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The X-Files

Scary Monsters

Season 9, Episode 14, Aired Apr 14, 2002

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Monsters hiding under a little boy's bed may be more than just the product of a vivid imagination when agents Harrison, Doggett and Reyes investigate. They find out that there is more to the story of the mysterious death of the child's mother who apparently stabbed herself repeatedly. Meanwhile Scully conducts an autopsy on a dead cat.moreless

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Cast & Crew

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GUEST STAR
Jolie Jenkins

Agent Leyla Harrison
GUEST STAR
Brian Poth

Gabe Rotten
GUEST STAR
Scott Paulin

Jeffrey Conlon

Robert Patrick

Special Agent John Doggett
Gillian Anderson

Special Agent Dana Scully
Mitch Pileggi

Assistant Director Walter Skinner
Annabeth Gish

Special Agent Monica Reyes

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Fan Episode Reviews (6)

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And Super Creeps....

6.5

"Fair"

By Anon67683, Mar 09, 2011

This one is a rehash of the old Twilight Zone series' "It's A Good Life," which itself was rehashed for the more recent Twilight Zone feature film.

There isn't anything particularly special about this episode. The plot is fairly contrived and manipulative. I mean, why would three FBI agents go schlepping out into the night to essentially perform a wellness check on little Tommy, in another state no less? It's plain stupid, even for our insipid little Agent Harrison.

Doggett is remolded into the "skeptic" version of his character for this episode, which is an essential element of the plot. But remember when he was a "believer" in Season Eight's "Via Negativa?" You know, the one where he couldn't tell whether or not he was living in a dream created by the three-eyed guy floating in the lotus position? If Doggett's sense of reality could be altered so easily in "Via Negativa," why then is he immune in this episode? Answer: Because it suits the writers and, after all, his character has never been much more than a plot device to be recast according to the needs of each story.

I liked the closing scene in which Agent Harrison remarks on the superiority of the Mulder and Scully characters while capping on Doggett and Reyes. It's a sly acknowledgement of the prevailing fan hatred for Doggett and Reyes and I was surprised to see it included since it cuts straight to the heart of the general suckiness of the series in its final two seasons.moreless
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An enjoyable mix of horror and humour

8.5

"Great"

By AndyAurora, Jun 15, 2010

Scary Monsters is not the most remarkable X-Files episode. The idea behind the episode is simplistic, and familiar now that the show is in its ninth season. However, writer Thomas Schnauz does strike up the perfect balance between horror and humour. The result is an episode that is highly enjoyable to watch. Also the inclusion of two references to previous episodes, D.P.O (Season 3) and Field Trip (Season 6) adds extra interest for the devoted X-Phile. Agent Leyla Harrison makes a welcome return, once again singing the praises of Agents Mulder and Scully. Although the episode concludes with her commending Doggett on solving the case, "your lack of imagination saved our lives."moreless
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Pretty good story and pretty scary.

8.5

"Great"

By whiteraven2005, Jun 15, 2010

Not a brilliant episode but certainly has more imagination (no pun intended) than the beginning of season 9 so I'm happy enough.

I would never put a mirror in a child's room their imaginations are bad enough, especially at night. Not that this kid needs any help in that department, he can literally turn his imaginings into reality and frankly, by the end I think he was on a power trip, he was actively hurting people. He even killed his own mother. I'm confused what the televisions are supposed to do, they all seemed to be showing either violence or news programs, won't that make his fears worse? Or are they trying to replace imagined fears with real ones?

An interesting episode and certainly scary enough.moreless
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Scary monsters are real?

9.5

"Superb"

By farscapefanuk, Jan 12, 2008

It seems that i am one of the very few people who really enjoyed this episode, and maybe the reason is that it was a bit more scary and weird that we have seen for a while this season. So this episode marks the return of agent Harrison for the last time but luckily she makes a good return. So they investigate when they believe that there may be more to the story of a mother who stabbed herself repeatedly, and that maybe her son is not so innocent. Meanwhile Scully is forced to do an autopsy on a dead cat..ew. But before long Doggett realises that maybe the monsters are not real if you don't believe they are. Overall i really loved this episode and i feel a little sad writing this as i know that we are coming to the end of the final season.moreless
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Do the monsters really hide under your bed?

7.5

"Good"

By qstevie, May 12, 2006

Or can you create them with a crayon and a piece of paper.

This is a reasonable episode with a good beginning that descends into familiar territory of an obvious twist. Apart from the crabs in the belly and blinded scenes, which are a little bit overdone, it's another slightly less than brilliant season 9 story. The little boy is good and creepy (and looks a bit like Lukas Haas from Witness), but there's not really enough here to be truly frightening or to engage anyone that much.

Not appalling, not appealing - the twist is easy to work out for anyone who's ever watched anything like this.

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (2)
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- When Scully is doing the cat necroscapy with the barbecue tongs and a sharp knife, in her Marigold gloves and cooking apron, she is interrupted by a phone call. She asks the delivery guy to take over, but despite the fact that she has just been prizing open the dead and buried cat's ribcage, she doesn't give him any protection, and she seems fine to pick up the phone with her rancid cat encrusted gloves, and put it to her face. She's a doctor - the cat's been dead a while, could have had anything in its stomach, William is in an adjoining room. Her hygiene sure leaves a whole lot to be desired! Even live cats can carry diseases.
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- When Doggett shot the "monsters" in the beginning of the episode, a bullet hole should have appeared in the floor, but no mark was visible.
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QUOTES (5)
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- Scully: (Doing the autopsy on Spanky) Well, it would appear as though Spanky ate through his own stomach. And you have to admit, that's unusual behavior for a cat.
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- Scully: (To Gabe) I'm going to say this as politely as possible... Get out! NOW!
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- Leyla Harrison: (after admitting that she lied to the other agents) We could help a little boy. Even if this is not an X-File what could it hurt to keep going?
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- Doggett: I don't know about Agent Reyes, but Agent Doggett's gonna sit his tired ass down.
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- Gabe: Enjoy! Scully: Woah! What the hell is that! Gabe: Dead cat.
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NOTES (3)
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- While Scully was doing an necropsy on "Spanky", Tommy's rotting pet cat, her apron clearly sports the words "something smells goooood!"
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- Jolie Jenkins makes her second appearance on The X-Files on this episode. Her premiere was in "Alone" in the 8th season. She plays an agent that is obsessed with the X-Files, Mulder and Scully.
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- In this episode we find Tommy uttering the famous phrase "I made this" while showing a drawing he made to Reyes. This is also the phrase spoken over the TenThirteen logo after the credits on every X Files episode.
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- Gabe: That's my girlfriend up there, Hoss. He's talking to the sheriff, but the allusion is clearly to the famous and well-loved character from the TV show Bonanza, Eric Haas (Hoss) Cartwright, a loyal but rather 'plodding' man, often described as a gentle giant.
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