tape from Home Depot and used 4 rolls for my 3 monsters.

Just start going around and around and around... Slightly overlap the previous row of tape and go back to tape over any missing holes. Make sure to reinforce the dryer vent with tape as well.


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## Frightshow

*Part 4: Reinforcement (if necessary)*

Depending upon how tall you've made your Kraken Sea Monster, and how long of a dryer vent hose you've used, you may need to reinforce the structure to keep it from toppling over.

You can do this by:
1) Doubling up on chicken wire along the base
2) Or adding a structural skin outside of the masking tape.

I opted to add a structural skin, but using fabric weed guard (from those pesky summer chores) and using fiberglass resin to secure it to the armiture.

If you've never fiberglassed before, it's very simple (and less messy than Paper Mache)  I like to use weed guard as my cloth (instead of fiberglass cloth) simply because of cost. Since these Kraken aren't meant to last forever, I wanted to go with low-cost alternatives.

For about $15 at Home Depot, you can pick up a 1 qt. can of Bondo 2-part fiberglass resin. Simply follow the instructions and mix the two parts in an old container (like a yogurt cup) and use a disposable brush to "paint" the resin onto the tape. Then apply your strips of weed guard (for strength) and paint another layer of resin on top. You'll need to work fast as this stuff will set up quickly.

You can see the black "band" of fabric that was fiberglassed below:


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## Frightshow

*Part 5: Making the Suction Cups*

To make the suction cups for your sea monster, begin with foam pipe insulation tubes from the hardware store. This is such a versatile material and it is so cheap to use.

Start by splitting the tubing in half, lengthwise, and roll it up, and secure with duct tape. I haven't found a good adhesive for this foam yet, but if you need a little reinforcement, you can run a bead of hot glue over the edge of the masking tape to help the cup from unfurling.

















Make sure you make smaller circles as you climb the tentacle. Don't secure them yet, we'll need to finish the skin first!


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## Frightshow

*Part 6: Finishing the Skin*

I wanted a glossy, wet look for the Kraken Sea Monster. I thought about gloss paint, but while strolling through Home Depot (my personal Halloween outlet), I came across a roll of thin plastic used by movers. I took a chance on it and ran a quick test. Yes, spray paint does adhere to it, and Hot Glue will stick to it to.

Good to go!

Just like the masking tape, start wrapping, and wrapping, and wrapping...


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## Frightshow

*Part 7: Securing the Suction Cups*

Simply run a bead of hot glue around each suction cup and press it on the plastic. If your hot glue gun is one of the larger/hotter varieties, the glue may actually melt the plastic so be careful.

Once you reach the dryer vent, you can simply cut rings of the foam tube to make the smaller suction cups.

View attachment 256571


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## Frightshow

*Part 8: Paint*

Any run of the mill spray paint will do. Given that these will be on display at night and the house is light blue color, I chose a complimentary color palette in the oranges and reds, with a white/pink band for the suction cups.

Spray painting these things is fun, just make sure you get 2 cans of paint (per color) if you're doing 3 or more tentacles.


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## Frightshow

*The finished product!*









Overall the project took 4 evenings after work and about $50 in supplies to complete!


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## Jenn&MattFromPA

So glad you posted this here! I think they look awesome & can't wait to see them on your house! The TOTers are in for a treat!


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## DeadED

Those are so cool and Thank you for posting such a detailed Tutioral. I might be saving this one for next year.


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## Mystic Moon Hollow

Not planning on doing a Pirate-themed haunt but I have been thinking of redecorating the kids bathroom since it is also our guest bath with a Sea/Kraken theme. Wonder how the guest would feel with a few of these in the bathroom with them??? LOL!! Amazing tutorial, thanks for sharing!


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## Frightshow

Mystic Moon Hollow said:


> Not planning on doing a Pirate-themed haunt but I have been thinking of redecorating the kids bathroom since it is also our guest bath with a Sea/Kraken theme. Wonder how the guest would feel with a few of these in the bathroom with them??? LOL!! Amazing tutorial, thanks for sharing!


Thanks everyone for reading! Hopefully it provokes some new ideas - even for the kids bathroom! My kids would be freaked at first, and then probably just hang their bath towels on it!


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## matrixmom

Wowza. Thanks for sharing the how-to, great and scary prop.


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## Ellie13

Great job! Thank you for sharing (c:


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## bobzilla

Sweet!
Great job!!!


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## Michael Smith

This would also be awesome for a Maniac Mansion-themed haunt. Just throwing that out there.


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## Zombie4*

Love the creativity!!!!


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## boreal88

Wow brother that thing is freakin' BA!! I am adding this to the "crap my wife doesn't want me to do but I will anyway" list. BTW contact cement works great on foam.


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## Frightshow

boreal88 said:


> Wow brother that thing is freakin' BA!! I am adding this to the "crap my wife doesn't want me to do but I will anyway" list. BTW contact cement works great on foam.


Excellent! My wife fortunately broke down years ago - LOL! Post some pics when you get yours done! Thanks for the tip with contact cement.


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## cyberhaunt

Those are amazing! I was planing to build a couple of tenticles several years ago. They were going to go with a projection of the krakens eye in the front window, but i never got around to doing the project. Yours look great and it seems reletivly easy to do. Thanks for sharing.


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## Danski

Nice one. Great job. Those look super cool. How are they going to be animated? If they are.


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## Frightshow

Danski said:


> Nice one. Great job. Those look super cool. How are they going to be animated? If they are.


Thanks! I was planning on having the long one pulling a skeleton off the porch and animating the skeleton (making it look like the kraken is moving), but I think we may do something else (put a mermaid in a tank) in that spot. We'll see...


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## Phantom Blue

SWEEEEET BUILD! Thanks for sharing the details. You are adding projects to my to-do list and now I cant say 'How Do You Make A Giant Octopus"? Love the detail.


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## Phantom Blue

Hey FS - Look what I scored today for FREE! 

The first thing I thought of was you and this build thread. I thought about trying to make big Kraken tentacles that are built in 3 or 4 sections for storage. 

Maybe using a bent conduit as a center spine and making smaller wooden circles that continue up to the end, then using your technique for the skinning.

Any do's, don'ts advice? I am running out of time, so maybe for next year, but I love how yours turned out and couldn't turn down these freebie.

PB


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## Frightshow

Hey PB - That would be AWESOME! They would be massive at that size! All it takes is lots of chicken wire my friend. Shoot - you could do the whole sea monster with those things! Can't wait to see the build!


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## Zombiegrl

wow... fantastic job!! ....love the paint job


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## keithcorcoran

this method will work great for the thorny vines I want to add to next year's maleficent castle display!

thanks.


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## Frightshow

keithcorcoran said:


> this method will work great for the thorny vines I want to add to next year's maleficent castle display!
> 
> thanks.


What a great idea! Can't wait to see how the vine version comes along...


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## Frightshow

Rain is in the forecast through Wednesday - we'll be putting the sea monsters out on Friday and posting pics then... Stay tuned!


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## Frightshow

With the rain subsiding - I decided to put these guys out early for fun!






​


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## Wolfman

I've never done a Pirate Theme, but seeing this, a SEA MONSTER rising up out of the ground...I'll have to give it some thought.
Thanks for sharing, Big Kudos on a job well done!


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## Frightshow

keithcorcoran said:


> this method will work great for the thorny vines I want to add to next year's maleficent castle display!
> 
> thanks.


Hey Keith - How's the Maleficent Castle Display coming along this year?


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## Halloweenutter

Such a fantastic step-by-step tutorial you made, thank you! When we do a pirate theme, this will be a must. Absolutely awesome looking sea monster!


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## Frightshow

Halloweenutter said:


> Such a fantastic step-by-step tutorial you made, thank you! When we do a pirate theme, this will be a must. Absolutely awesome looking sea monster!


Excellent - glad you found it useful! Make sure to post back here when you make one!


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## moonwitchkitty

this is awesome ♥


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## Frightshow

moonwitchkitty said:


> this is awesome ♥


Thanks Moonwitchkitty! Glad you enjoyed checking it out!!


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## alm99

Definitely adding this to the list of Halloween ideas this year. I need more time...


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## Frightshow

alm99 said:


> Definitely adding this to the list of Halloween ideas this year. I need more time...


I know - it feels like the countdown is ticking away. If it makes you feel any better, I started the kraken prop in Aug of last year and it only took a couple of evenings to complete... Hang in there!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## Ghost of Spookie

Frightshow, those look fabulous. Pirates are one of my upcoming themes so bookmarked your tutorial. The coloring on the tentacles is very nice and eye catching and I like how you went about constructing them. Great project to do with your daughter. I really hate working with chicken wire and wish there were a better substitute. Heavy gloves and patience is definitely the way to proceed though especially at that level. Did you comment on how much chicken wire you went through? I remember reading about the masking tape.

Hope you weren't affected Hurricane Matthew btw.


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## Frightshow

Hey GoS, 
Went through 1.5 rolls of wire for the 3 tentacles. It's always better to overbuy than not have enough. It's pretty simple and went together over a few evenings after work. 

Thanks for the Matthew support. We faired well than most but are battling 40 mph winds and heavy rain. Definitely an easier ride than most. Trying to keep the endor base from ripping off the house at the moment. 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## Shaynebear1

I love it! I have wanted to do a pirate theme haunt for ever. Actually I have wanted to do a haunt for ever. Thanks for the tutorial.


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## AlexandriaLaNier

I made these tentacles for my Davy Jones Locker themed Halloween house. It was a bit more complicated because I had to make them much larger to go up to the second story of my house. I had to add two large garden sticks and lots of foam to get them to stand up. We attached them to the railings so they wouldn't fall over when people passed by. I wish I could have gotten more curve but I would have had to make them even bigger. Total time 120 hours and the cost was $700 to make. I could have cut the hours down it I had more experience, but this was my first time and it was 100 degrees out. Well the temp did help with the drying time. I also wrapped mine in paper towels and Modge Podge before painting them with acrylic as I wanted a different texture. That made painting them a breeze!


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## Gatordave

Outstanding work here! We are doing the pirate theme next year and I wanted to punch it up and started thinking about a Kraken. Thanks for taking the time to lay out your work in a tutorial!


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## Halloweenutter

We're doing pirates next year as well. I absolutely love these and must keep them in mind!


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## debbiedowner67

Has anyone ever seen the Halloween props the Home and Family channel do ? I've done a couple and they are easy and I received lots of compliments on the scarecrow this year. So anyhow they built an octopus which was pretty cool. I thought I would share it with you. 

http://www.hallmarkchannel.com/home-and-family/how-to/diy-inflatable-swamp-monster


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## Danski

Not too bad of an idea. I like the shiatsu method I’ve been working on though. Much more reliable and I don’t need 4 fans to worry about. I’m gonna try and get 2 shiatsu’s going this year. That will give me 4 tentacles.


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## debbiedowner67

Danski said:


> Not too bad of an idea. I like the shiatsu method I’ve been working on though. Much more reliable and I don’t need 4 fans to worry about. I’m gonna try and get 2 shiatsu’s going this year. That will give me 4 tentacles.




I'm intrigued. What and how?


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## Danski

debbiedowner67 said:


> I'm intrigued. What and how?


Here’s a rough draft I was working on last year. It works a treat I just didn’t have a lot of time into it.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6nMljqeTl4w


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## RCIAG

That's a Dave Lowe thing!

http://davelowe.blogspot.com/

https://www.instagram.com/davelowedesign/

https://www.pinterest.com/davelowe/


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## Danski

I’m sure there are lots of variations on this design. I just need to get mine finished.


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## RCIAG

Crap, new page! I meant the Hallmark video was a Dave Lowe thing. 

He's your go-to guy for things like that. Simple stuff, easily found stuff, & uncomplicated stuff too.


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## PelicanPirate

Thank you so much for the photos and tutorial. This is amazing! Great creativity. LOVE it!!


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## Stickycrew4

I've already made two tentacles and they look great. Thank you for your how to's


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## Stickycrew4

Stickycrew4 said:


> I've already made two tentacles and they look great. Thank you for your how to's


Working on the big one now, will post pics


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