7 most unsettling episodes of The X-Files

Some shows creep you out, but The X-Files...that show lingers. You might’ve gone in for aliens or paranormal mysteries, but what you got - especially if you were watching late at night, was next-level disturbing.

These were the kind of episodes that made you sleep with the lights on, or avoid your basement, or maybe never eat a Twinkie again because of a specific scene.

What really gave The X-Files its edge wasn’t just the monsters - it was that constant feeling that something was wrong, even if you couldn’t quite say what. It wasn’t jump scares or cheap thrills - it was slow-building, unsettling, “did I just hear something behind me?” kind of horror.

So, if you're in the mood to revisit the creepiest hours of TV from the '90s (and early 2000s), here’s a look at seven episodes of The X-Files that didn’t just scare people - they stuck with them...and not in a warm, fuzzy way.

The 7 most unsettling episodes of The X-Files, ranked

7) Sanguinarium (Season 4, Episode 6)

Doctors, hospitals, scalpels - most folks already have a baseline fear of those things. Sanguinarium took that fear and turned it into something straight out of a nightmare. Imagine going in for cosmetic surgery and not coming back out with your face intact.

In this episode, patients are dying under mysterious and grotesque circumstances, and the medical staff seem off...really off. There’s a strange connection to dark rituals and some imagery that’s straight-up unsettling. The mix of clinical settings and supernatural horror makes this one a deeply uncomfortable watch.

Also, this is one of those episodes of The X-Files that has you side-eyeing anyone who says “you won’t feel a thing.”

6) F. Emasculata (Season 2, Episode 22)

If you thought pus-filled infections couldn’t be the main villain of an episode...well, think again.

Set in a prison, this one kicks off with a mysterious disease that causes huge boils to erupt, and then explode. It’s gross...like, really gross. But the horror doesn’t stop with the visuals - what makes it scarier is how fast the infection spreads and how poorly the situation is handled by people in charge.

Government cover-ups, unethical science, and deadly pathogens in close quarters - it’s like a CDC worst-case scenario mashed with The X-Files tension. Also, this one definitely hits different after 2020.

5) Irresistible (Season 2, Episode 13)

No aliens, no flukemen, no sewer monsters, just a guy - a quiet, creepy guy named Donnie Pfaster who collects...parts, like hair and fingernails. And when that’s not enough for him anymore, he goes after the living.

What makes this episode so unnerving is how normal Donnie seems on the surface. He blends in, he’s polite, and he doesn't raise red flags until it’s too late. That’s what makes it terrifying, the fact that he could be anyone - your coworker, your neighbor, or even your mailman.

It’s more psychological than most episodes of The X-Files, but that only makes it worse - because it feels like something that could actually happen.

4) Roadrunners (Season 8, Episode 4)

You ever drive through a small town and feel like something’s just...wrong? Like everyone’s too friendly or the silence feels heavy? That’s the kind of vibe this episode of The X-Files taps into - and then cranks up to 100.

Scully finds herself trapped in a remote town while investigating a death, and it quickly becomes clear the townsfolk are hiding something. That “something” turns out to be a slug-like parasite they worship as a god...and they’ve decided Scully would make a great host.

She’s tied up, conscious, and unable to escape as this thing wriggles toward her spine. The horror here is physical and mental - complete helplessness in the middle of nowhere. No backup, no Mulder - just you, a worm cult, and a lot of sweat.

3) Home (Season 4, Episode 2)

If you’ve seen this episode of The X-Files, you remember it. But if you haven’t, then well, brace yourself. “Home” opens with a baby being buried alive - and that quickly sets the tone.

What follows is an investigation into a rural family - the Peacocks, who live completely off the grid (as completely as one can get). Turns out, they’re inbred, violent, and still reproducing in horrifying ways. Their mother - disfigured and limbless, is kept hidden under a bed...alive.

The violence in this one is shocking. But what makes it legendary (and banned from reruns for a while) is how it wraps its horror in Americana - old songs, white picket fences, and all. You feel like you’ve stepped into an alternate version of Pleasantville where everything’s rotting underneath the surface.

2) The Host (Season 2, Episode 2)

Let’s just get this out of the way - Flukeman is disgusting. He’s part man, part fluke worm, and he lives in the sewer. He bites people and infects them - and he looks like a giant, wet, rubbery creature you wouldn’t want anywhere near you, let alone in your plumbing.

The episode is grimy from start to finish. It takes place in sludge, pipes, and bathrooms - basically all the places you already feel vulnerable. And the worst part, is that there’s this implication that he could still be out there, just...lurking, waiting for the next unsuspecting flush.

This one’s classic X-Files monster horror - simple, slimy, and super effective!

1) Beyond the Sea (Season 1, Episode 13)

Here’s the twist - this isn’t the grossest or most violent episode in The X-Files universe, it doesn’t need to be. The horror here is emotional, psychological, and existential.

Scully loses her father, and shortly after, a death row inmate tells her he can speak to the dead - and possibly help her communicate with her dad one last time. The tension isn’t just about whether he’s telling the truth, but about how much Scully wants to believe him, even if she knows she shouldn't.

Brad Dourif’s performance as the inmate is haunting. There’s something about the way he speaks - calm, eerie, like he knows too much - that gives you chills. It’s a slow burn of grief and doubt, and by the end, you’re left more unsettled than you would be after watching something bloody.

Sometimes the scariest thing isn’t the monster under your bed - it’s the things you can’t make peace with in your own head.

Conclusion

The X-Files didn’t pull punches - it definitely gave us aliens and conspiracies, but it also gave us episodes that still haunt people decades later. Some made your skin crawl, others just quietly messed with your brain.

And the best part, was that the scariest episodes weren’t always the ones with the most blood or the biggest creature - sometimes, the ones that stayed with you were the ones that felt just a little too real!