How the Ghosts Stole Christmas (13 Dec. 1998)
"The X Files" How the Ghosts Stole Christmas (original title)

On Christmas Eve, Mulder and Scully stakeout a house that is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of two lovers who killed each other in a lovers' pact 81 years before. Inside, the agents find ... See full summary »

Director:

Chris Carter

Writers:

Chris Carter (creator), Chris Carter

Stars:

David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Edward Asner

Cast

Episode credited cast:
David Duchovny	...	Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson	...	Dana Scully
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Edward Asner	...	Maurice
Lily Tomlin	...	Lydia

Storyline

On Christmas Eve, Mulder and Scully stakeout a house that is supposedly haunted by the ghosts of two lovers who killed each other in a lovers' pact 81 years before. Inside, the agents find two apparitions who are more than willing to give insight into the relationship and personalities of Mulder and Scully.

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Plot Keywords:

ghost | christmas | christmas eve | specter | startled | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 December 1998 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Stage 5, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, Ten Thirteen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This episode has the lowest number of people in the cast of any X-Files episode.

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Goofs

Just as Mulder begins prying open the floor, the lightning causes a person's shadow to appear behind him and Scully that does not correspond with either of their positions or movements.

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Quotes

Lydia: Think of it as the last Christmas you'll ever spend alone.
[Lydia disappears]

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Connections

References Ghostbusters (1984)

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Soundtracks

"Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
Lyrics by Ralph Blane
Music by Hugh Martin
Performed by Bing Crosby

User Reviews

Not Your Typical Christmas Episode

Continuing with the X-files-lite theme of season six, How The Ghosts Stole Christmas takes a funny look into the personalities of Mulder and Scully and their relationship with each other. This is a story more appropriate for Halloween, but told as a Christmas tale. Mark Snow's use of the organ and harpsichord are perfect for this episode, giving it a nice, unique feel. This episode has the smallest cast in the history of the X-Files, with only two guest stars, Ed Asner and Lily Tomlin as the ghosts. The two do a great job as the star-crossed lovers who attempt to get Mulder and Scully to commit a double murder. It is funny to hear all of Mulder and Scully's shortcomings revealed by the ghosts. The set of the haunted house is very cool-looking and perfect. This is definitely not an episode to show to a newcomer to the X-Files. It deals with all the quirky aspects of our favorite agents that we've come to learn and love over the years. A newcomer would just be lost. But, for the long-time x-phile, this is a fun episode that delves more into the relationship between Mulder and Scully. If you're not into that, and just want to see scary monsters and freaks, this is not the episode for you. I enjoyed the episode a lot for those reasons. However, because of the less than x-files feel to it, I don't give it full marks. Still, How The Ghosts Stole Christmas is a good Halloween story for Christmas time.