Unbelievable, it was one year AFTER this episode, that the Mad Cow Disease, causing Creutzfeldt-Jakob, spread so far, at least in public acknowledgement, that thousands of farm animals had to be slaughtered, especially in Europe. Reason: the cadavers of farm animals were used as food for other animals, spreading this disease as in this episode of the X-Files!
14 Reviews
Good People, Good Food!
Muldernscully11 May 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Literally. Our Town has Mulder & Scully investigating a rural town in Arkansas that may have a cannibalistic cult. It's very creepy, especially toward the end. I really like Rob Bowman's direction of this episode. Some of visuals really stuck out to me. The first is when Mulder and Scully are viewing the video at the beginning of the episode and you can clearly see their reflections as they watch the video. I like that for some reason. I also like the visual of Paula Gray sinking into the feed. It's a symbolic foreshadowing of what Mulder and Scully discover later. Finally, anytime you see a river full of blood, you know you're in for a gruesome treat. A funny moment is when Scully enters the room containing the bones with a bucket of Chaco Chicken. Mulder then explains his cannibalistic idea and Scully decidedly places the bucket of chicken down. This episode has it all: creepiness, suspense, grossness, action, & humor. Throw in a good story to boot, and you have the makings of a great episode.
No second helpings for me thanks.
Sleepin_Dragon4 October 2020
Dudley, Arkansas, a small town is the scene of some bizarre behaviour among the locals.
It's a very good episode, it's sinister, it's dark, and it once again sees a big shift in direction. Some of the visuals are great, there really are some creepy visuals. I loved that masked character, so creepy.
The climax is so exciting, it's tense and dramatic, with a sense of The Whicker Man about it.
This would have been very relevant at the time, when I was a young teen at the time this went out, CJD was very much a hot topic.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, 8/10.
It's a very good episode, it's sinister, it's dark, and it once again sees a big shift in direction. Some of the visuals are great, there really are some creepy visuals. I loved that masked character, so creepy.
The climax is so exciting, it's tense and dramatic, with a sense of The Whicker Man about it.
This would have been very relevant at the time, when I was a young teen at the time this went out, CJD was very much a hot topic.
I thoroughly enjoyed it, 8/10.
Yum Yum
bigblue12310 September 2010
Warning: Spoilers
'Our Town' is one of the best, but frequently overlooked, episodes from Season 2. It is similar to 'Roadrunner' from Season 8 but I feel it is far superior.
This episode involves Mulder and Scully travelling to a small town to investigate a disappearance that Mulder believes may be linked to a food processing plant called 'Chaco Chicken'. What they eventually discover is that the townspeople having been eating one another (as part of bizarre rituals to remain youthful)and, as a result, a large number of the townsfolk have contracted CJD.
The script is good and all the performances are pitch perfect. Particularly worth a mention are Timothy Webber and Gray Grubbs who both give great performances. This episode is incredibly creepy and has some excellent scenes which really rack up the tension. The climax is brilliant as Mulder saves Scully from being sacrificed literally at the last minute.
A brilliant episode that deserves more credit.
This episode involves Mulder and Scully travelling to a small town to investigate a disappearance that Mulder believes may be linked to a food processing plant called 'Chaco Chicken'. What they eventually discover is that the townspeople having been eating one another (as part of bizarre rituals to remain youthful)and, as a result, a large number of the townsfolk have contracted CJD.
The script is good and all the performances are pitch perfect. Particularly worth a mention are Timothy Webber and Gray Grubbs who both give great performances. This episode is incredibly creepy and has some excellent scenes which really rack up the tension. The climax is brilliant as Mulder saves Scully from being sacrificed literally at the last minute.
A brilliant episode that deserves more credit.
Scully, I think the good people of Dudley have been eating more than just chicken.
Sanpaco1329 June 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Our Town the Limerick:
A town who sells chicken meat
Finds something much healthier to eat
They start eating each other
But after eating one brother
They all get Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease.
What a wonderful delight of an episode to review! I can't believe it lasted so long on the list without being chosen. It may be for the same reason I always confuse this episode with Red Museum. They are both about small out of the way towns that are famous for their food. This is the one about the chicken with Creutzfeld-Jakob disease which is a very rare neurological disorder in which the carrier's brain tissue develops sponge like holes. Yeah kind of gross. Interestingly, for being such a rare disease it features quite prominently in pop-culture. In fact for those of you who are also 24 fans, this is the same disease that was used to create a biological weapon with which Jack Bauer is infected in the latest season. Anyway, so what makes this episode so great? The episode is full of many twists and turns that keep it moving in a more and more disturbing direction as the little town's secrets are discovered. First a man goes missing, next a woman goes crazy and is killed at the chicken factory (featuring a the disturbing image of her dead body sinking beneath the chicken feed). Next we find out that she, the missing man, and later many others in the town are infected with the CJ disease, which Scully says is statistically impossible due to its rareness. Next we find out that the river into which all the chicken runoff from the plant flows is full of bones making up at least 9 human skeletons (man that was a nasty looking river too). Finally we find out that the townsfolk have all converted to cannibalism and have been eating each other, explaining how they all contracted such a rare disease, and the townsfolk turn on their leader, Mr. Chaco, and behead him and are about to behead Scully as well when Mulder shows up and saves the day. And finally, Mr Chaco's unfound remains are fed to the chickens at the plant as it is being shutdown. Great episode. 10 out of 10.
A town who sells chicken meat
Finds something much healthier to eat
They start eating each other
But after eating one brother
They all get Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease.
What a wonderful delight of an episode to review! I can't believe it lasted so long on the list without being chosen. It may be for the same reason I always confuse this episode with Red Museum. They are both about small out of the way towns that are famous for their food. This is the one about the chicken with Creutzfeld-Jakob disease which is a very rare neurological disorder in which the carrier's brain tissue develops sponge like holes. Yeah kind of gross. Interestingly, for being such a rare disease it features quite prominently in pop-culture. In fact for those of you who are also 24 fans, this is the same disease that was used to create a biological weapon with which Jack Bauer is infected in the latest season. Anyway, so what makes this episode so great? The episode is full of many twists and turns that keep it moving in a more and more disturbing direction as the little town's secrets are discovered. First a man goes missing, next a woman goes crazy and is killed at the chicken factory (featuring a the disturbing image of her dead body sinking beneath the chicken feed). Next we find out that she, the missing man, and later many others in the town are infected with the CJ disease, which Scully says is statistically impossible due to its rareness. Next we find out that the river into which all the chicken runoff from the plant flows is full of bones making up at least 9 human skeletons (man that was a nasty looking river too). Finally we find out that the townsfolk have all converted to cannibalism and have been eating each other, explaining how they all contracted such a rare disease, and the townsfolk turn on their leader, Mr. Chaco, and behead him and are about to behead Scully as well when Mulder shows up and saves the day. And finally, Mr Chaco's unfound remains are fed to the chickens at the plant as it is being shutdown. Great episode. 10 out of 10.
Aw, come on, now. You don't want me to chase after you, do you?
bombersflyup8 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Our Town is about reports of foxfire on a field in Dudley Arkansas, home of Chaco Chicken, which lead Mulder and Scully to investigate.
While I do love this episode, I wish it were expanded upon into two. The story's excellent, but there's so much going on and it all happens so quickly, a lot of the greatness is brushed by. The townsfolk perform cannibalistic rituals to maintain youth and in doing so, incur Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Scully and Chaco himself are soon added to the menu, as things quickly get out of hand. While there's a lot visually, the highlights are still the discussions between our two main characters.
While I do love this episode, I wish it were expanded upon into two. The story's excellent, but there's so much going on and it all happens so quickly, a lot of the greatness is brushed by. The townsfolk perform cannibalistic rituals to maintain youth and in doing so, incur Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Scully and Chaco himself are soon added to the menu, as things quickly get out of hand. While there's a lot visually, the highlights are still the discussions between our two main characters.
Chaco Chicken. Good People. Good Food.
alexandercappelli23 May 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Chaco Chicken. Good People. Good Food." – Chaco Motto.
Episode 24, 'Our Town', original air date May 12th, 1995. Written by Frank Spotnitz, directed by Rob Bowman. Monster of the week episode count, 34. There's something creepy about small towns. The idea of wandering in to some backwoods part of the country where everyone except you is in on the secret. There's an incestuous vibe to it, a sense of anonymity and isolation which suggests that what happens in this town, stays in this town. Many horror stories take place in a small towns, often somewhere in the Southern United States, where folks are a bit 'set in their ways' and wary of outsiders. The unassuming traveller unintentionally brings with them the threat of change or perhaps the locals fear their unconventional ways will be exposed by this interloper. Either way there's always something sinister lurking just underneath the friendly visage. Spotnitz's first standalone episode, his second overall, employs this familiar trope with a story about human cannibalism. The script isn't populated by the type of inbred caricatures we often see in these stories, rather the townsfolk all appear quite normal when we meet them. It's their actions that are disturbing.
Walter Chaco (John Milford) is the founder of Chaco Chicken, a company that supplies chicken to food outlets across the country. The factory where the food is processed is situated in Dudley, Arkansas. Mulder and Scully travel to the town to investigate the disappearance of a local resident, George Kearns (John Maclaren), who was attempting to have the chicken plant shut down. The locals, including the sheriff and his wife, all appear nonplussed by his disappearance, claiming that he never really fit in anyway and most likely left town to pursue a young love interest. Paula Gray (Gabrielle Miller), a young girl whom we saw Kearns involved with during the opening teaser, is suffering from some hallucinations and during a shift at the plant, holds a co-worker at knife point and is subsequently shot and killed by the sheriff. Scully does an autopsy on Paula and discovers that she has a rare medical condition called Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, a rare and fatal illness that causes dementia. It becomes apparent that other locals have also contracted this disease despite this being an extremely unlikely occurrence. Kearns' remains are eventually discovered in the lake, with dozens of other bones that appear to have been boiled, this along with the discovery that over 80 people have gone missing in the surrounding area over the past 50 years leads Mulder to suspect the residents are practicing cannibalism. A ritual that has the alleged effect of immortality, which may explain why Paula's medical records show her to be a 47 year old with the appearance of someone in their 20's. Mulder's suspicions are correct and it turns out that the residents have been contracting this rare disease due to consuming the flesh of infected people.
Spotnitz doesn't give anything away too quickly, and the plot is slowly fleshed out over the course of the episode so that we're never guessing too far ahead of what's happening on screen. The inclusion of the rare disease works almost like a misdirection to the cannibalism. This, along with the discovery of Paula's age discrepancy and the mysterious tribal masked murderer at the beginning of the episode mean that early on in the proceedings it feels like the story could go in many different directions. There's a good sense of mystery about the events that have occurred and Mulder and Scully get down to some solid detective work to uncover the truth. The tone is sometimes comedic, especially early on, and gradually descends in to a much darker, more sinister feel as we discover the horrors that are occurring in Dudley. The scene in which Paula slowly submerges in a vat of blood and ground chicken waste is both suitably disgusting and also a clever foreshadowing of what will be revealed later on.
The writing does waver towards the end when they once again resort to placing Scully in danger in order for Mulder to save her. It's a little hard to swallow this type of plot device when we consider that our female lead is a highly trained F.B.I. field agent who you would expect to be able to handle herself without the need to rely on her male counterpart. It's also not so much the sexism of the situation as it is a tired cliché of creating a climactic moment by placing one of the leads in danger. I find this rarely works to their advantage as there is never any doubt that either will be harmed. After all, we need them to come back for the next episode. Placing a more minor character in danger has a greater effect as it's very plausible that they will get killed. Of course the audience needs to care about this person for the effect to pay off so there's a delicate balance between using the invincible main characters and an insignificant bit player whom we couldn't care less about. The revelation that Chaco, a man with the appearance of a 60 year old, is actually 93 gives credence to the idea of cannibalism prolonging life. The inclusion of this plot point has been criticized as going too far but I thought it added to the slightly supernatural feel of the episode and gave the story more weight. It worked particularly well because it wasn't laboured as an integral component of the show, but worked simply as an arousing addition to cap off the story. An enjoyably creepy, perhaps even underrated, small town horror story to conclude this season's standalone tales.
Episode 24, 'Our Town', original air date May 12th, 1995. Written by Frank Spotnitz, directed by Rob Bowman. Monster of the week episode count, 34. There's something creepy about small towns. The idea of wandering in to some backwoods part of the country where everyone except you is in on the secret. There's an incestuous vibe to it, a sense of anonymity and isolation which suggests that what happens in this town, stays in this town. Many horror stories take place in a small towns, often somewhere in the Southern United States, where folks are a bit 'set in their ways' and wary of outsiders. The unassuming traveller unintentionally brings with them the threat of change or perhaps the locals fear their unconventional ways will be exposed by this interloper. Either way there's always something sinister lurking just underneath the friendly visage. Spotnitz's first standalone episode, his second overall, employs this familiar trope with a story about human cannibalism. The script isn't populated by the type of inbred caricatures we often see in these stories, rather the townsfolk all appear quite normal when we meet them. It's their actions that are disturbing.
Walter Chaco (John Milford) is the founder of Chaco Chicken, a company that supplies chicken to food outlets across the country. The factory where the food is processed is situated in Dudley, Arkansas. Mulder and Scully travel to the town to investigate the disappearance of a local resident, George Kearns (John Maclaren), who was attempting to have the chicken plant shut down. The locals, including the sheriff and his wife, all appear nonplussed by his disappearance, claiming that he never really fit in anyway and most likely left town to pursue a young love interest. Paula Gray (Gabrielle Miller), a young girl whom we saw Kearns involved with during the opening teaser, is suffering from some hallucinations and during a shift at the plant, holds a co-worker at knife point and is subsequently shot and killed by the sheriff. Scully does an autopsy on Paula and discovers that she has a rare medical condition called Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease, a rare and fatal illness that causes dementia. It becomes apparent that other locals have also contracted this disease despite this being an extremely unlikely occurrence. Kearns' remains are eventually discovered in the lake, with dozens of other bones that appear to have been boiled, this along with the discovery that over 80 people have gone missing in the surrounding area over the past 50 years leads Mulder to suspect the residents are practicing cannibalism. A ritual that has the alleged effect of immortality, which may explain why Paula's medical records show her to be a 47 year old with the appearance of someone in their 20's. Mulder's suspicions are correct and it turns out that the residents have been contracting this rare disease due to consuming the flesh of infected people.
Spotnitz doesn't give anything away too quickly, and the plot is slowly fleshed out over the course of the episode so that we're never guessing too far ahead of what's happening on screen. The inclusion of the rare disease works almost like a misdirection to the cannibalism. This, along with the discovery of Paula's age discrepancy and the mysterious tribal masked murderer at the beginning of the episode mean that early on in the proceedings it feels like the story could go in many different directions. There's a good sense of mystery about the events that have occurred and Mulder and Scully get down to some solid detective work to uncover the truth. The tone is sometimes comedic, especially early on, and gradually descends in to a much darker, more sinister feel as we discover the horrors that are occurring in Dudley. The scene in which Paula slowly submerges in a vat of blood and ground chicken waste is both suitably disgusting and also a clever foreshadowing of what will be revealed later on.
The writing does waver towards the end when they once again resort to placing Scully in danger in order for Mulder to save her. It's a little hard to swallow this type of plot device when we consider that our female lead is a highly trained F.B.I. field agent who you would expect to be able to handle herself without the need to rely on her male counterpart. It's also not so much the sexism of the situation as it is a tired cliché of creating a climactic moment by placing one of the leads in danger. I find this rarely works to their advantage as there is never any doubt that either will be harmed. After all, we need them to come back for the next episode. Placing a more minor character in danger has a greater effect as it's very plausible that they will get killed. Of course the audience needs to care about this person for the effect to pay off so there's a delicate balance between using the invincible main characters and an insignificant bit player whom we couldn't care less about. The revelation that Chaco, a man with the appearance of a 60 year old, is actually 93 gives credence to the idea of cannibalism prolonging life. The inclusion of this plot point has been criticized as going too far but I thought it added to the slightly supernatural feel of the episode and gave the story more weight. It worked particularly well because it wasn't laboured as an integral component of the show, but worked simply as an arousing addition to cap off the story. An enjoyably creepy, perhaps even underrated, small town horror story to conclude this season's standalone tales.
"The fool that persists in his folly will become wise."
classicsoncall4 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Aw shucks, I already made a reference to the Zac Brown Band in my review of 'The Calusari' a couple of episodes back. The group wasn't around when 'The X-Files' was getting under way, but watching the shows now in order allows for some observations that couldn't have been made back then. To wit, they have a song called 'Sic 'em on a Chicken' that would have been perfect for this episode, and I'll think of 'Our Town' now whenever I hear that song again. Try to get hold of it, it's a blast.
Well just when you think you couldn't get grossed out any more, how about that scene of Paula Gray (Gabrielle Miller) sinking into the tub of chicken parts mush? And if you think that's gross, try taking a tour of a plant that makes hot dogs and sausage. You'll become a vegetarian for sure.
I couldn't help thinking with this story how much 'The X-Files" began to resemble the original 'Star Trek' Series of the mid-Sixties. For one thing, you don't know if the stuff they come up with is real or a figment of some writer's imagination. Like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Turns out it's a real, incurable and always fatal neurodegenerative brain disease, sort of like a human form of mad cow disease.
But the other thing is how many times now when either Scully or Mulder make it just in the nick of time to save each other from some disaster that would mean curtains for certain. Sure, Captain Kirk did it as a matter of routine on an interplanetary scale while the FBI is confined to planet Earth, but it's the same principle. This time Mulder makes the save just as Scully's about to lose her head. It's all in the timing I guess.
In my review of the prior episode 'Soft Light', I mentioned how the series brought up a prior case from the first season when a former student of Scully's made an unwitting reference to the character from 'Squeeze'. You wouldn't know it when this show first aired, but in this one, Mulder mentions cannibalism as something engaged in by the Anasazi of New Mexico. Of course he had an inside track, the following week's episode ending the second season is called 'Anasazi'.
Well just when you think you couldn't get grossed out any more, how about that scene of Paula Gray (Gabrielle Miller) sinking into the tub of chicken parts mush? And if you think that's gross, try taking a tour of a plant that makes hot dogs and sausage. You'll become a vegetarian for sure.
I couldn't help thinking with this story how much 'The X-Files" began to resemble the original 'Star Trek' Series of the mid-Sixties. For one thing, you don't know if the stuff they come up with is real or a figment of some writer's imagination. Like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Turns out it's a real, incurable and always fatal neurodegenerative brain disease, sort of like a human form of mad cow disease.
But the other thing is how many times now when either Scully or Mulder make it just in the nick of time to save each other from some disaster that would mean curtains for certain. Sure, Captain Kirk did it as a matter of routine on an interplanetary scale while the FBI is confined to planet Earth, but it's the same principle. This time Mulder makes the save just as Scully's about to lose her head. It's all in the timing I guess.
In my review of the prior episode 'Soft Light', I mentioned how the series brought up a prior case from the first season when a former student of Scully's made an unwitting reference to the character from 'Squeeze'. You wouldn't know it when this show first aired, but in this one, Mulder mentions cannibalism as something engaged in by the Anasazi of New Mexico. Of course he had an inside track, the following week's episode ending the second season is called 'Anasazi'.
Pretty entertaining, creepy and a bit disturbing
SleepTight6669 August 2008
Warning: Spoilers
A perfect example of a very cheesy, but pretty entertaining episode.
It has all the lame and predictable turns, one of the lead characters gets in mortal danger, and before they are killed, they get saved by their partner JUST right on time. and all the baddies die. It's a typical X-Files thing which gets redundant after a while.
But I don't want to bash this episode too much, it's pretty entertaining, creepy and a bit disturbing. the shot of Paula's dead body falling into all that chicken was one of the most disgusting scenes of the X-Files. The whole cannibalistic storyline is well done and creepy.
The best part of this episode is the atmosphere and the creepy cannibalistic tribe-mask. Other than that, it's a pretty empty episode that is well wroth the watch. *** stars.
It has all the lame and predictable turns, one of the lead characters gets in mortal danger, and before they are killed, they get saved by their partner JUST right on time. and all the baddies die. It's a typical X-Files thing which gets redundant after a while.
But I don't want to bash this episode too much, it's pretty entertaining, creepy and a bit disturbing. the shot of Paula's dead body falling into all that chicken was one of the most disgusting scenes of the X-Files. The whole cannibalistic storyline is well done and creepy.
The best part of this episode is the atmosphere and the creepy cannibalistic tribe-mask. Other than that, it's a pretty empty episode that is well wroth the watch. *** stars.
Animal or humans, they all feel when they are being killed
CursedChico29 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
For food. We see this in that episode. Those chickens and humans are killed in same reason, they feel same pain. We dont need human or animal bodies, we can get everything from food.
Now, starting to write about the episode. It was disturbing. Small towns have that creepy things in x-files.
Seeing dead chickens were disturbing. When the car carrying them went to river, they died probably. And what a luck, mulder suspected about there may be a dead body in the river. It was too luck to discover that.
And it was luck that mulder also were not captured. If he had been captured, both scully and muldercould be all dead. It was too lucky.
Mulder saved him from almost head off but she did not even hug. They are too professional or maybe too cold?
I think this is second time mulder killed someone?
When mulder shot, everyone escaped. They could kill mulder if they try but they ran away like cowards. All of them are guilty but they probably could not be found.
It is really nonsense that they live longer when they eat human meat. There is not much difference between human and animal meat. Animal meat eaters live longer? No, instead they can die very early, because of fats.
Mulder killed in the night but state police came in the morning. I dont understand why they arrived so late. Maybe the citizens could kill mulder until morning?
And sheriff was involved? I could not understand. That guy was sheriff i think , trying to shoot.
X-files is a good series. It shows us very different cultures even they are disturbing and we witness how they solve. It is really good.
Now, starting to write about the episode. It was disturbing. Small towns have that creepy things in x-files.
Seeing dead chickens were disturbing. When the car carrying them went to river, they died probably. And what a luck, mulder suspected about there may be a dead body in the river. It was too luck to discover that.
And it was luck that mulder also were not captured. If he had been captured, both scully and muldercould be all dead. It was too lucky.
Mulder saved him from almost head off but she did not even hug. They are too professional or maybe too cold?
I think this is second time mulder killed someone?
When mulder shot, everyone escaped. They could kill mulder if they try but they ran away like cowards. All of them are guilty but they probably could not be found.
It is really nonsense that they live longer when they eat human meat. There is not much difference between human and animal meat. Animal meat eaters live longer? No, instead they can die very early, because of fats.
Mulder killed in the night but state police came in the morning. I dont understand why they arrived so late. Maybe the citizens could kill mulder until morning?
And sheriff was involved? I could not understand. That guy was sheriff i think , trying to shoot.
X-files is a good series. It shows us very different cultures even they are disturbing and we witness how they solve. It is really good.
Won't look at chicken the same way again.
devonbrown-9064923 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
X files gives a lot of hints for the watchers.in the case of this episodes cannibalism hints where everywhere. It was very disturbing to think that people eat each other to prolong their own life's. And also to think that they feed chickens chicken by product to cut costs.
This type of case would have been very difficult for anybody to decipher, given law enforcement was in on it too. Mulder and scully really had to be on their a game for this case. Luckily for them they were at the right place at the right time.
Mulder is always able to sense the second Scullys life is in danger and comes to rescue.
This type of case would have been very difficult for anybody to decipher, given law enforcement was in on it too. Mulder and scully really had to be on their a game for this case. Luckily for them they were at the right place at the right time.
Mulder is always able to sense the second Scullys life is in danger and comes to rescue.
You might even say we just ate Uter, and he's in our stomachs right now, Scully
frankelee14 July 2023
Warning: Spoilers
In this episode of The X-Files, Paul Newman introduces us to a quaint American town where the local residents go to work in a chicken processing plant, but the perfect morning is disrupted by two FBI agents arriving to investigate a strange disappearance.
As it would happen the man who disappeared was eaten by the town as part of their cannibalistic rites, ones which give them both lasting youth and a strong sense of community.
This is X-Files chance to take on The Wicker Man and make it into complete rural horror schlock, and that is exactly what they do. It turns out the local chicken factory owner learned about cannibal rituals and evil Voodoo gods after crash landing in the jungle about 50 years ago, and brought their secret magical herbs and spices back to America.
This plot raises the same odd questions you think of whenever a story sets vampires in the modern day: how in the world do you hide that many disappearances? People who don't know much think there are really hundreds of thousands of disappearances every year, so I suppose you could maybe get by on that. Still, if you murder and eat two FBI agents, more FBI agents are going to come checking things out. And why do the local residents who know they're in a cannibal cult do so much to help our heroes out? Wouldn't it be easier for Chaco to deny the autopsy? Why wouldn't the local police just hide the bones they dredged up? Why would the chicken facility doctor tell Scully anything at all? These people's simple cannibal ways and trusting cannibal nature just get them into trouble.
Yes, this episode is ridiculous schlock.
As it would happen the man who disappeared was eaten by the town as part of their cannibalistic rites, ones which give them both lasting youth and a strong sense of community.
This is X-Files chance to take on The Wicker Man and make it into complete rural horror schlock, and that is exactly what they do. It turns out the local chicken factory owner learned about cannibal rituals and evil Voodoo gods after crash landing in the jungle about 50 years ago, and brought their secret magical herbs and spices back to America.
This plot raises the same odd questions you think of whenever a story sets vampires in the modern day: how in the world do you hide that many disappearances? People who don't know much think there are really hundreds of thousands of disappearances every year, so I suppose you could maybe get by on that. Still, if you murder and eat two FBI agents, more FBI agents are going to come checking things out. And why do the local residents who know they're in a cannibal cult do so much to help our heroes out? Wouldn't it be easier for Chaco to deny the autopsy? Why wouldn't the local police just hide the bones they dredged up? Why would the chicken facility doctor tell Scully anything at all? These people's simple cannibal ways and trusting cannibal nature just get them into trouble.
Yes, this episode is ridiculous schlock.
Eaten
chaos-rampant28 June 2013
All in all this isn't a complete bust.
I like the Twin Peaks vibe of investigating mysterious occurrences in a small town, this was carried only in few of the episodes and in a much less enveloping manner than Lynch, but it's welcome each time. Red Museum is my favorite in this mode. The case itself is a bit more interesting than usual, because it may or may not be more than we (the audience) first are made conscious of, a weird ritual with masked men in the woods.
It basically doesn't have as many problems as other episodes, it's somewhat tense, somewhat humorous even though the notion of prolonged life via flesh eating makes me sigh.
The next episode is the season finale.
I like the Twin Peaks vibe of investigating mysterious occurrences in a small town, this was carried only in few of the episodes and in a much less enveloping manner than Lynch, but it's welcome each time. Red Museum is my favorite in this mode. The case itself is a bit more interesting than usual, because it may or may not be more than we (the audience) first are made conscious of, a weird ritual with masked men in the woods.
It basically doesn't have as many problems as other episodes, it's somewhat tense, somewhat humorous even though the notion of prolonged life via flesh eating makes me sigh.
The next episode is the season finale.
More anti-rural nonsense
thomasrwalsworth3 July 2020
I noticed one of the other reviews here says that "there's always something creepy about small towns." When you watch too much crap like this sure. TV episodes like this are meant to ingrain the viewer with ides that tight-knit rural communities where everybody knows each other are bad. Be honest with yourself, Has there ever been a town where cannibalism has actually happened like this?
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