Darkness Falls (The X-Files): Difference between revisions
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Humphreys works on fixing the heat generator at one of the cabins and catches an eco-terrorist, Doug Spinney, who tells the group that there's a deadly swarm of insects is in the forest and that they must avoid darkness to stay alive. The next morning, they find an old growth tree cut down, with a green [[tree ring|ring]] contained within. Spinney suspects that an organism that was dormant in the tree for centuries was disturbed when the tree was cut down. Humphreys hikes down to the Jeep but is killed by the swarm at nightfall. In the cabin, everyone else is kept safe by the light. The next morning, Spinney convinces Mulder to let him hike to his colleagues with [[gasoline]] so he return with a Jeep to pick them up. Scully and Moore become upset with Mulder, since he will leave them with little fuel for the generator. |
Humphreys works on fixing the heat generator at one of the cabins and catches an eco-terrorist, Doug Spinney, who tells the group that there's a deadly swarm of insects is in the forest and that they must avoid darkness to stay alive. The next morning, they find an old growth tree cut down, with a green [[tree ring|ring]] contained within. Spinney suspects that an organism that was dormant in the tree for centuries was disturbed when the tree was cut down. Humphreys hikes down to the Jeep but is killed by the swarm at nightfall. In the cabin, everyone else is kept safe by the light. The next morning, Spinney convinces Mulder to let him hike to his colleagues with [[gasoline]] so he return with a Jeep to pick them up. Scully and Moore become upset with Mulder, since he will leave them with little fuel for the generator. |
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The night passes with only a single light bulb lighting the cabin, going out just as morning arrives. Spinney returns with the Jeep, telling the others his colleagues all died. They leave the camp site. The Jeep hits another spike left in the ground |
The night passes with only a single light bulb lighting the cabin, going out just as morning arrives. Spinney returns with the Jeep, telling the others his colleagues all died. They leave the camp site. The Jeep hits another spike left in the ground, and Spinney is killed when he leaves the Jeep after dark. Moore and the agents are engulfed by the insects, who enter the vehicle through the [[air conditioning]]. They are found soon after and brought to a quarantined facility, where one of the scientists tells Mulder that the forest is being bombarded with [[pesticides]] and [[controlled fire]] in the hopes of eradicating the insects.<ref name="plot1">{{cite book | year=1995 | author=Lowry,Brian | title=The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files|pages=145–146|publisher=Harper Prism }}</ref><ref name="plot2">{{cite book | year=1996 | author=Lovece, Frank| title=The X-Files Declassified|pages=94–95|publisher=Citadel press }}</ref> |
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== Production == |
== Production == |
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Revision as of 17:21, 30 June 2010
| "Darkness Falls (The X-Files)" | |
|---|---|
| Running time | 43 min. |
"Darkness Falls" is a 1994 episode of The X-Files television series. It was the twentieth episode broadcast in the show's first season. Darkness Falls involved the agents investigating the disappearance of a group of loggers in a Washington forest.
Plot
In Olympic National Forest in Washington State, a group of loggers flee through the woods, trying to escape from an unseen force. They are eventually killed by a large swarm of small glowing green insects.
Later, in his office, Agent Mulder shows partner Agent Scully a photo of the missing loggers, telling her that another group of loggers also disappeared in 1934. The two agents head to the forest, where they meet Park Ranger Larry Moore and Steve Humphreys, head of security for the logging company. While driving through the forest, their truck hits spikes left in the ground by eco-terrorists, forcing them to walk the rest of the way. Upon arriving at the camp site, Mulder and Scully find the cabins abandoned and the communication equipment destroyed. Searching the forest, they find a corpse encased in a large cocoon hanging from a tree.
Humphreys works on fixing the heat generator at one of the cabins and catches an eco-terrorist, Doug Spinney, who tells the group that there's a deadly swarm of insects is in the forest and that they must avoid darkness to stay alive. The next morning, they find an old growth tree cut down, with a green ring contained within. Spinney suspects that an organism that was dormant in the tree for centuries was disturbed when the tree was cut down. Humphreys hikes down to the Jeep but is killed by the swarm at nightfall. In the cabin, everyone else is kept safe by the light. The next morning, Spinney convinces Mulder to let him hike to his colleagues with gasoline so he return with a Jeep to pick them up. Scully and Moore become upset with Mulder, since he will leave them with little fuel for the generator.
The night passes with only a single light bulb lighting the cabin, going out just as morning arrives. Spinney returns with the Jeep, telling the others his colleagues all died. They leave the camp site. The Jeep hits another spike left in the ground, and Spinney is killed when he leaves the Jeep after dark. Moore and the agents are engulfed by the insects, who enter the vehicle through the air conditioning. They are found soon after and brought to a quarantined facility, where one of the scientists tells Mulder that the forest is being bombarded with pesticides and controlled fire in the hopes of eradicating the insects.[1][2]
Production
Chris Carter was inspired to write this episode based on an interest in dendrochronology, a subject that involves analyzing annual growth rings found in non-tropical tree species.[3] The green insects in this episode were primarily computer-generated and added in during the postproduction process.[3] The close up shots of the bugs were done using microscopic photography of mites.[4]
The episode was intended to be a bottle show, an episode that would be based in a single location and help save money, but bad weather plagued production and it was one of the toughest episodes for the crew of the season.[5]
Jason Beghe, who played Ranger Larry Moore, was a childhood friend of David Duchovny and helped convince him pursue an acting career.[3]
Reception
This episode was honored at the Environmental Media Awards.[3]
This episode earned a neilson rating of 8.0, with a 14 share and was viewed by 7.5 million households.[6]
Footnotes
- ^ Lowry,Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. pp. 145–146.
- ^ Lovece, Frank (1996). The X-Files Declassified. Citadel press. pp. 94–95.
- ^ a b c d Lowry,Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. p. 146.
- ^ Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. p. 72.
- ^ Edwards, Ted (1996). X-Files Confidential. Little, Brown and Company. p. 71.
- ^ Lowry,Brian (1995). The Truth is Out There: The Official Guide to the X-Files. Harper Prism. p. 248.
