The X-Files Episode That Wasn't

I always found that Deer Woman (the Masters of Horror episode) to be awkwardly enjoyable and occasionally funny and that might be due to its attempts of tongue-in-cheek humor. However, the entire episode fell on its feet because of lack of witty dialogue and the ‘feel’ of a real investigation. What I mean by that is the episode didn’t feel like the characters were doing any type of investigation; they seemed to just get lucky. I always described the episode as The X-Files meets CSI but now that I think of it… it would have been better off being an X-Files episode guest directed by John Landis. The story could have stayed the same with the same characters just with the additions to Mulder and Skully and I could totally see Mulder playing out the possible killing scenarios in his head. Since Deer Woman didn’t rely on profanity (and it didn’t need profanity) or gore, it would have been a great X-Files episode. What this movie needed was the smart, witty dialogue of Chris Carter, the commanding presents of Mulder/Skully and the slapstick edge of Landis and it would have been fun to watch.

On a side note: I find this episode creepy mainly because of the thought of a woman having deer legs. That scene when the cop realizes that he made a big mistake letting the girl in his hotel room always sends me shivers. Just the way he turns around and how his eyes widen with fright; you don’t even need to see anything, you can just imagine what he’s seeing.

The Thing Week: Ice from The X-Files

As many of you know I am a huge X-Files fan and well before I even started The Thing Week I went through all the seasons of the show and watched every episode. One episode I cam across in the first season stood out because it reminded me of The Thing and that episode is called ‘Ice.’ Low and behold, ‘Ice’ was a direct adaptation, of sorts, of The Thing as well as Who Goes There? The episode was very well-received by X-Files fans however, though I thought it was good… I don’t think it’s one of the best episodes of the season.

The basis of writing this episode came from Glen Morgan who read about a group of men in Greenland that dug up something in the ice that was about 200,000 plus years old. For Thing fans, it’s easy to see where the episode borrowed from The Thing and Who Goes there and Carter (Creator of The X-Files) himself stated that his biggest influence was The Thing. The basic concept of the episode is about Mulder, Skully, three scientists and a helicopter pilot trapped in an isolated research station with a parasitic alien worm that uses the human body as a host. The episode relies on trust and paranoia to make the audience feel uncomfortable and claustrophobic.

While looking up some information on Ice’s relation to The Thing I found a few interesting facts that Carter put in to make this 45 minute tribute complete. While looking through the credits of the episode I noticed a character named Campbell, which I initially thought was a tribute to John W. Campbell and my speculation was correct. Graeme Murray designed the complex in which the episode took place and coincidently he designed the entire complex in Carpenter’s The Thing. This next observation is not really backed up but is more of a personal observation; Dr. Hodge (played by Xander Berkeley) bares a striking resemblance to Palmer (played by David Clennon) in The Thing.

‘Ice’ does a great job showing the intense paranoia between all the people in the complex. It manages to keep that tension between people in such a short amount of time. The complex is also very claustrophobic and with the mentioning of the heat, it makes the audience member get psychologically hot as they are trying to figure out who is who. I absolutely enjoyed the characters and I was pretty depressed that Bear died because he seemed like the strong character in the beginning. Hell, the episode didn’t really have that much gore and still accomplished a surreal and nightmarish reality. I think the problem that I had was the pacing; it just seemed a little off and ultimately made the episode a little rushed.

Much like The Thing, The X-Files uses science to explain how things work with the parasitic worm and the explanation is so fascinating but the only difference is that the worm is a little less aware than the Thing. To me, like many other times, it’s very interesting to see the roots of The Thing as well as Who Goes There extend into other sci-fi and horror realms.

"Before anyone passes judgment, may I remind you, we are in the Arctic"
- Fox Mulder

Personal Horror: Alien Abduction

This post is inspired by Dod March’s post entitled Roots of Personal Horror, Volume 1. I figure this would be a great exercise in expression one reason why I am attracted to certain types of horror; in this case, that horror comes from beyond the stars. Here is my experience with extra terrestrial life.

NOTE: I am not making this up, nor was it a dream like how I previously thought.

June 1998
I remember this night quite fondly because I thought it was a dream but as I remember it more and more, I never really woke up from it… so therefore it must have been real life. It was one of those really nice nights the summer had and I was out of school. I remember watching cartoons before I went off to bed, brushing my teeth and having my mom check in on me to make sure I was okay and that night was no exception. The only thing that was different was the wind was blowing hard that night.

It was around midnight or maybe a little after when I woke and I couldn’t move. My hands were as if they were glued to my side and I couldn’t movie them. I kept looking around myself to see if I was tied down or to see if I can break free… that was until I looked outside my window. Standing outside of my window in my backyard were 4 things staring up at me; these things looked human only they were shorter and they had oversized heads. I noticed that the wind had stopped blowing, and not that it calmed down, it literally was dead outside. In the loudest of voice I yelled, “MOM!” but nothing came out of my mouth. I yelled and yelled but nothing came out. I looked back down at the backyard and saw those 4 things run into my house. I yelled again but still nothing came out.

I looked over to my room door and saw a bright white light and shadows of those thing’s feet. They were trying to figure out how to work the door or something. The door began to shake and I tried wiggling out of my restraint but I couldn’t free myself. My heart began to race and I could feel my muscles tightening and it one desperate attempt I screamed louder than I ever did, “MOMMY!” The light suddenly disappeared and the figures vanished. The hallway lights went on and my mom came running into my room. I looked outside and saw that the wind was blowing again and when my mom asked what happened I felt compelled to tell her the truth but instead I told her I had a bad dream.

Afterwards, I began to do research on what happened. You see, I was an X-Files fan then but I hated the alien episodes ‘cause I never understood them… so I never watched them. After that experience I began to watch them and they mentioned the stages of alien abduction. I went to the library and found out that the abduction claim that The X-Files made was true.

There are 8 stages of abduction and I only experienced half of one and that was the narrative known as ‘Capture.’ In the beginning, the abductee will under go a shift into an altered state of consciousness. This state makes the person usually calm and relaxed before the incident. I experienced this as I allowed myself to drift off into sleep; the wind made me unusually calm that night. The state of calmness then transitions to a state known as ‘limited self-willed mobility,’ which is temporary paralysis. Here, the paralysis prevents the abductee to movie or yell. Afterwards, there is usually a very bright light that appears (presumably a UFO) either inside our outside of the house. Humanoid figures often accompany the bright light as the abductee rises to the craft. Some have claimed that they were abducted prior to sleep. I can safely assume that I wasn’t abducted but as far as I am considered, I experience and encounter of the Fourth Kind.

I will never forget that incident and still to this day I believe it really happened and is one of the reasons why I love to study about aliens and UFOs, and why I love movies that deal with it. It’s scary, especially if you personally went through it.

P.S. Thank you Dod for inspiring me.

Happy 53rd Birthday Chris Carter

October 13^th marks the day that a very important even took place for all sci-fi fans as well as the entire sci-fi horror genre itself. On this day in 1956 Chris Carter, creater of The X-Files was born and today he celebrates is 53^rd birthday. I fell in love with The X-Files when the first season came on air in 1993. It marked the turning point in my life when I stopped watching Goosebumps and went to watch something scarier with a more complex plot… although, I never understood the episodes, all I can remember was how frightening some of them were. The show was a gateway for me into discovering new kinds of horror and shaping me into the horror fanatic I am.

I want to talk a little about what makes this show so great. The shows are broken into two different kinds of shows: the monster-of-the-week episodes, and the anthology episodes. The monster-of-the-week episodes deal with cryptozoology, mythical monsters, beasts and legends. They followed the general structure of what the legend or myth tells but they added more onto it so that the story had depth; these episodes were smartly written, dark, had horrifying sequences and often had spooky surrealistic atmospheric tones. These were the episodes that normally creeped me out and left me lying awake in bed most of the nights.

 

The anthology episodes were what the show was known for; they dealt with alien abductions, the government conspiracies to cover them up, men in black and even the end of the world. These episodes dealt with Mulder trying to find his sister after she was abducted from his house and the themes were very strong in each of these episodes; they challenged the believe of a God, they made the audience ponder the unbelievable and they begged the question ‘if science can’t prove it, can it be a miracle.’ Each of those episodes took you into the minds of Mulder and Scully and gave them depth, character and emotion. These episodes were scary considering they were all based on real events that were documented.

The entire series as a whole was a landmark in not only sci-fi and horror, but also historically, there have been several UFO groups that have been started because this show, several professors and teachers use The X-Files as learning material. The show was probably one of the most subversive, intelligent and haunting shows on the air and it freaked me out when I younger. That poster on Mulder’s wall that states “I want to believe” has become an icon in the series and it’s exactly how the viewers felt… we want to believe the truth, but the truth can be just as skewed.

With my hat down I applaud you Mr. Carter for making one of the best shows on the air. My you have a great birthday and I wish you well. 

X-Files Mythology Tribute

This was a video that I made using my first editing program... Sony Vegas Movie Studio. I was rather fond of it and like the other videos that I made, I had to hold up a camera to my computer screen and tape the clips. I didn't know how to rip things then. After I chose my song and I got done editing it (it took me 6 hours) I looked back and I was very proud of it. 

What do you think?

Top 10 Favorite Horror TV Shows

So I decided to do a top 10 list of my favorite horror TV shows… so here is the disclaimer: this is not a top 10 list about all the horror TV shows out there, these are my personal picks so don’t be alarmed if not every one is on here. Also, this covers all sorts of horror shows including kids TV shows, cartoons and adult shows as well. Plus, there is an honorable mention.

10. Eerie Indiana – I remember this show since it always came on after Goosebumps and it was lighter version of it. There were some weird and strange things that were covered in this anthology but nothing really that horror… it pushed the lines of Sci-fi. Plus, the effects for a kids TV show were amazing. The one episode that I remember had to deal with giant ants using humans as harvesters for their ant food. Fucking creepy, but still worth my viewing.

9. Unsolved Mysteries – This was a bizarre TV show hosted by Robert Stack that tapped into murders and occurrences that were never solved because of some sort of supernatural ability. What always got me about this TV show were the reenactments… they were so creepy and stylish. They used voyeuristic shots, dark atmosphere and high contrast lighting. Some of the shadowy imagery scared me, and that music… I will never get that theme out of my head.

From Blogger Pictures

8. Kolchak: The Night Stalker – This was a show that I was all too familiar with since it inspired The X-Files, but I was never able to watch all the episodes. What I do remember was that there were some creepy episodes involving aliens, werewolves and androids. This was an show that I rarely had the pleasure to watch but when I did it was pretty thrilling… although, I was already a bit numbed down from The X-Files.

7. Night Gallery – I was a huge fan of this show’s TV renditions of H.P. Lovecraft tales. It reminded me a lot of Twilight Zone but some of their adaptations were very well done. The one episode that I remember because it scared the piss out of me was an episode called ‘The Doll.’ I mean… out of all the horror movies that have evil dolls; this one stands out as the scariest.

6. Are You Afraid of the Dark? – This was a show that was sort of like the show Goosebumps considering it was made for kids and it featured original ideas rather then stories based off of books. The one thing that separates this show from Goosebumps is that Are You Afraid of the Dark is a little bit more dark in atmosphere rather than in content… I think. But there are some episodes that I remember.

5. Courage the Cowardly Dog – This was a cartoon that was horror… light, mostly for little kids but the reason why I have this on the list is because some of the subject matter for this show was extremely dark. Consider: without knowing the ending, a pig who runs a diner where they plump up their customers so that he can butcher them and make them into hamburgers. Or, a psychotic barber who has a fixation on shaving people with a large smile. This cartoon, for what the audience it was aiming for, pushed the line of dark humor as well as dark plots.

From Blogger Pictures

4. The Twilight Zone – I have always loved this TV show because the shows were horrifying but they didn’t show much of anything. What I really enjoyed about this show as that there were family lessons to be learned from the stories, so it was kind of like horror mixed with family traditions. Plus, having a spoken intro and outro to the show always pleased me; it was like Rod was presenting each story to us personally… like we knew him. The one episode that always freaked me out was ‘Eye of the Beholder’ because of the twist, and how this was a society of monsters that thought beauty was ugly. There is a lesson to be learned here and in the process it freaked me out.

3. Tales from the Crypt – Oh boy, was this a series or what? This was one of the first shows I remember watching with my grandma, but at the time I didn’t really understand what was going on, since the stories were more adult themed but I remember the imagery scared me. These shows were really gory, terrifying and humorous at sometimes… but the one thing that I will never forget is the introduction to the crypt keeper. Although, after getting a little older, this show began to frighten me so I decided to stick with Goosebumps for a while and work my way up.

From Blogger Pictures

2. The X-Files – This is perhaps my absolute favorite adult horror/sci-fi TV show out there because when I was younger and I made my gradual turn from Goosebumps, this show was the first series that I decided to try out. I cannot tell you how many episodes in this series that scared the shit out of me and how many of them left their mark in my head. It was this show that provided a gateway for me to crossover into R-rated horror films and gorier flicks. To describe the influence The X-Files had on me, I would need 10 or so pages alone… but what I will say is this: I credit this show for turning me into the demented, cryptozoologist that I am today. Thanks Chris Carter.

From Blogger Pictures

1. Goosebumps – This is it. This was the series that started it all, as well as the book series; this was the series that started me into horror! I watched these shows not with a sense of fright but rather thrilling; where I can mesmerize myself in the special effects and the creepiness of the stories. As I look back on these episodes I began to think that the some of the scene in the show were very dark and graphic (in ‘Don’t Go Into the Basement’ he slits his wrists then bleeds green goo). R.L. Stine has a great mind for younger horror fanatics and Goosebumps was no exception. I remember some of the episodes were based off of other horror movies, but because this was somewhat scary enough… I decided to stick with it, until I discovered The X-Files. But, I think I can watch this show over an over and still be entertained because it’s a flashback to my early years as a kid growing up in the 90’s.

From Blogger Pictures

Honorable mention Wishbone (The Slobbering Hound) – Though the series is more along the lines of mystery/thriller, there is one episode that freaked me out. The scenes that were in the forest where the dog was heard that the scene when everybody was looking out in the dark forest saying ‘its out there,’ terrified me. This was one of the few darker episodes of Wishbone.

So that is my list of the top 10 horror TV shows, and as you can see, I have left quit a few out but like I said in the beginning, these were based on my personal experiences with them. This is not a real list, more of a personal list than anything. I hope you enjoy. 

X-Files - Hungry

From Blogger Pictures

“I don’t believe in monsters, but I do believe in people. And sometimes they do terrible things out of weakness or sickness or fear. But I do truly believe that deep down inside, even the worst of us wants to be good.”

-     Dr. Reinhart “Hungry” (1999)

This was another episode of The X-Files that I was always afraid of, mainly because of the beginning scene when the guy pulls into the drive through and gets eaten. I think the major factor that always scared me was the look of this monster: no ears, no hair, black eyes and razor sharp teeth… it always frightened me and what was even scarier was that it was never really determined whether he was a real monster or a genetic deformity so people like him could be alive and out there.

After seeing this episode now as a young adult.. I have to say this is a favorite of mine because it doesn’t follow around Muldter and Skully but rather the character of Robert Roberts, the monster. What I also enjoyed about this movie is the fact that Mulder keeps antagonized Robert because I think deep down he knows that he is the killer and he’s just messing with the kid. Also, a quote from Robert about why he has an addiction to eating brains – this quote always made me laugh.

“I guess it’s the taste I respond to the most. Salty and… juicy. Kind of buttery. The texture of it inside your mouth. You know, your teeth just sink into it… like this juicy cloud. And it tastes so good. You know, you don’t even wanna swallow it. You just wanna work it around your taste buds until your eye rolls right back into your head.  

-       Robert Roberts “Hungry” (1999)

I also think that it’s kind of sad how Reinhard believes that there is a human, a good person in all of us even though we sometimes act mean and evil, but that’s simply not the case with Robert. I think that he believe that he could control his hunger but in the end when all the chips were down he realized that he is a killer and that’s all he’ll ever be… a monster. It’s sad because he truly wanted to be good but it’s biology as he states.

From Blogger Pictures

I think there is a good in all of us and I think that is the real horror that this episode is trying to convey… there are monsters in our world and they do unspeakable wicked things and I think that is what truly is scary; the monsters of everyday life, the killers, the psychopaths and the criminals.

X-Files - Alpha

From Blogger Pictures

“I’ve ignored the symptoms for years. I’ve always felt more like a wolf than a person.”

            - Karin Berquist “Alpha” (1998)

This was another episode that freaked the shit out of me when I was younger… roughly around the same age and time when I saw “Agua Mala.” This episode was about an extinct animal that shape-shifts known as the Trickster Dog.

I remember watching this episode and getting so scared that I wanted my dad to sleep next to me so that I didn’t have to get eaten first. As terrible as my intentions were, it’s how that episode made me feel. Afterwards I had such a morbid fear of dogs that I wouldn’t go near them. What made it worse was we had a dog that was like that one in our neighborhood named Kufeld.

The scene that I remembered so vividly was when this shadowy looking man transforms into the dog and attacks a night watchman. What was so scary about this episode was that this dog was a man, he was a shape shifter who was aware of it and yet he continued to kill people. He acted like a dog.

I did some research and there is no known cryptid that is the Wanshang Dhole. This episode gave a whole new outlook on the werewolf ideology and mythology. People have complained that this episode was stupid and that it was littered with “lame dog jokes, such as ‘you get a biscuit Skully,” and was “an obvious rip off of ‘Cujo,’” People have also complained that it made no sense and that this was one of the weakest episodes out there… I can’t agree with this because I am not going to nitpick through mundane details like this when the horror aspect of this episode was so strong for me.

People need to stop critiquing things like that to the bone… even I don’t do that when it comes to bad movies. 

X-Files - Agua Mala

From Blogger Pictures

“If the sea is where life began, where our ancestor’s first walked ashore, then who’s to say what new life may be developing in its uncharted depths?”

            - Fox Mulder “Agua Mala” (1998)

No other X-Files episode has scared me so much then the episode from the 6^th season known as ‘Agua Mala,’ which is ‘Bad Water’ translated from Spanish. But I think the question on everybody’s mind is why am I doing a response to this episode out of all the horror movies that I have seen lately? Well, that’s because ‘The X-Files” was my foundation of horror and this episode had a huge 2 year impact on me.

This episode depicts Mulder and Skully fighting a sea monster in an apartment building in Florida during a hurricane along with the other tenants. The only thing is, this tenticly sea monster can only survive in salt water and is the embodiment of the water itself. When I was 8 I remembered the opening scene when the kid had neon colored tentacles wrapped around his neck so well that I would refuse to take any bath or shower for 2 years because of my hydrophobia. Nothing has ever scared me so much in my life.

From Blogger Pictures

I’ve done some research and from what other X-Philes have said about this movie is that the humor aspect of it overshadows the horror and that the ending was a bit rushed. Looking back on it, yeah, the ending was a bit rushed but the humor was fine.

What I want to elaborate on is the horror aspect of this episode and how ‘The X-Files,’ though more of a sci-fi is heavily, heavily influenced by horror. This episode frightened me to death and I will always remember that scene but but that’s what I wanted to address is the sheer terror of ‘The X-Files’ and how it molded me into the person that I am today and how this episode impacted my life. This is not a review or a critique but rather a trip down memory lane for me.

The ocean has always frightened me because of how deep it is and how the Himalayan mountains can literally be swallowed up by it’s depths. When I imagine all the sea creatures and all the things that could be down there it’s haunting and terrifying to know that there are things down there that are larger then us and things down there that have not been discovered. What awaits us down there? What would eventually surface? 

My Problem with 'I Want to Believe'

I was watching the new “X-Files” movie… “I Want to Believe” again just to see if my feelings have changed but as far as I know, I still think that his movie was terrible. It was nice seeing Mulder and Scully meet up again and it was nice to finally see an ‘X-Files’ movie in the theater but it was a big disappointment.

I grew up watching and loving ‘The X-Files’ and for this movie to be that bad was just unacceptable. The whole movie had no real supernatural element to it at all… it was like that episode ‘Hell Money,’ but even that episode had something that this movie didn’t have: passion.

Although I am willing to look beyond this because I am hoping the Chris Carter will be doing an Mythology themed movie when 2012 moves around. That’s just my gripe about the new “X-Files” movie. Hopefully I am not the only person that feels this way. 

Introduction

This is a brief introduction to my new blog. My first blog was on MySpace and it never caught on… after a while, because of some copywrite infringement my account was deleted along with my blog. But, it was an experimental blog and I was writing with a different alias and age. I guess that’s why it never caught on. Also, I am not in the Hollywood Hills, I wish I was, but I am located in ChiTown.

Me In A Nutshell

Like the description says, I am a closet horror fan (I guess not anymore) and I am trying to build up a collection of horror movies and collectables. Ever since I can remember I was a horror fan, starting with all those nights I watched ‘Tales From the Crypt’ with my grandma. I began reading and watching ‘Goosebumps’ until I realized it wasn’t scary anymore… so I began watching ‘The X-Files.’ It terrified me. I really got into horror when I tried watching “The Thing” (1982) and “The Blob” (1988) and I couldn’t so I settled with PG-13. Years later, I would become the horror geek that I am today.

I am also an armature student screenwriter and director. I written 2 stupid movie screenplays (Warrior Wars I and II), several short films and a film that my buddies and me are working on called “Masquerade.” I hope to eventually become a moviemaker, producer and writer but for now my concentration is editing.

I have written numerous movie reviews for IMDb, though my reviews are not professional or professionally published its still fun to write them. I have written 7 movie reviews for my high school’s weekly newspaper and that’s pretty much it. I used to write reviews for a horror forum, which will remain nameless, until I stopped because nobody was paying attention. So, I will let all you guys suffer by reading my reviews.

Other then that, I am pretty much average. I read a few magazines, notably MAD Magazine. I still watch TV here and there and I still watch reruns of my favorite shows. I am a hardcore X-Phile and a loyal ParrotHead. I love any and all 80s music, if there is a song that was in the 80s… I probably have it. I love any kind of rock music ranging from 1950 to 2008. I watching a lot of movies and I love cats. That is pretty much me in a nut shell.