For those who don't know, The X-Files is a television show about Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. These two FBI agents are assigned to a section known as The X-Files where all the strange and inexplicable cases get dumped. Mulder is trying to find proof of alien life so that he might one day locate his abducted sister, Samantha. Scully was originally assigned to the 'Files in hopes that she would debunk Mulder's work and find rational explanations for all the weirdness he kept running into. Over the years, they become allies and see all sorts of fantastical sights. There was a reunion series in 2016 with another planned soon.
There are three kinds of episodes on this show: good monster of the week, bad monster of the week and mythology episodes. Mythology episodes moved the grand plot of the show forward by digging mostly into alien abductions and shadowy government conspiracies. These are some of my favorite episodes since they push the narrative but these were almost never the scary episodes. The Monster of the Week episodes would fall outside the mythology and let Mulder and Scully investigate all sorts of paranormal phenomenon like ghosts, vampires, werewolves, etc. Again, some of my favorite episodes are comedic takes on these investigations but there are some episodes that were genuinely scary monster of the week eps. Here are a few I would recommend...
1) Ice- Season 1, Episode 8- Mulder and Scully are called into a remote Arctic research station where something has been found in ancient layers of ice. The small cast and single location allow for a tight riff on Carpenter's The Thing with no one knowing who has fallen victim to an alien parasite.
2) Darkness Falls- Season 1, Episode 20- The same formula for Ice is used in a remote logging camp where old growth trees contain ancient insects that desiccate human bodies. They only come out in the dark but the generators are running out of gas. I really like this one because of how deep in trouble Mulder and Scully get.
3) Die Hand Die Verletzt- Season 2, Episode 14- A group of Satanists are running a high school and are back to their old ways. Kind of a satire on lapsed religious folks, this is still a good example of putting the creepy into an unusual place.
4) Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose- Season 3, Episode 4- A serial killer is killing anyone who claims to be psychic. Things get interesting when Clyde Bruckman, a real psychic, gets involved in the investigation.
5) Home- Season 4, Episode 2- A group of inbred monsters pull a Texas Chainsaw Massacre on Mulder and Scully when they go to investigate the body of a baby found buried in a field. The family in this (and the cool use of music) make this a standout episode.
These are just a handful. Some of my favorites include "Drive" and "Monday" from Season 6 which seem to ape Speed and Groundhog Day to great effect. Really, the whole thing is worth watching. The mythology episodes are uniformly exciting and you can make up your own mind about the other, monsters of the week.
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