New Yorkers show off their spooky side with hordes of terrifying zombies, skeletons and witches marching in the city's legendary Halloween parade

Thousands of revelers flooded the streets for New York City's 45th Annual Village Halloween Parade, donning all kinds of carefully-crafted costumes that proved once again this city is hardly lacking in imagination.

The parade's unspoken theme appeared to be the upcoming midterm elections as a large number of participants made cheeky references to the American political landscape with their outfits, the Daily Mail reports.   

Highlights included a number of Donald Trump impersonators, a 'Superwoman Squad' and any kind of clown you could think of, from cute to crazy to creepy.

Above the fray a group of glowing green statues danced in front of the illuminated New York City skyline.  

The festivities held Wednesday evening in Greenwich Village were placed under tight security surveillance after last year's holiday was marred by a deadly truck attack along the Hudson River that left eight dead.

Among the throngs of parade-goers were thousands of uniformed and plainclothes NYPD officers joined by counterterrorism units, police dogs and helicopters, part of Police Commissioner James O'Neill's promise to ensure that the event would have an atmosphere of “peace and fun”.