Originally Aired 4/15/1994
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| If his X-Files career didn't pan out, Mulder could've always been a catalog model. |
Just like the previous episode, "Shapes", this episode also makes use of the forests of Vancouver. The bugs that attack the loggers in the forest don't look like they'd be a threat, but don't let their appearance fool you. The cocoon that they spot high-up in a tree is pretty neat and it makes sense that Scully should spot it since she's not a believer, so her "Oh my God!" face really sells the threat of the bugs.
Time may not have been kind to "Darkness Falls" since it slipped down my list of favorites but this rewatch helped to boost it's standing. It's in the vein of classic horror movies, which isolate a group of people, then force them to team up against ghouls or ghosts. Night of the Living Dead featured a swarm of zombies surrounding a house, The Thing had a crew in Antarctica, and "Darkness Falls" uses glowing insects. The X-Files isn't just a creature show though, as it always used great characterizations, too. They spent the first ten minutes of the episode showing and telling us that the eco-terrorists are a nasty group of people who's actions left Mulder, Scully, and friends stranded in the foods. Then, in X-Files fashion, they add one of those "terrorists" to the group for added tension.
Even though Chris Carter was the series' creator, he didn't seem to have much success in creating weekly monster tales for Mulder and Scully. "Darkness Falls" was a turning point for Chris and proved that he wasn't going to be outdone by his writing staff.
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| These bugs got nuthin' on The Smoke Monster! |
This episode really disturbed me the first time I watched it back in 1994. I was ten years of age and the idea of Mulder and Scully not finding a way to use their wits to escape, succumbing to the bugs and only surviving at the last minute by sheer luck and left in a hospital weak and ill was something I was not used to at that age. A subtle but significant game changer for me as far as pop culture in concerned.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the ending where they need to be rescued is interesting. I liked how instead of the usual fade to black (or even white-out like on Millennium), it becomes a bright green, then fades to the next scene.
DeleteThis episode got lost for me as well throughout the years. I think one reason people may overlook it is the fact that it comes after another, more famous, example of a stand-alone episode where Mulder and Scully are trapped somewhere and at risk of attack from an unknown ancient organism ('Ice').
DeleteI'm so glad that I rediscovered it, though! Mulder and Scully rarely are in as dire a situation as they are at the very end of this episode, it was terrifying to watch even after 17 years!