Mulder and Scully visit a haunted house on Christmas Eve in an attempt to see some ghosts.
This is another one of Chris Carter's experimental episodes, featuring only two guest stars alongside Duchovny and Anderson. It also works very well. The house itself is a marvellous set, and although the events of the episode are never adequately explained (you are just left to assume that it is the ghosts doing everything), it is an effectively scary piece of work.
What Carter is best at is creating atmosphere, and he delivers it in spades here, from the creepiness of the house to the gradual increase in tension that leads to the events towards the end of the episode. Quite what purpose the episode serves is unclear, but that's also part of its charm. Is it to show that not all ghosts are benevolent, as Mulder expects? Is it a chance to bring Mulder and Scully closer? Is it an opportunity to show each partner something new about themselves? The answer is yes to all of these, and the well-constructed script makes this an episode worth several watchings to pick out all the nuances hidden within it.
Congratulations, Mr Carter, you've provided another thought-provoking piece of theatre.
****
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