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The Scariest Episode from Every Season of ‘The X-FILES’
It’s impossible to overstate the influence of The X-Files. Horror fans can spot its cultural ripple effects everywhere from Buffy to The Conjuring to Sinners. The show traversed countless subgenres and tonalities, including queasy body horror, B-movie monster yarn, and even frothy romantic comedy. For the uninitiated, wading into the paranormal investigations of Agents Scully and Mulder can feel like braving a haunted house with nothing but a flashlight. Fear not – if you’re in the mood for some Halloween-season thrills, we’ve chosen the scariest episode from each of the show’s nine original seasons.
The Scariest Episode From Every Season of The X-Files
Season 1: “Beyond the Sea” (Jan 7, 1994)
Owing much to The Silence of the Lambs, “Beyond the Sea” drums up genuine psychological scares by drawing the viewer into Scully’s precarious headspace. Her staunch rationalism falters when she encounters an unsettling vision of her dead father, setting the stage for a dizzying mind game between her and serial killer Luther Lee Boggs, portrayed with demented gravitas by Brad Dourif, a genre icon at the peak of his powers here. Thanks to a devastating performance from Gillian Anderson, this early episode broke the doors open on Scully, proving the show was as much about her journey through the unknown as it was her partner’s.
Season 2: “The Host” (Sep 23, 1994)
The show’s makeup effects team brought a cavalcade of nightmare visions to life throughout the franchise’s run, but none more stomach-turning than the Flukeman from this Season Two creature feature. Mulder investigates dead bodies in the New Jersey sewer system. The culprit? A parasitic flatworm with the size and physiology of a human. With Anderson’s pregnancy limiting her screen time, the episode has plenty of breathing room to linger on the gnarly attacks and dead-eyed visage of the Flukeman (played by Darin Morgan, who’d later pen some of the show’s most vaunted episodes). Not only does “The Host” feel like Creature from the Black Lagoon with an extra veneer of ick, the connection of Flukeman’s origins to the Chernobyl disaster adds a chilling layer of human culpability. “Nature didn’t make this thing,” Mulder intones. “We did.”
Season 3: “Wetwired” (May 10, 1996)
“Wetwired” tackled screen addiction over a decade before smartphones crawled into our hands and changed our brains forever. Paranoid vibes dominate this episode, in which binge marathons of cable news and game shows drive ordinary citizens to homicide. Scully soon gets pulled asunder by the nefarious broadcasts, causing her to turn against Mulder. “Wetwired” blends the show’s case-of-the-week format with its ongoing conspiracy saga to produce a high-anxiety thriller that presages our modern miasma of doomscrolling, fake news, and AI-induced psychosis. Along with the show’s other tales of techno dystopia (“Blood,” “Kill Switch”), consider “Wetwired” a proto-Black Mirror – with the added tension of composer Mark Snow’s slithering synth score that creeps under your skin.
Season 4: “Home” (Oct 11, 1996)
The X-Files cross-pollinated horror with related genres, but “Home” is perhaps the lone installment that feels like pure horror in its most undiluted form. Mulder and Scully investigate a grisly infanticide and run afoul of the Peacocks, a reclusive trio of brothers with unspeakable secrets. The dark power of “Home” pervades every frame. Behold the episode’s gorgeously photographed cold open, gruesome kills, and shiver-inducing reveals, all in service of the writers’ twisted treatise on family. “Home” was birthed at the top of Season Four, when the show found itself on a meteoric cultural ascent. The show’s growing popularity may explain why writers Glen Morgan and James Wong felt bold enough to send The X-Files into unhinged Texas Chainsaw Massacre territory. They may have overplayed their hand: this episode was famously banned from reruns after its initial airing.
Season 5: “Chinga” (Feb 08, 1998)
As the show’s profile continued to rise, the inevitable occurred: horror titan Stephen King reported for writing duty. The result is a sharp Gothic chiller with squirm-inducing set pieces. While on vacation, Scully happens upon murder and mayhem in (of course) Maine. While the local citizens are quick to blame Melissa, a single mom to a young girl named Polly, Scully hones in on the true source of evil: Polly’s doll, which can push victims to graphic acts of self-harm. Melissa’s eerie premonitions of death round out the incredible visuals of this episode, also notable for sending Scully on a solo adventure and nudging her yet another step closer toward acceptance of monsters and madness.
Season 6: “Drive” (Nov 15, 1998)
As production moved from Vancouver to sun-dappled Los Angeles in Season Six, the scripts themselves also veered toward sunnier stories, reflecting the writers’ continued hope to replicate the success of comedy installments like “Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose” or “Bad Blood.” Nevertheless, this season still offered more intense fare like “Drive,” a pulse-pounder about a Nevada man whose head will explode unless he drives westward – and fast. The episode owes much to the quick wit of Vince Gilligan, one of the show’s most seminal writers. Gilligan would go on to create Breaking Bad, starring Bryan Cranston, whom he cast based on the strength of his guest turn in “Drive” as the afflicted man who takes Mulder hostage on his westward race against time. All the earmarks of Breaking Bad are here: can’t-look-away tension, character-driven thrills, and mordant humor belying a pervasive air of rage and doom.
Season 7: “Millennium” (Nov 28, 1999)
Season Seven also ran heavy on lighthearted oddities, but it did offer darker outings on occasion, especially when Carter leveraged The X-Files to tie up loose threads from his prematurely cancelled Millennium. Mulder and Scully call upon that show’s tortured hero, Frank Black (the wry and lugubrious Lance Henriksen), to help them thwart a small cult of FBI agents hellbent on bringing about the apocalypse by turning themselves into zombies. (Hey, it makes sense when you watch it – mostly!) The undead are depicted with moody flair, keeping goofiness to a minimum, and the satisfying climax offers us a glimpse of a monster-fighting trio that could have been. Meanwhile, for fans who are adamant anti-shippers of Mulder and Scully, this episode is the season’s scariest for an entirely different reason.
Season 8: “Roadrunners” (Nov 26, 2000)
With David Duchovny absent from half of Season Eight. Terminator 2’s Robert Patrick was introduced as Scully’s new partner, the stoic and steely-eyed John Doggett, and Scully became the unequivocal narrative center of The X-Files. The writers returned to the show’s darker roots as a way to level-set against the seismic changes. “Roadrunners” is the most stellar beneficiary of these shifts in cast and tone. Unable to fully warm to her new partner, Scully ventures alone into a secluded village to investigate the whereabouts of a missing tourist and realizes something is ever so off about the townspeople. The episode features the mounting social/psychological dread of The Wicker Man, coupled with the disgusting body horror of Alien, and Anderson discovers new shades of grief and resilience in Scully during this flawed yet compelling post-Mulder era.
Season 9: “Daemonicus” (Dec 2, 2001)
With Duchovny fully departed from the cast, the final season of the show’s original run saw Doggett paired with a new partner Monica Reyes (the effervescent Annabeth Gish), with Scully downgraded to a mere consultant for her X-Files comrades. Meanwhile, the writers continued to favor grislier stories such as “Daemonicus,” about a mental patient who may be wielding demonic forces against our trio of heroes. Director Frank Spotnitz goes heavy on the stylistic portents of doom to great effect, employing shots of roiling clouds and sound design laden with eerie whispers to conjure a world besieged by inescapable evil. Even the editing team gets in on the fun, offering up unusual scene transitions to underscore the episode’s mysterious boardgame motif. The episode’s true horror highlight: a projectile vomit scene that lasts for forty-some-odd seconds. Somewhere William Friedkin is saying, “That’ll do, effects team. That’ll do.”
Now that we are heading into the last season of Stranger Things, it is hard to not remember the good times. Much like any goodbye, it feels too soon and is giving us a case of the nostalgia glasses. We all know that not all seasons were created equally. Yet, the wildly popular series managed to keep enough of us invested these last 10 years. It is an undeniable pop culture sensation that will not be forgotten anytime soon. It is also honestly one of the few shows that makes it hard to break up with Netflix. So, I decided to look back and highlight the best parts of each season. Grab a “Justice for Barb” t-shirt and take this walk down memory lane with me.
Our Favorite Moments From Stranger Things
Season 1: Eleven
Season one of Stranger Things brought us many memorable moments that reshaped pop culture. Joyce Byers’ (Winona Ryder) makeshift Ouija board on the wall, used to communicate with her missing son, was a major one. However, this was also the only season that allowed Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) to be a badass. Which is why she is the best part of Stranger Things’ first season. Watching her showcase her powers as she sought out waffles was a mood. A relatable queen if there was one, right? From using her telekinetic powers to stop annoying diner fans to flipping vans chasing after her and the crew, this season set Eleven up to be a powerful badass. That is even before we get into her mind tricks, which we still have some questions about. Sadly, subsequent seasons have yet to follow through on the promise this one gave us. I could write a whole series about how Eleven is a reservoir of untapped potential in the next three seasons.
Season 2: Steve and Dustin
I think Max (Sadie Sink) is one of the best additions to the show, and I felt Bob (Sean Astin) deserved a better arc. However, only one arc warms my cold little heart when I think about this second season. Few things bring as much joy to Stranger Things fans as the unshakable bond between Steve and Dustin. Season 2 is where this unlikely duo found each other, and that is why they are the best part of this season for me. Steve (Joe Keery) and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) bring out the best in each other. Interestingly enough, the actors seem to have also found themselves formidable scene partners. Whether Dustin is bringing Steve up to speed or Steve is giving Dustin tips on how to handle girls, these two stole our hearts at multiple points this season. My personal favorite is when Steve steps in to save Lucas from Billy the Racist, and Dustin cheers him on (while he has the upper hand). Dare I say, this relationship has become the heart of the show.
Season 3: Robin Coming Out to Steve
This season of Stranger Things introduced quite a few new characters to kill, like all the other seasons. However, Robin (Maya Hawke) seemed cooler than most, and we were silently rooting for her to make it. While her easy dynamic with Steve made us worry that she would become another part of the Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan saga, we had nothing to worry about. When Steve professed his feelings to Robin, she surprised us all and came out. This led to Steve surprising us by picking up a more age-appropriate best friend in what is one of the sweetest moments of the show. Aside from becoming Steve’s platonic girlfriend, Robin also went on to become the first openly gay character in the ridiculously large main cast. So, while this season isn’t my favorite, I’m very grateful it brought us this scene and this pairing.
Season 4: Eddie Munson Meets Erica Sinclair
Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) is probably part of everyone’s favorite moments from the fourth season of Stranger Things. While many people will probably cite his cafeteria entrance, his moment in the woods with Chrissy (Grace Van Dien), or the infamous “Chrissy, wake up,” those aren’t my favorite moments. Because this show taught us that Quinn is a scene thief, and he turned this season’s throwaway character into a pop culture moment, there is plenty to choose from. However, my nerdy ass’s favorite scene is when my two favorites faced off in Dungeons & Dragons.
Resident scene thief Erica (Priah Ferguson) finally found someone who could keep up with her when she showed up to this game. Watching her and Eddie match wits before getting down to an epic game of DnD that spawned numerous fan theories about how Eddie could come back for season 5 is priceless. He forced Dustin and Steve’s duo to become a trio, played Metallica’s Master of Puppets in The Upsidedown, and broke our hearts with his death. However, I choose to remember him alive and becoming begrudgingly impressed with the little girl who takes no prisoners. I would have watched them play this game for hours and lived my best nerdy life.
We’re Looking Forward to Season 5 of Stranger Things
So, those are my fondest memories from each season of Stranger Things. Feel free to let us know your favorite moments and your predictions for the fifth and final season on social media!
The first four episodes of Stranger Things: Season 5 hit Netflix on Wednesday, November 26. Let us know if you plan to watch as they air. Or if you are going to wait until the end of the year to binge the whole season.
In 2014, Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice created magic with their mumblegore-adjacent found footage epic Creep. Three years later, this dreamy duo brought us the second installment of their creepy killer. Seven years would pass until Josef (Mark Duplass) would creep back into our daily lives with six truly terrifying episodes of The Creep Tapes. It would only be a short time until a second season of The Creep Tapes was announced…and even less time for a third season! The best experience I had at the Brooklyn Horror Film Festival was seeing the first three episodes of The Creep Tapes Season 2.
The Creep Tapes Season 2 Creeps Back Into the Spotlight
The Creep Tapes Season 1 was fairly straightforward throughout. It was a fantastic season (that I loved), but the majority of it was more of the same. Josef finds a victim (through various means), plays nice (and weird), goes after victim, and death. The season finale, “Mom (and Albert)”, was the first time we really got some (what seems to be) true background into Josef. From personal conversations, that episode was hit or miss. (I loved it, the dude hung dong!)
Upon hearing the news of Seasons 2 and 3, I was left wondering, will we get more background, OR will it just dive into Josef’s maniacal madness? While the first three episodes of Season 2 don’t do much to give us too much information about Josef’s background, it does up the ante considerably. Season 2 makes clear that Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice have grandiose ideas that they’re only scratching the surface of.
The Creep Tapes: S2 E1 “Joseph”
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but what happens when the imitation is just… wrong? Josef finds himself in the sights of Joseph (David Dastmalchian), who is looking for a videographer to film a video for his unborn son, as Joseph has been diagnosed with cancer. Sound familiar?
How can someone possibly replicate the insane scenario Josef concocted in Creep? It can’t just be a coincidence—and it’s not. We come to learn that Josef has been doing something with his tapes (and films) that allows Joseph to view his work. Unfortunately for Joseph, the wrong man answered his ad.
This piece of information is crucial for understanding who (and what) Josef is. At points, he seems mentally ill, misguided, a man who just gets too damn lucky sometimes. The information gleaned reveals a much more careless, while still sophisticated, man who believes he’s creating art (of sorts). What’s the purpose of creating chaos in the modern age of technology if you can’t share it with other degenerates?
The “flip of the script” in Season 2 Episode 1 “Joseph” is a heart-racing 20-ish minutes of anticipation. I didn’t separate my butt from the edge of my seat until the credits rolled. But it’s with the casting of Joseph that the true magic of the Season 2 premiere excels. Who else can outmaniac a maniac? Of course, it has to be David Dastmalchian.
The Creep Tapes: S2 E2 “Mark”
Mark (Robert Longstreet) wakes up in a concrete room, his leg chained to the ground. A TV sits atop a table. An empty tub sits across the room. Someone lies still underneath a blanket, with a chain coming out of the bottom. And Josef accompanies Mark, leg chains and all. What could go wrong?
One of the most interesting things about Josef as a character is his ability to showcase his flaws, something that is extremely apparent in Season 2, Episodes 2 and 3. Nearly everything that can go wrong for Josef goes wrong. The reason it goes wrong is because of a simple oversight on Josef’s part. And it’s kind of heartening to see. Nearly every time we see Josef in action, he has a general grasp of his overall plan. He knows, more or less, how his targets will react, and his incredible improv skills allow him to course correct when necessary.
“Mark” just goes off the rails in ways Josef could never imagine.
Season 2, Episode 2 is Duplass and Brice’s nod at the Saw franchise. And, if anything other than a few laughs, solidifies the intense planning and expertise that goes into a John Kramer game. One simple oversight can cause a highly crafted plan to fall apart at the seams. To boot, “Mark” is one of the funniest pieces of horror media I have ever seen. It begs the question, what if an absolute dufus was put in a Saw film?
And don’t worry, bloodhounds, there’s gore aplenty!
The Creep Tapes: S2 E3 “Wes”
Wes (Diego Josef) finds himself taking a job to help Josef film a house-flipping show’s pilot episode. But night descends, and Wes realizes that they’re in the middle of nowhere. Wes’s attempted escape from Josef leads to an unfortunate run-in with law enforcement. Oh boy, how will he get out of this one?!
Even the greatest of franchises will bottom out at some point. Much of what we’ve seen Josef do involves a certain amount of suspension of disbelief. HOW is there not at least a Reddit thread about filmmakers/videographers who have gone missing after answering Craigslist ads? There is no way a 20/20 wouldn’t have been made about these killings if they were real. I mean, just look at how many tapes we see in the opening. Josef is talented at what he does, but everyone slips up eventually.
“Wes” brought me to a point where I was unable to suspend my disbelief. When AMERICAN police see someone moving a potentially dead body and don’t immediately cuff and detain them, you’re asking a bit too much. The crux of this episode revolves around a repeated word: “professionalism.” I get that it’s supposed to shine a light on how unprofessional the police are in this scenario, but it’s a step too far.
What I will say is that it’s a fun angle to take. We’re watching this killer that we’ve seen commit nearly 10 murders, and there are more we haven’t, interact face to face with the police. How will he get out of this sticky situation? I just don’t believe the way it is handled is grounded in a reality that would ever make sense. The chemistry between Wes and Josef, though, is some of the best in the entire franchise. They play off of each other incredibly well, and it makes you wish “Wes” were a feature-length film character instead of an episode character.
A Bold New Chapter for The Creep Tapes
Overall, the first three episodes of The Creep Tapes Season 2 were an overall blast. Even with the issues I had throughout “Wes”, I was entertained the entire time. “Joseph” and “Mark” are contenders for the best episodes of the entire series (and maybe even best entries in the entire franchise). I love seeing Mark Duplass and Patrick Brice spreading their wings to take Josef in different directions. They find ways to keep the product feeling original while still paying direct homage to horror properties beloved by the masses. If these are the first three episodes of Season 2, I think we’re in for a real treat with the final three.
The Creep Tapes Season 2 premieres November 14 on Shudder and AMC+.
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