Patients undergoing cosmetic surgery die horrible deaths at the hands of doctors possessed by witchcraft.Patients undergoing cosmetic surgery die horrible deaths at the hands of doctors possessed by witchcraft.Patients undergoing cosmetic surgery die horrible deaths at the hands of doctors possessed by witchcraft.
Greg Thirloway
- Dr. Mitchell Kaplan
- (as Gregory Thirloway)
Leanne Adachi
- ER Nurse #2
- (uncredited)
Constance Barnes
- Nurse
- (uncredited)
Erin Jeffery
- ER Nurse
- (uncredited)
Nancy J. Lilley
- Liposuction Patient
- (uncredited)
Celine Lockhart
- The Skin-Peel Patient
- (uncredited)
Kevin McCrae
- ER Surgeon
- (uncredited)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe pentagram is obvious in some scenes and not so obvious in others. Production designer Graeme Murray created rooms with five sides and had the plastic surgery unit with five operating rooms represent an imaginary pentagram.
- GoofsMulder pronounces the the name of Gaelic holiday of Samhain as "sam-hayne," like it's spelled in the Roman alphabet. The correct pronunciation is "sah-win."
- Quotes
Dana Scully: There's magic going on here, Mulder. Only it's being done with silicone, collagen, and a well-placed scalpel.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Horrifying X-Files Moments (2018)
Featured review
Everyone wants to be beautiful...
"Sanguinarium" is an engrossing (emphasis on gross!) albeit less-than-awe-inspiring episode that unfortunately fails to deliver much of anything noteworthy besides gratuitous gore. Which is a shame, given the presence of Twin Peaks' Richard Beymer, who is all but wasted in his thankless role as the evil Dr. Franklyn.
The plot begins simply enough: doctors in a prestigious plastic surgery unit are being driven to murder their patients in grisly manners. Stranger yet are the residual pentagrams left behind at the crime scenes. When our two agents show up to investigate, Mulder inevitably suspects the involvement of witchcraft.
The script was the first and only written by Mayhew and Mayhew, yet the unevenness of the plot just screams committee writing. Supposedly a good number of Wiccans were put off by their misinformed representation in this episode. The black magic that Mulder touches upon isn't wholly explained, and the character of Nurse Waite (O-Lan Jones) is equally confusing. How does she aim to protect patients by scarring them with leeches? Why the elaborate bloodbath in Franklyn's home? If the goal was to make her the "good" witch I feel like the mark was missed. Also, how was Franklyn able to manipulate the other doctors through their medication?
I often lamented The X-Files for not coming up with more occult episodes. This one quenched my thirst but did not leave a lasting impression. A creepy premise and decent guest acting save this one from the x-file toilet, but the lack of substance in favor of cheap thrills do not render this one of the show's greater efforts. If you like gruesome deaths however, "Sanguinarium" is for you. For those faint of heart, look elsewhere.
6/10
The plot begins simply enough: doctors in a prestigious plastic surgery unit are being driven to murder their patients in grisly manners. Stranger yet are the residual pentagrams left behind at the crime scenes. When our two agents show up to investigate, Mulder inevitably suspects the involvement of witchcraft.
The script was the first and only written by Mayhew and Mayhew, yet the unevenness of the plot just screams committee writing. Supposedly a good number of Wiccans were put off by their misinformed representation in this episode. The black magic that Mulder touches upon isn't wholly explained, and the character of Nurse Waite (O-Lan Jones) is equally confusing. How does she aim to protect patients by scarring them with leeches? Why the elaborate bloodbath in Franklyn's home? If the goal was to make her the "good" witch I feel like the mark was missed. Also, how was Franklyn able to manipulate the other doctors through their medication?
I often lamented The X-Files for not coming up with more occult episodes. This one quenched my thirst but did not leave a lasting impression. A creepy premise and decent guest acting save this one from the x-file toilet, but the lack of substance in favor of cheap thrills do not render this one of the show's greater efforts. If you like gruesome deaths however, "Sanguinarium" is for you. For those faint of heart, look elsewhere.
6/10
helpful•2010
- DWilliams1089
- Sep 9, 2010
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