‘Banned’ The X-Files episode still branded ‘disturbing’ by fans 30 years later
Infamous The X-Files episode 'Home' was considered so controversial it was banned from airing again and is still barred on some major streaming platforms.
In case you haven’t heard of it before, The X-Files is the series about FBI agents Mulder and Scully who investigate unsolved cases of the weird, paranormal, and downright terrifying.
First aired on Fox in 1993, it is why a generation of people are irrationally scared of something climbing out of the toilet (The Fluke) or being devoured by bugs (Darkness Falls). Not to mention a host of other nightmare-inducing themes.
However, all of these pale in comparison to episode ‘Home’, which was pulled from the airwaves after sparking outrage.
It's still considered so disturbing that many streaming platforms do not include it.
Throughout its initial nine-year tenure on Fox, The X-Files consistently tested the limits of television. Aliens, serial killers, government cover-ups, and nightmarish creatures were all part of the show's exploration of horror and mystery across 202 episodes. But ‘Home’ left audiences reeling with its explicit depiction of incest and infanticide.
The episode's writers, Glen Morgan and James Wong, took cues from a documentary and Charlie Chaplin's biography to craft a narrative that painted a grim picture of the darker sides of humanity.
After a horrifying intro to the episode that shows the birth and burial of a malformed baby, Agents Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) are sent to the rural town of Home, Pennsylvania when the dead newborn is found.
While speaking to local law enforcement, Mulder and Scully hear about the Peacocks, three brothers living in a dilapidated house nearby. Little is known about the family, but the local sheriff hints that the Peacocks have survived for generations by partaking in incest, leading to questions about their possible involvement in the gruesome crime.
Alarmed by the sudden FBI presence, the Peacocks kill the sheriff, his wife, and a local deputy, setting up a confrontation that uncovers a terrifying truth.
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Viewers across the nation were drawn in when it premiered, but it stirred up a controversy that eventually led to the episode being dropped from further broadcasts as a rerun because of its graphic nature. In the end, broadcasters decided to remove the particularly violent episode from their rerun collection, keeping it under wraps for years.
Even now, with audiences more desensitised, ‘Home’ is still considered by viewers as one of the most horrifying pieces of television ever. A comment shared recently on social media stated: “Thirty years later, and The X-Files’ ‘Home’ is still the most disturbing episode of any show I’ve ever watched.”
Fans were quick to chime in with their thoughts. One user replied: “That's when I quit.” While another person added: “This was the most disturbing episode of TV I have ever watched. It’s hard to say it’s my favorite episode because it was such a mind scramble, but I am giving it that accolade.” And someone else added: “I haven’t been able to sleep since.”
