"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