Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, December 25, 1993 TAG: 9312250171
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: 18 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: JACKIE HYMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES LENGTH: Medium
Producer Chris Carter did, and the result is "The X Files," a Friday night suspense series on the Fox network (at 9 on WJPR-Channel 21/27).
The existence of such files may not be all that far-fetched, says Carter, who created the series, serves as executive producer and wrote five of the first 12 episodes.
"I've talked to people who've been in government institutions and seen drawers full of files about these subjects, the paranormal," he said over breakfast at a sunny Santa Monica cafe where the only being lurking in the background was a waitress with a carafe of coffee.
"I have this coy answer when people say, `Are there X files?' I say, `I don't know that there are, but I don't know that there aren't.' "
"I'm a natural-born skeptic," added Carter, 37, whose previous scriptwriting credits were mostly comedy series for Disney Studios. "Someone has to show me something before I believe it. But I've met so many sane and reasonable people who tell me they've had experiences with paranormal phenomena, it chips away at my skepticism."
When the Fox network asked him to propose a series, Carter said he was motivated by a childhood love of the supernatural-tinged mystery series "The Night Stalker."
"I didn't have any agenda," he said. "I just wanted to create a wildly entertaining show that would scare the pants off you.
"I have this buzz phrase that the writers have to live by," he said. "All the stories have to take place within the realm of extreme possibility."
"The X Files" focuses on brilliant but eccentric FBI agent Fox Mulder, played by David Duchovny, who takes it upon himself to investigate unorthodox cases. He is aided by a mysterious higher-up (Jerry Hardin), who serves as a Deep Throat-style adviser.
Mulder's superiors assign a skeptical agent with a medical degree, Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), to keep tabs on him and debunk his theories.
The series, filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, covers subjects from aliens to ghosts to mutant killers and renegade computers. Some strange events turn out to have scientific rather than occult explanations.
Although the show is not top-rated, it draws well enough to have been picked up for the entire season, and Carter said there has been talk of a second year.
The emphasis is on fast-moving stories and surprise twists that have won over some fans who may not believe in the paranormal.
"I think we're just telling good stories in the suspense genre," Carter said. "The comment I get a lot is, `This isn't something I would normally be interested in, but I love your show.' "
One recurring theme is secretive actions by undisclosed government agencies, possibly the military or the National Security Council, that interfere with Mulder and Scully's investigations.
"I love that idea and I think it has a certain resonance," Carter said. "That was the thing that was really surprising in my research and in the tests of the pilot (episode), was how pervasive the belief is that the government acts in secretive ways."
He said he and his staff do their own research rather than employing consultants. The real FBI provided information on procedures and protocols, but is not involved with the production.
"We get the most amazing mail," Carter said. "We get letters from at least two electronic bulletin boards, so we get immediate feedback. It's valuable stuff. I'll say that 95 percent of it is wildly positive."
Despite its subject matter, "The X Files" tries to avoid graphic violence and the victimization of women, he said.
"There's the hue and cry about violence on television and I'm sensitive to it much as I'm a defender of freedom of the press," he said.
Also, he noted, "I have an affinity in the Scully character for the strong, smart woman. My wife wouldn't let me write anything else. My wife, Dori Pierson, is actually an accomplished screenwriter."
Some viewers send clippings about scientific or police cases and the staff reads widely to find ideas.
Carter said he came across testimony by a survivor of mass murderer Jeffrey Dahmer that echoed an episode about a mutant killer who could change his shape.
"This survivor said he had the experience of seeing this man physically transform before his eyes," Carter said. "It speaks to the weird realities that are out there."
"You start reading this literature and you start thinking you're a little crazy," he said. "Really, I've found that anything I can imagine, someone else imagined or experienced before me."
Carter said he has a fantasy about how the show might mirror real events.
"I want to see something unexplainable happen," he said, "and I want to see the president refer to it as an X file."
by CNB