10 Episodes of The X

We take a look at some real-life events that inspired 10 of the best episodes of The X-Files.

In 1993, television viewers were first introduced to The X-Files, a science fiction drama series created by Chris Carter that centered around FBI agents Fox Mulder, and Dana Scully, as they investigated everything from the paranormal, to government conspiracies. Heralded as one of the best shows of the 1990s, it spawned two feature films, a revival series, a plethora of merchandise, and made stars out of David Duchovny, and Gillian Anderson.

While many of the cases that Mulder and Scully investigated were of a fictional nature, some episodes of the series were based on real-life stories and myths. From serial killers and kidnappers, to circus oddities and experiments gone awry, let's take a look at some of our favorite episodes of The X-Files that were ripped from the headlines.

On February 19th, 1994, Gloria Ramirez was admitted to the emergency room of a Riverside, California hospital with late-stage cervical cancer. As she was being treated, several of the hospital workers fell ill, experiencing shortness of breath, muscle spasms, and some even fainting. Five of those workers had to be hospitalized themselves, while one spent two weeks in intensive care.

While the incident had at first been called a case of mass hysteria, it was discovered that Ramirez was self-treating the pain from her cancer with dimethyl sulfoxide, which then converted to dimethyl sulfate in her blood, causing it to become highly carcinogenic. An intriguing story to say the least, and one that partially inspired Chris Carter to include it in "The Erlenmeyer Flask" episode of The X-Files.

In 1991 the world was captivated by the arrest of serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, with lurid details of cannibalism and necrophilia taking center stage on the nightly news. Even more startling are the stories that came to light from those that were under the spell of Dahmer, claiming that the crazed killer actually shape-shifted into a demon while they were being held hostage.

That was enough to spark the creativity of Chris Carter, who based the episode "Irresistible" on those events. While it was one of a handful of episodes to have no paranormal elements in it at the time, the character of Donnie Pfaster was brought back in season seven of the show for the episode titled, Orison, which ret-conned the character into an actual demon, making him one of the creepiest villains of the show.

You know how when you look at an inanimate object and see a face in it, like those old stories of people seeing Jesus in their toast? Well, it turns out that's a real phenomenon called pareidolia, where we perceive sights and sounds in things that aren't there. Perhaps the most popular example of this is the face on Mars photo that everyone has seen, in where shadows cast in the Cydonia region of the red planet appear to show a face looking up at the stars.

That phenomenon inspired the episode "Space", about an astronaut trying to sabotage the shuttle program after seeing something extraterrestrial while in orbit. While it was supposed to be just a low-budget episode thanks to the costs of previous episodes exceeding expectations, Space turned out to be the most expensive one of the first season thanks to the construction of the mission control set piece.

Related: David Duchovny Comments on Potential X-Files Return

While the existence of the Jersey Devil is unknown at this point, in 1909 it was all the rage as people reported seeing a kangaroo-like creature with bat wings attacking social clubs, trolley cars, and hunters. Police were even reported to have fired at the creature, but no trace of the monster was ever found. It's an urban legend that spans centuries, and to this day people report seeing strange things in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey.

Thanks to this myth, we were treated to the episode aptly titled "The Jersey Devil", which follows Mulder and Scully as they investigate strange reports of cannibalism in the Garden State. This leads them to a woman who seems to be an evolutionary relict, but the ending suggests otherwise. Still, it's an intriguing story based on an even more intriguing legend.

Inspired by the real-life case of Polly Klaas in 1993, the episode "Oubliette", aired in 1995 with chilling similarities to the tragedy that inspired it. Twelve-year-old Klaas was kidnapped from her home in Petaluma, California during a slumber party, held captive, and later strangled.

The episode, written by Charles Craig (who had virtually no experience in television), bore a striking resemblance to the Klaas case, including facts about her kidnapping, details about the kidnapper, and even how she was held hostage. While the Polly Klaas story ended in agony, Oubliette had a happy ending, with the character of Amy, played by a young Jewel Staite, being found before she could be murdered.

In the mid-1800s, sideshows were all the rage at circus attractions across the country. Eventually, these exhibitions became distasteful to the public, with many localities passing laws to forbid them. In 1991, though, a man named Jim Rose developed the 'Jim Rose Circus Sideshow' out of Seattle, working within the boundaries of the law to bring circus oddities to the masses. It toured the Northwest, and Canada, and even performed at Lollapalooza in 1992.

It was these circus oddities that inspired the episode "Humbug", with some of them from Jim Rose's sideshow even starring in the episode. Written by Darin Morgan (who also portrayed the infamous Flukeman in a previous episode), Humbug turned out to be one of the more comedic episodes of The X-Files, and was praised for its themes of prejudice and diversity.

The episode titled "Blood" is an interesting one in The X-Files history, as it was not inspired by just one event, but three real-life occurrences. Writer Glenn Morgan's own struggles with hematophobia, spraying crops with the insecticide Malathion, and the true story of Charles Whitman, a mass shooter out of Texas in the 1960s. This episode also deals with our fears of technology, as Mulder and Scully investigate a series of murders in which the suspects all saw violent messages on various electronic devices.

Blood was well received by audiences and critics alike, and in 1996 the plot of the episode was even adapted into a young adult novel tie-in called Fear, by author Les Martin. It should also be noted that Blood featured just the second appearance of The Lone Gunmen, a trio of conspiracy theorists that would eventually get their own spin-off show.

Related: Gillian Anderson Reveals Her One Condition for a Potential Return to The X-Files

Imagine your head being impaled by an iron rod, destroying much of your frontal lobe, and living to tell the story. Well, in 1848 that's exactly what happened to a railroad supervisor, Phineas Gage, who took a three-foot-long tamping iron to the skull during a blasting accident. Though he survived, Gage was never the same, with his friends noticing complete personality, and behavioral changes in the man.

It was this story that inspired the episode "Duane Barry", about an escaped psychiatric patient who claims he's being abducted by aliens, and takes a bunch of hostages to prove his point. Barry, as it turns out, was shot in the head years earlier, survived, and as such went through a complete personality change. It just wouldn't be The X-Files without an extraterrestrial riff on the story, though, as it's also discovered that he has a weird implant in his head that makes grocery store checkout scanners go crazy.

The Philadelphia Experiment is a widely known story about the United States Navy experimenting with invisibility, with claims that they actually made the USS Eldridge disappear for a few minutes, with disastrous results. This included crew members suffering from insanity, intangibility, and some even becoming fused with the ship itself upon its reappearance. There were indications that the ship didn't just disappear, but traveled through time itself.

While these accounts have been largely debunked, it's a fascinating story nonetheless, and inspired the episode "Død Kalm", in 1995. Despite receiving mixed reviews, it's one of those episodes that gave Mulder and Scully some alone time, allowing them the chance to bond even further as friends, who would eventually become lovers.

Perhaps the most disturbing episode of The X-Files ever to air, "Home" was based on the real-life story of the Ward brothers, four barely literate family members that lived together outside Syracuse, New York. When one of the brothers was put on trial for killing his sibling, stories of intrafamilial relationships, and mercy killings came to light. While he was eventually acquitted, it's a story that captivated the imagination, and was featured in the 1992 documentary film, Brother's Keeper.

While it remains one of the most memorable episodes in the history of The X-Files, the network at the time thought it was too brutal, and decided not to feature it in any reruns of the show. To this day, it is one of the most frightening and disturbing things to ever be seen on network television.

James Melzer is a freelance writer and author with an addiction to '80s horror movies. When he's not dissecting film, he can be found in his favorite chair knitting socks, most likely with a cat curled up beside him.