The episode was banned from Fox after its first airing due to its sensitive and somewhat taboo subject matter, but it was rebroadcast once in 1999 as a Halloween special. It is also the only "The X-Files" episode to receive a TV-MA rating in America.
Kim Manners directed 53 episodes of the series--the most by any director. On the DVD commentary for the original series finale The Truth (2002), he stated that 'Home' was the favorite of all the episodes he directed.
Sources consulted by the writers included Brother's Keeper (1992), a documentary film depicting the story of the Wards, four barely literate brothers who lived on a farm passed down through their family for generations. The brothers drew international attention following the alleged murder of William Ward by his brother Delbert Ward. With an estimated IQ of 68, Delbert escaped prosecution by claiming that the police had tricked him during interrogation.
This is the first Glen Morgan-James Wong scripted episode since Die Hand Die Verletzt (1995) in Season 2. To mark their return to the series, Morgan and Wong were determined to produce the nastiest, most controversial episode ever. They succeeded.
Generally considered one of the darkest, sickest episodes in the entire series. Ironically much of it is shot in bright sunlight, an uncharacteristic ploy for The X-Files.