X-Files: Millennium (TV) (1999)

Directed by Thomas J Wright

Movie Review by Al Fleshrot

Summary
Two days before the millennium (2000) Mulder and Scully investigate the apparent grave robbing of a recently deceased FBI agent. The grave was indeed robbed, but not until the deceased agent was raised by a necromancer. While transporting his new zombie back to his home, the necromancer has a run in with a local cop. The cop opens the rear door of the car because it smells like death, and out comes the zombie for a midnight snack. Later the officer's body is found with salt packed into the mouth and the lips stapled shut. Meanwhile Mulder and Sculley get some tips from former Millennium consultant Frank Black, who profiles the necromancer for them. The necromancer is trying to jump-start the apocalypse at the request of the Millennium Group by creating the "four horsemen". Mulder sets out to find the necromancer's home, while Sculley heads to the morgue to check out the dead cop. She arrives to find the local coroner dying from bite wounds and is attacked by the new zombie cop. But the necromancer shows up and saves Sculley by shooting the zombie in the head. Mulder finds the necromancer's home, and then enters the basement where he encounters four zombies. But when he tries to escape, the necromancer arrives back at the house and locks Mulder in the basement. He is able to kill one of them, and then encircles himself with a ring of salt on the ground for protection. Frank Black shows up at the house, ties up the necromancer and kills two more of the zombies in the basement before running out of bullets. Sculley shows up at the last minute and finishes off the last one.

Review
It doesn't have the blood and guts typical of a zombie film, but it's one of the best X-Files episodes and all around a very solid piece of work. Like many X-Files episodes, it's packed with suspense and the zombies are pretty creepy. It's interesting that the four original zombies all became that way by choice - each of them were former FBI agents and members of the Millennium Group that committed suicide so that the necromancer could raise them via a ceremony. What wasn't entirely clear to me was their ability to make more zombies by biting their victims. When the cop is killed by a zombie, he later becomes one too. But we don't see what transpires between the "attack" and the discovery of the body. The necromancer early makes preparations to prevent the dead officer from rising as a zombie (packing mouth with salt and stapling the lips shut), but did he perform a zombification ritual before that with the intent of picking up the body later? This is great episode, especially a great theme is featured on a great Sci-Fi show.

Best Zombie Kill
Nothing really of note here - zombie attacks weren't featured and they were more the suspense variety - we see the looming attack and then the show cuts to another scene and later we see the aftermath.

Best Zombie Death
The only time we see zombies die is in the basement - Frank Black takes out two with a revolver and Scully finishes off the remaining one. Just your basic gun shots.

Memorable Scene
I'm sure the X-Files fans out there were nervous when Scully gets attacked by the cop zombie! She fires three professionally placed shots to the chest, but they have no effect. Then the zombie grabs her and the scene is over. Later Skinner arrives and we see a body covered by a sheet. Is it Sculley! (well, of course not). It's the dead zombie cop.

Al Fleshrot wants your brains

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