This Banned X-Files Episode Is Still One Of Its Most Terrifying

Back in the '90s and early aughts, Chris Carter's "The X-Files" had a fair amount of truly unnerving and eerie episodes, but only one proved so disturbing that it received a TV-MA rating (the equivalent of an R-rated film) and got banned for several years after its initial broadcast. As hardcore fans must've already guessed, I'm talking about Season 4's famous second episode, 'Home.'

Long before Eliza Dushku met the grossly deformed mountain men in 2003's cult classic horror, "Wrong Turn," Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) were called to investigate an inbred family in Home, Pennsylvania, that looked like not-too-distant relatives of those cannibalistic mountain dwellers. 'Home' was practically the unofficial predecessor of "Wrong Turn," even though the two stories each told were inspired by and based on completely separate events and people.

'Home' follows the two FBI agents as they're sent out to Pennsylvania to solve the murder of a physically impaired infant who was buried alive in a field. Upon arriving, local sheriff, Andy Taylor (Tucker Smallwood), informs Mulder and Scully that the closest home to the crime scene indeed belongs to a strange family (the Peacocks), who built their residence during the Civil War and likely procreate through incest. However, as far as the police know, there are only three men living there now, the deformed sons of Mr. and Mrs. Peacock, who presumably died in a car accident. After Scully examines the baby through an autopsy — discovering severe birth defects of all kinds — Mulder strongly believes the brothers had something to do with the murder. What he doesn't know is that their case will lead to more killing, and reveal a frightening secret dipped in the kind of macabre that the best and most haunting horrors are made of.

Directed by Kim Manners (who helmed 52 "X-Files" episodes) and written by Glen Morgan, James Wong, and John Shiban, 'Home' painstakingly perfected the type of shock value the series reveled in. This time around, instead of simply hinting at unthinkable atrocities committed by humans, we get a full meal of deviance and gore. Opening with a masterfully arranged cold open, Manners eliminates the possibility of anything supernatural and establishes a dominant tone early on that foreshadows the very real and plausible nightmares about to come.

Every cruelty and explicit violence in 'Home' is unmistakably made by man, instantly lending an authenticity to the story that's nothing short of spine-tingling. That's partly because the inspirations for the Peacock family and their savage, rural, and animalistic lifestyle were rooted in real life — one element in particular was lifted from Charlie Chaplin's biography. Without spoiling specific plot points, let's just say that we see the three brothers in action, and we learn who encourages and showers them with support and approval to lead a barbaric life.

The revelation where the episode climaxes is one of the darkest and most horrifying that ever aired on prime time television. Amplified by superb prosthetic work, effective lighting, and chilling performances from every actor who played a member of the Peacock family — in addition to Tucker Smallwood's endearing and tender-hearted sheriff, and the regular stars, of course — 'Home' remains a horror masterpiece that easily stands its ground among its '90s contemporaries, and even measures up to some of the absolute finest in the genre. If you're planning to catch up on some of the best (and terrifying) episodes before Ryan Coogler's reboot of "The X-Files" arrives, make sure to put 'Home' on your watchlist. You won't regret it.