"Darkness Falls" is arguably the best standalone episode of season one, and perhaps one of the show's best pure horror episodes. "The X-Files" built its reputation on being a dark, creepy television series, better in that regard than most horror films, but its best episodes were often character-focused, often driven by thematic material- dramatic or comedic, but rarely purely horror-driven. That's not to say there aren't many examples of "The X-Files" working as a spooky good time, and "Darkness Falls" is one of the prime examples of this.
Filmed in the beautifully foreboding and atmospheric British Columbia forest, with lots of damp weather to add to the already great atmosphere the woods themselves provide, "Darkness Falls" is a bloody good episode, the quintessential populist X-Files script, if you will. I'm a huge fan of the quirky Darin Morgan episodes, for example, but I can recognize that if I am to introduce someone to the show something like this might work a bit better. It's funny, fast, creepy, and not at all lacking in subtext or satire (it is an effective and biting commentary on eco-terrorism and the lumber industry without losing touch of its basic intention to thrill and involve). Even the special effects aren't bad at all for a (then) low-budget TV show in 1994.
"Darkness Falls" might not have entered the public consciousness like some other episodes did ("Home", for example), but I imagine this is probably a result of the show not being a major phenomenon in the first season ("Darkness Falls" received 8 million viewers in comparison to 19 million for "Home"). It really is a classic, definitive X-Files episode, well-scripted by Carter and nicely-directed by Joe Napolitano.
10/10
