The X-Files (TV Series) Hellbound (2002) User Reviews

A macabre story, good episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 5 October 2022]

Agent Reyes investigates several gruesome deaths, where the victims were quite literally skinned alive, the case has similarities to similar incidents from history.

I find myself at odds with the general reviewers once again, I really didn't enjoy the previous episode, this one however, I really did enjoy.

First off, the production values are off the scale, it's a fantastic looking episode, it looks and plays out like a high budget horror movie, it feels very well made and produced, the cinematography was great.

I really did enjoy the story itself, it was quite imaginative, I liked the visuals too, it was suitably gory and macabre, again I think it had a film like horror to it.

The acting impressed me throughout, I thought Gish was excellent once again.

Enjoyed, 8/10.

I need to solve this case.

[Sanpaco13 · 6/10 · 18 September 2007]

Hellbound is a rather disturbing episode even for the un-squeamish. Reyes comes across a case where a man, an ex-con trying to straighten out his life, is skinned alive. While Scully and Doggett contend that this is not an X-File Reyes insists that she needs to solve the case. Apparently the only alternative is to not solve it. Anyway more people are skinned and eventually Scully and Reyes find out that the victims are being reincarnated only to meet the same fate in each life because of something they did three or four lifetimes ago. While there are still a lot of loopholes in the story this was much better written that "The Field Where I Died" which also dealt with the idea of reincarnation. The main thing I liked about the episode was the creepy skinned bodies and the creepy scene in the mine where Scully finds the skins of the skinned men. Other than that, the majority of the time I just wish Reyes would stop acting like everyone else thinks exactly the same way she does. I can't figure out how someone who leaps to crazy conclusions like that can seriously be in the FBI. I mean Mulder had crazy ideas but at least he was an amazingly good criminal profiler. Reyes seems like she just comes up with the strangest idea and thats the one that is true just because its twisted enough to fit. This episode inspired me to start a list of Reyes one-liners or things said by her that make me either laugh out loud or react the same way Doggett does to her crap theories which are only right because of convenient writing. Anyway enough Reyes ranting I give this episode a 6 out of 10.

X Files lite...but not bad

[brian-wiz · 6/10 · 25 May 2019]

I am in the midst of a full X Files rewatch and 7-9 are much better than given credit for. I didn't love 9 the first round...but I am really enjoying it.

This episode is a perfect example. It's nice for the show to return to its darker roots. And Doggett and Reyes are good...

This is a bit The Field Where I Died meets Tooms. But not as good as either. It's X Files lite.

"These men were born to die this way."

[classicsoncall · 7/10 · 27 August 2017]

So if Detective Van Allen (James McDonnell) is the real killer, what are we supposed to make of that scene in the meat locker with Pruitt (Don Swayze) hung upside down and Ed Kelso (Cyril O'Teilly) advancing and making ready with the knife in his hand? And regarding the knife Van Allen actually did use to kill his victims, did you make note of Scully stating that it was the 'same knife, same killer' used in the present that was also used as far back as 1868 when the reincarnation cycle of killer and victims began? That was a lot like the concept used in the eighth season story 'Via Negativa', where an ax used as a murder weapon was the only one of it's kind, and was a museum piece in a foreign country. No offense to Scully, but how is it there can be an 'only one of it's kind' knife that could have been used to skin Van Allen's victims?

The other thing that bothered me was when Doggett found a gun on the floor where he located the skeleton of one of the long ago murder victims - he picked it up with his bare hand!! What!?!? The gun might have been relevant to solving the present day case but he just contaminated the evidence. I'm really surprised the writers went that way with the scene, they were generally much more thoughtful about stuff like that.

The creative part about the story had to do with the birth dates of present day victims matching the day prior victims died, although I have never really heard of reincarnation events involving 'same day' transference. Usually, when you hear about them, people recall things that happened to someone way in the past, and it may be posited that they lived before as that person. So that idea was kind of novel, and was effectively reinforced with that closing scene of the five babies in the maternity ward. I have to be honest though, not one of them looked like a killer to me.

What part of "stop right there" did you not understand?

[Muldernscully · 6/10 · 20 November 2007]

Hellbound revisits the theme of reincarnation as seen in Born Again and the Field Where I Died. As exhibited in my previous reviews, reincarnation doesn't sit well with me. That being said, Hellbound is the best of these three episodes.

The opening scene with the support group reminds me of the support group scene from season 3's 'The Walk', with one of the group openly scoffing at the others.

Reye's intuition helps her to know she needs to solve the case. That's fine and all, but dragging Mulder and Scully out at 1:47 in the morning just to look at the body? It wasn't going anywhere. Totally unnecessary.

When the agent helps Scully find the files it reminded me of Pendrell and how he could've been used in that scene.

So, does Reyes sleep in the nude or doesn't she? I guess not all the time. This time we see her in a night gown. Then Doggett busts into her room. Doesn't she lock her door? It didn't seem as if Doggett broke the lock.

In this episode, I found myself comparing Reyes to Mulder. They both make fantastic leaps. Reyes makes her leaps based on her intuition. Mulder makes his leaps based on crazy ideas.

This is a good episode, with great makeup on the skinned bodies, but reincarnation just loses points for me. Detective Van Allen, the villain, retains his memories from the original mining dispute but his victims don't? How convenient. Lisa Holland has the soul of an 1858 male miner? What? There weren't any baby boys available for the soul to inhabit? And finally, Scully goes along with Reyes reincarnation idea? I think even Scully would continue to object to this idea given her religious beliefs. She's rejected reincarnation twice before, why not a third time? So, in summary, Hellbound doesn't lose points for being bad, I just don't care for the ideas of reincarnation. It causes me to dislike the episode more. Find a way of doing this episode without the concept of reincarnation and I'm all on board.

Agent Reyes is awful for the X-files, this episode is classic example

[abcprivateemail · 2/10 · 16 February 2015]

The worst episodes of the X-files always feature dumb teenagers. This episode does not, but is close to being as bad. Agent Reyes is featured front and center, and she is awful for the X-files. Maybe 10% of why I think she is awful is due to Annabeth Gish... she seems stiff and lacks chemistry with the other actors. I don't know if it was bad casting, or if the directors were coaching her to go down a bad path, or if she just wasn't able to pull off this particular character, but her performances seemed mediocre. Not horrible, but definitely not a good fit. About 30% of why I think Reyes is awful is the way the show's writers/directors made her character's personality, which does not fit with the shows history or mood at all. About 60% of why I think she's awful is that she allows lazy writing for the show. With Mulder, going from point A to B was a journey that was a pleasure to watch progress... the mystery of the plot unraveled thread by thread in a rational manner despite the irrational plot material. With Reyes they can jump from A to B in leaps using Reyes's "magical powers" of paranormal perception. She is an easy out that circumvents the pleasure of seeing the plot unwind. With her in the story the writers seemed more concerned with the destination than the journey.