THEMES/COSTUMES: X-Files

We had a head start on this one, as I'm a devotee of The Walking God David Duchovny and so had quite a collection of photos and postcards to stick up. You could try getting a cardboard cutout from your local video store. We splashed out on a smoke machine (about �25 for the evening). A dry ice machine would have been better (it hugs the floor and doesn't gas everyone out) but was more expensive.

Alien heads

Tear up loads of newspaper into strips. Mix some wallpaper paste. Blow up balloons. Stick newspaper onto balloons until you've built up to about 5 layers (or when you get bored - which ever comes first!) Hang balloons on indoor washing line with pegs by the tie. Leave overnight to dry. (Do not prod to "see if they're dry yet") DON'T throw away wallpaper paste (it's integral to Alien amoeba production)

Next day prick balloon with pin to deflate and then pull out of papier mache head. Draw a line lengthways around the head and cut with knife/scissors so that it's split in two. Paint with white emulsion (those tester pots are fine). Leave to dry. Add big almond eyes and nose using black markers/paint. Hang from picture hooks.

Alien amoeba

Collect together empty jam/pasta sauce jars. Make green playdough. Mould alien bodies - best thing is to make a head, then stick it on a cocktail stick and mould body, arms and legs around it. Have fun sculpting closed eyes and veins. Those strange implements in manicure sets are good for this! Mix together wallpaper paste, with some washing up liquid. Pour wallpaper paste into about 1/3 of the jar. Put in amoeba carefully. Pour wallpaper paste around and over the amoeba so it appears to be floating. Repeat. At party light these specimens from behind - the light will shine through. Spooky!

Atmosphere

• Spooky lighting is obligatory. Put coloured lightbulbs everywhere. Torches are good as spotlights ( secure them with garden wire).
• Satanic stars on dark carpets look effective if done in a light-coloured masking tape. TRUST NO ONE in tape on stair treads works well.
• Masking tape to form an X on the windows.
• Tin foil cups and toy planes look good hung by black thread by windows. Uplight with red bikelights.
• Stick up funny quotes between pictures.

Mulder and Scully, Assistant Director Skinner

Trouser suits for all of them! (High heels for Scully, packet of sunflower seeds for Mulder, a bald head mask thing, glasses and an attitude for Skinner). Guns and mobile phones add to the effect, but the FBI badge will probably be the most obvious. Scully in drag is fun - a bright ginger wig adds to the effect!

Or you could try a temporary dye if you're a blonde - here's my effort. Be warned though that it takes about half an hour to rinse it after the initial dyeing. It fades in about 3 days.

FBI badge
If you can get those plastic envelope badge holders, that's cool but a safety pin will do.

• Black and white Scully FBI badge - colour in the border and FBI with blue
• Black and white Mulder FBI badge
• Colour Scully FBI badge
• Colour Mulder FBI badge

Lab rat

An easy one for medical students - a white lab coat and latex gloves if poss!

SWAT team

Dress in black, and wear a baseball cap with a bit of wire and a cork at the end to look like one of those handless mikes. Add a toy police badge (SWAT letters cut out from cereal box)

Samantha - Mulder's sister

Wear a long nightie (available pretty cheaply from charity shops)

Cigarette Smoking Man

As for Mulder but with the obvious! But make sure the venue allows smoking. You could get a fake cigarette from a joke shop instead, or try Nicotinell Pen Nib Man - CSM's evil comrade

Voodoo Ghoul

Lots of face paints and a steady hand!

The Conumdrum

An eyeliner, eyeshadows and a very artistic friend!

Tooms

Lengthened finger and being covered in bile are this monster's trademarks. Probably best to just go for false fingertips! Although you could experiment with orange jelly...

Wise Native American

One episode featured the fact that Navajo (Indian language) was used to encrypt some vital evidence. Mulder recovered from near death by being wrapped in a hedge and going through some native american cleansing ritual. So there's a link if you need one!

Vampires

These are always cropping up, so feel free to don the fangs and white face powder! As Mulder says, "there are many different sorts of vampire"