Hellbound (The X-Files)

"Hellbound"
The X-Files episode
Ed's vision of a skinless Dr. Holland. The series' special effects team used over 200 prosthetic pieces, plus fake veins, to create the effect.
Episode no.	Season 9 Episode 8
Directed by	Kim Manners
Written by	David Amann
Production code	9ABX04
Original air date	January 27, 2002 (2002-01-27)
Running time	44 minutes
Guest appearances
Robert Beckwith as FBI Cadet Katy Boyer as Dr. Lisa Holland David Figlioli as Victor Dale Potts James McDonnell as Detective Van Allen Cyril O'Reilly as Ed Kelso James Riker as Reborn Soul Travis Riker as Reborn Soul Don Swayze as Terrance Pruit George D. Wallace as Dr. Bertram Mueller Kari Kennell as Roxanne[1]
Episode chronology
← Previous "John Doe" Next → "Provenance"
The X-Files season 9
List of episodes

"Hellbound" is the eighth episode of the ninth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It originally aired on the Fox network on January 27, 2002. It was written by David Amann and directed by Kim Manners. The episode is a "monster-of-the-week" episode, a stand-alone plot which is unconnected to the series' wider mythology, or the overarching fictional history. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 5.1 and was viewed by 7.8 million viewers in its initial broadcast. It received positive reviews from television critics.

The show centers on FBI special agents who work on cases linked to the paranormal, called X-Files; this season focuses on the investigations of John Doggett (Robert Patrick), Monica Reyes (Annabeth Gish), and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson). In this episode, Reyes takes the lead while investigating an X-File case surrounding a man found skinned alive. When she discovers that he had visions of a similar thing, she calls on Scully’s expertise to help with the investigation.

"Hellbound" was written to take Gish's character into a darker area. The episode's plot is similar to mythology surrounding the Aztec agriculture god Xipe Totec. To create the skinned human bodies, the makeup team sprayed a mannequin with layers of latex. The layers were then peeled off and positioned onto other mannequins that had been designed to resemble the actors. The faux skin was created to look "moist" and was composed of over 200 prosthetic pieces.