1. The Strangers - Dark City (1998)
When I saw these bowler-hatted, coat-wearing pasty faces marching across the surreal fantasia of Alex Proyas' Dark City, I was absolutely certain that later the same year we'd have tons of these spooky menaces wandering about the neighborhood. Sadly, that was 1998 and they never did take off as a costume concept. Agent Smith and his allies became costumes, and the similarly conceived Observers from Fringe have also had some love in that arena. Not so for The Strangers, even though Dark City did attain its justly deserved cult status. I argue that their appeal and potential remains strong. These cadaverous bodies, co-opted by a hive-mind alien force, were the main antagonists of Rufus Sewell's John Murdoch, but despite their collective identity, it was Rocky Horror's Richard O'Brien as Mr. Hand that made the best impression. The late Ian Richardson, as Mr. Book, who confronts Murdoch in the finale, is also a particularly memorable Stranger. The most visually chilling is of course the childlike Mr. Sleep, who chases the hero with a knife, chattering away like a loon. Once, again group costume is the way to go. This time, get your whole frat, bowling league, or book club in on the deal so that there can be an entire army of Strangers ambling down the street at the same time. That would be truly legendary. As far as accoutrements, remember your long-coat, your bowler, white face-paint, weapon of choice and one-word indistinct moniker.