How The Ghosts Stole Christmas

Season 6, Episode 6, Aired
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Episode Summary

Mulder talks Scully into investigating a haunted house on Christmas Eve where several couples have met their fate on that very night. While there they encounter endless tricks and traps set by a ghostly couple who originally made a lovers suicide pact in the house. The ghosts try to convince Mulder and Scully to kill each other.moreless
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Fan Episode Reviews (21)

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  • Mulder and Scully look into a haunted house.

    8.5
    "Great"
    By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Apr 25, 2011 Report Abuse
    For a show that has run the gamut in terms of supernatural/sci-fi storylines, it amazes me that Chris Carter and co. continue to figure out new and unique ways to tell cliche stories. Here, we get a straightforward ghost story, something that's been done to death, been revived and then done to death again. But count on this show to give it a completely new twist. For a stand-alone episode, we get a pretty entertaining, mind-twisting and slightly funny episode.

    It's Christmas Eve, and Mulder calls Scully to have her come over to investigate a possible haunted house. Scully wants nothing to do with it and simply wants to wrap gifts, but Mulder insists, going as far as to steal her keys so she's forced to go inside. Once inside, however, the episode transforms quickly from typical ghost story to unique look into the two main characters that only Chris Carter could do.

    The mystery of the episode comes from the two ghosts from the name of the episode, played wonderfully by Lily Tomlin and Edward Asner. They play a pair of star-crossed lovers who died in the house years and years ago and spend their free time screwing around with and killing couples who enter the house. Mulder and Scully enter the house and quickly find themselves going crazy, finding that a door to one room simply leads them back to the room they were just leaving. The ghosts are able to distort reality in ways the Joker guy in Supernatural was able to do (Gabriel was his name, I believe).

    As a result, we get a pretty good holiday episode of The X-Files, with about ten moments where I was sure that Mulder or Scully had shot each other. Turns out these were just tricks that the two ghosts were playing on each other. The episode won me over with its cleverness, its new touch on an old as heck story and, of course, the power of the two lead actors.moreless

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  • Have yourself a merry little Christmas

    10
    "Perfect"
    By tunguska1013, Jul 17, 2010 Report Abuse
    What I love the most in The X-Files is how many different types of stories it combines. Between elaborate conspiracies and creepy monsters there's always room for these special episodes, which in fact serve as a character exploration. How the Ghosts Stole Christmas is a perfect example of this.

    The story is simple but beautifully told. Mulder convinces Scully to investigate a haunted house on Christmas Eve where a couple (portrayed by Edward Asner and Lily Tomlin) made a lovers suicide pact years ago. Although Scully is reluctant at first she ends up following Mulder in the house. What follows is a series of tricky mind games between the ghosts and our heroes that brings out some insights of their characters and their relationship.
    HTGSC is a funny, romantic and occasionally scary episode. Chris Carter uses stereotypes and clichs from classic horror films to create the perfect setting for his tale. The gothic manor, the brick wall, the lover's pact all symbolize the loneliness Mulder and Scully feel, their inability to explore their feelings and how they both secretly want to spent this very night with each other.
    The end is very sweet with Mulder and Scully exchanging gifts.moreless

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  • You have to love this episode, you can't help it!

    8.1
    "Great"
    By Cristina_chavia, May 08, 2010 Report Abuse
    This is, indeed, a very silly episode. It's a fun set up, after all we've never really had a haunted house like this before. (Though using all the genre cliches does make the "atmospheric" settings of "Terms of Endearment" considerably less effective later.)

    This is an episode for shippers. We all know what we want to happen, a lovely Christmas kiss. Even non-shippers must acknowledge that they deserve a small platonic hug, at least. There does seem to be a problem with the pacing, since the ghosts driving them mad seems to happen far too quickly. It doesn't really work as it doesn't seem entirely believable that they would just accept that their partner has shot them so readily. Equally Mulder is far too quick to realise he has not really been shot. Scully's lines about ghosts being rediculous is meant to convey her trying to convince herself, but it does come across as overly long, especially as she seems to be panicing far too quickly. Overall a great idea not too well executed.moreless

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  • Decent episode, but nothing to rave about.

    7.5
    "Good"
    By exboxer360, Jun 19, 2009 Report Abuse
    Overall not a bad episode but not great either. Asner and Tomlin did an ok job as the ghosts. One thing that has always bothered me about this episode is when Mulder and Scully are crawling toward the door near the end of the episode (after each having been shot), Mulder shouts "You shot me first!" This would seem to indicate that he returned the favor and shot her, but in fact the ghosts were the only ones that did any shooting. Scully was shot by a ghost disguised as Mulder. Mulder was then shot by a ghost disguised as an "already shot" Scully.moreless

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  • This is a classic and a must see episode. There are many memorable lines and great guest stars.

    10
    "Perfect"
    By Crumrine, Dec 23, 2008 Report Abuse
    This is a classic and a must see episode. There are many memorable lines and great guest stars. Mulder and Scully go to a haunted house on Christmas eve. The two ghosts that live there try to trick the agents into a murder suicide not unlike the one they committed years earlier. With fancy words and ghost trickery they make the evening very confusing, exciting and sometimes frightening for Mulder and Scully. The episode ends when the agents realize they're being brainwashed and fight all of the graphic allusions that the ghosts had placed upon them. They leave the house and end the night watching movies with beer and popcorn. Great episode.
    -JohnCmoreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

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    • Mulder maintains that during Christmas, 1917 "American soldiers were dying at an ungodly rate in a war-torn Europe." This is historically inaccurate as the United States declared war in April 1917 but the country's military was so unprepared that the first US troops did not arrive in France until May 1918, and did not see action until June. Edit

  • Notes

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    • In this episode, aside from Mulder and Scully, only two other characters appear, thus making this the episode with the shortest cast in the whole series. Edit
    • The role of Maurice was originally written for Bob Newhart but he turned down the role. Edit
    • The haunted house's address, 1501 Larkspur Lane, may be a reference to a Nancy Drew mystery story, "Password to Larkspur Lane". Edit

  • Quotes

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    • Mulder: (To Scully) Look, I know we promised not to exchange gifts, but I got you something. (He hands her a gift box) Scully: Well... I may have gotten you a little something too. (She shows him a gift box, they hurry over to the couch and unwrap their gifts.) Edit
    • Maurice: You've probably convinced yourself you've seen aliens. You know why you think you see the things you do? Mulder: Because I have seen them? Maurice: 'Cause you're a lonely man. A lonely man chasing paramasturbatory illusions that you believe will give your life meaning and significance and which your pathetic social maladjustment makes impossible for you to find elsewhere. You probably consider yourself passionate, serious, misunderstood. Am I right? Mulder: Paramasturbatory? Edit
    • Maurice: I locked it. For your protection. Scully: Stay away from me. Look, I want you to get me out of here. I am quite capable of pulling this trigger. Maurice: I'm glad to hear it. You may well have to defend yourself against that crazy partner of yours. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS

    • Heartbeat under the floor-boards, this is a visual scene of the tale by Edgar Allen Poe called The Tell-Tale Heart.

      Edit
    • Scully: Do you hear any hound barking in the swamp? This is an allusion to "The Hound of the Baskervilles", the story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Edit

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