Top 10 Horrifying X-Files Moments

Flukeman is arguably the scariest, if not the most memorable, monster the early years of “The X-Files” ever produced. It appeared in an altogether creepy episode featuring parasites being coughed up or found in dead bodies; however, the greatest moment definitely comes from the reveal of the nasty Flukeman. A product of nuclear mutation brought on by the Chernobyl disaster, Special Agent Mulder finds him just hangin’ out in some sewer pipes. Mulder and Scully have dealt with a number of paranormal beings, such as ghosts and demons, but the Flukeman takes the cake for being an all-too-realistic scientific possibility.

We have all been afraid of hospitals and doctors at some point in our lives, and the show really knows how to take our common fears and dial them up to 11. Nothing is what it seems at this plastic surgery hospital, where the rich go under the knife. The opening scene is a shocker, as we watch Dr. Lloyd seemingly lose his mind, and go a little too deep. Before Mulder and Scully are even on the scene, we know they are going to have their hands full with possessed patients and satanic doctors.

One of the weirdest cases Agent Scully has ever dealt with, and, sadly, without Agent Mulder around, has got to be the one with the mysterious beggar. As if the opening scene with the paraplegic attacking the overweight businessman wasn’t enough, we soon find out how he gets his revenge on his victims. Yes, by crawling inside them. In all its graphic glory, we are treated to one of Scully’s famous autopsies, only to witness the beggar ooze his way out of the bloody corpse he’s been chilling in.

Veering off from the conventional detective format, Agent Scully finds herself trapped in a horror movie in a little town in the middle of the Utah desert. The opening scene is one of the most disturbing ever, featuring the group-lynching of a handicapped young man; the rest of the episode devolves into a nightmare of religious cults and parasitic slugs that climb up your spine. This all culminates in Scully being trapped on a bus, with Agent Doggett having to cut the slug out of her back before it reaches her brain. The Aristocrats!

It seems “The X-Files” was ahead of the game, warning everyone all the way back in 1995 about the dangers of online dating. Virgil Incanto, or username 2Shy, may be the most disgusting predator out there. The opening scene to this chilling episode, during a romantic date night, doesn’t just introduce us to our charismatic villain and his methods, but also to his disgusting objective. As Mulder and Scully will later learn, Virgil can secrete a digestive liquid, allowing him to devour the fat of his victims, which he needs to survive. Ew.

Memorable for being the first “Monster-of-the-Week” episode, “Squeeze” also introduced us to one of the most chill-inducing mutants, Eugene Tooms, who made a second appearance at the end of the first season. Tooms, who has the ability to contort and squeeze into impossible spaces, did not hesitate before showing us the most disturbing use of his ability: crawling into a home’s air ducts. With Scully finally in the comfort of her own home, she is attacked by Tooms who was waiting for her. This scene will make you check your vents every time you enter a room.

One of the strangest creatures Mulder and Scully were ever forced to deal with, the Band-Aid Nose Man, comes from the 2016 revival of the show. Somehow brought to life from the thoughts of a street artist, we get to see what this monster is capable of early on, as he/it rips a city official to shreds. However it is only later that we get a better look at him, stalking his new victim in her home, ripping her body apart, stuffing pieces of her in her trash compactor, and ultimately climbing back into his garbage truck. Absolutely horrifying.

“Leonard Betts” became an instant classic by disturbing and disgusting almost 30 million viewers in one night. The story of a man who has evolved into a cancer-eating creature that can regenerate his own limbs, even his severed head, has a strong amount of shocking moments, including the revelation of Scully’s cancer. But the most horrifying moment goes to some excellent special-effects work, showing Leonard completely shedding his old body, and crawling out of his own mouth.

The show took a big leap with this season 2 episode, deciding to leave all the paranormal creatures behind, and giving us a realistic portrayal of the scariest monster of all: your run-of-the-mill serial killer. A death fetishist who likes collecting hair samples from corpses, Donnie Pfaster is every woman’s worst nightmare. Seeing him charm women and girls is the most chilling thing to witness, the worst of it being Pfaster trying to convince a prostitute he hired to wash her hair for him. Seeing her squirm and cringe makes us desperate to look away.


Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honourable mentions:


Soul Eater

“The Gift"



Cockroaches

“War of the Coprophages”



Snake Eats Man

“Die Hand Die Verletzt”

The most horrifying moment of all, of course, comes from the most terrifying and controversial episode in the history of the show. The story about the inbred Peacock brothers in Home, Pennsylvania, and their failed attempts at having children, was too disturbing for some audiences. The reveal of deformed Mama Peacock, kept amputated and tied up under the bed, was of course shocking, but the scene “X-Files” fans will never be able to get out of their minds is the opening sequence, featuring the brutal birth, and immediate burial, of a new Peacock baby.