The Calusari
Encyclopedia
"The Calusari" is the twenty-first episode of the second season
of the science fiction
television series The X-Files
. It premiered on the Fox network
on April 14, 1995. It was written by Sara B. Charno, directed by Michael Vejar, and featured guest appearances by Helene Clarkson
and Joel Palmer. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology
. "The Calusari" earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.3, being watched by 8.3 million people in its initial broadcast.
A photograph taken just before the death of a two-year-old boy yields evidence of some supernatural intervention which piques FBI
special agents Fox Mulder
(David Duchovny
) and and Dana Scully
's (Gillian Anderson
) curiosity. When another death in the family occurs, the grandmother of the remaining child requests the aid of some Romanian ritualists, named the Căluşari
, in order to cleanse the home of evil.
Three months later, agent Fox Mulder
shows Dana Scully
the photograph showing Teddy reaching for the balloon, standing on the tracks. The case was held open because Steve Holvey works for the State Department. Mulder notes that the helium balloon appears to be moving horizontally, against the wind. He introduces Scully to a digital photo expert named Chuck Burk, who uses software to uncover evidence of electromagnetic disturbances in the shape of a child, holding the balloon. The agents go to Virginia for further investigation.
At the Holvey home, the Holveys dispute Mulder’s theory that Teddy was helped onto the tracks, and Scully sees an old woman drawing a reverse swastika
on the boy’s hand. Moments later, the old woman, revealed to be Maggie's mother, argues with her daughter in Romanian
that Charlie is a devil child.
The agents meet with Steve to discuss the investigation. Steve explains that Golda, Maggie’s Romania
n mother, was against the marriage, and thought Steve was the devil. Strange things began to happen, however, after Teddy was born and Golda came to live with the Holveys. Steve hints that Golda might be harming the children, so Scully suggests that the Holveys meet with a social worker named Karen Kosseff. Maggie strongly objects to the agents’ request, believing that Steve blames her for Teddy’s death. As Steve prepares to take Charlie to Kosseff, the garage door refuses to open. When Steve tries to check the motor, the door suddenly opens, grabbing Steve's tie, who is then strangled.
As police investigates the house, they find evidence of dead chickens and other ritualistic items in Golda's room, and Mulder finds a film of fine dust or ash in the garage. As the results of lab tests on the ash have come back as if nothing had been sampled, Mulder takes the sample to Chuck, who recognizes it as Vibhuti
, a residual sign of spiritual energy. At the Holvey home, Golda and three old men conduct a ritual in her room. Kosseff arrives, and after some resistance from Maggie, gets permission to meet with Charlie. However, at that exact moment, Charlie goes into convulsions. Kosseff and Maggie see smoke coming from under Golda's door, so they look inside. Maggie is horrified, and orders the old men out of the house. The old men leave, but Golda grabs Charlie and pulls him into her room, closing and locking the door. As Maggie beats at the door, Kosseff runs outside to tell Mulder and Scully what’s happening. Golda tries to complete the ritual, but a table knocks her away from Charlie. Charlie, suddenly impassive, holds the dead chickens above the fallen Golda. At his command, they return to life and tear Golda’s face apart. By the time Mulder forces the door open, the birds and Golda are dead.
During the subsequent investigation, Mulder finds more ash under Golda’s body, convincing him of paranormal activity. After asking Maggie, he learns the old men are Calusari
, responsible for the correct observance of rituals. When Mulder demands that the leader of the Calusari explain what is happening, the old man tells Mulder that they are dealing with an ancient and unrelenting evil.
When Kosseff asks Charlie about it, however, the boy insists that he was not in his grandmother’s room, and clims that it was a boy named Michael. Maggie is terrified at the claim, explaining to the agents that Michael was Charlie’s stillborn twin. Golda told the parents that a ritual should be performed to separate the spirits of the twins, or the “world of the dead would follow Charlie”. Charlie has another seizure, so he is hospitalized. When a nurse tries to inject him with medication, the nurse is attacked by a boy who looks just like Charlie. Michael, pretending to be Charlie, convinces Maggie to take him home. Scully sees them leaving, and checks on Charlie. They find the nurse and Charlie still in the hospital room. Mulder, now convinced that some kind of spirit being is behind the killings, sends Scully to the Holvey home to stop whatever is about to happen. Meanwhile, Mulder calls for help.
Maggie tries to conduct the same ritual that Golda had been performing. However, Michael walks in, intent on stopping her. Back at the hospital, Mulder welcomes the Calusari, who begin an exorcism ritual on Charlie. As Mulder helps with the ritual, Scully arrives at the Holvey house, and finds Maggie pressed against one of the walls, up by the ceiling. Scully is tossed across the room by an unseen force. Just as Michael is about to stab Scully, the exorcism ends, and the spirit disappears. Scully helps Maggie recover as she falls to the floor. The Calusari leader tells Mulder to call the mother to see to Charlie, and warns that Mulder must be careful now that the evil knows him. With the case over, Mulder is left to contemplate that innocence and vigilance may not be enough to protect against evil.
on April 14, 1995. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.3 with an 16 share, meaning that roughly 8.3 percent of all television-equipped households, and 16 percent of households watching TV, were tuned in to the episode. A total of 8.3 million households watched this episode during its original airing.
The show received an explicit rating in the United Kingdom
; that of "18" by the BBFC.
The X-Files (season 2)
The second season of the science fiction television series The X-Files commenced airing on Fox in the United States on September 16, 1994, concluded on the same channel on May 19, 1995, and contained 25 episodes.- Production :...
of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
. It premiered on the Fox network
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
on April 14, 1995. It was written by Sara B. Charno, directed by Michael Vejar, and featured guest appearances by Helene Clarkson
Helene Clarkson
Helene Clarkson is a Canadian actress. She has worked in both the U.S. and Canada in television and film roles. She has most notably starred in the 1995 Canadian movie, Blood and Donuts, earning a Genie Award nomination in 1995 for Best Actress. She has also acted in several TV movies, as well as...
and Joel Palmer. The episode is a "Monster-of-the-Week" story, unconnected to the series' wider mythology
Mythology of The X-Files
The mythology of The X-Files, sometimes referred to as its mytharc by the show's staff and fans, follows the quest of FBI Special Agents Fox Mulder , a believer in supernatural phenomena, and Dana Scully , his skeptical partner. Their boss, FBI Assistant Director Walter Skinner was also often...
. "The Calusari" earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.3, being watched by 8.3 million people in its initial broadcast.
A photograph taken just before the death of a two-year-old boy yields evidence of some supernatural intervention which piques FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
special agents Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
(David Duchovny
David Duchovny
David William Duchovny is an American actor, writer and director. He has won Golden Globe awards for his work as FBI Special Agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files and as Hank Moody on Californication.-Early life:...
) and and Dana Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
's (Gillian Anderson
Gillian Anderson
Gillian Leigh Anderson is an American actress.After beginning her career in theatre, Anderson achieved international recognition for her role as Special Agent Dana Scully on the American television series The X-Files. During the show's nine seasons, Anderson won Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen...
) curiosity. When another death in the family occurs, the grandmother of the remaining child requests the aid of some Romanian ritualists, named the Căluşari
Calusari
The Căluşari were the members of a Romanian fraternal secret society who practiced a ritual acrobatic dance known as the căluş. According to the Romanian historian Mircea Eliade, the Calusari were known for "their ability to create the impression of flying in the air" which he believed represented...
, in order to cleanse the home of evil.
Plot
At an amusement park in Murray, Virginia, the Holvey family enjoy themselves. The youngest member, Teddy, accidentally lets his balloon fly away. The father, Steve, gives the baby the balloon of the older son, Charlie. When the older son becomes upset, the father promises to get him another. When the mother Maggie, is in the bathroom, the strap she uses to hold Teddy comes undone, and the balloon floats, under its own power, out of the bathroom with the baby in tow. Teddy eventually comes to the park's train tracks, where he is run over by the train. While both parents are crying, Charlie looks on angrily and the balloon returns to his hand.Three months later, agent Fox Mulder
Fox Mulder
FBI Special Agent Fox William Mulder is a fictional character and protagonist in the American Fox television shows The X-Files and The Lone Gunmen, two science fiction shows about a government conspiracy to hide or deny the truth of Alien existence. Mulder's peers consider his theories on...
shows Dana Scully
Dana Scully
FBI Special Agent Dana Katherine Scully, M.D. is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series The X-Files , played by Gillian Anderson. She also appeared in two theatrical films based on the series...
the photograph showing Teddy reaching for the balloon, standing on the tracks. The case was held open because Steve Holvey works for the State Department. Mulder notes that the helium balloon appears to be moving horizontally, against the wind. He introduces Scully to a digital photo expert named Chuck Burk, who uses software to uncover evidence of electromagnetic disturbances in the shape of a child, holding the balloon. The agents go to Virginia for further investigation.
At the Holvey home, the Holveys dispute Mulder’s theory that Teddy was helped onto the tracks, and Scully sees an old woman drawing a reverse swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
on the boy’s hand. Moments later, the old woman, revealed to be Maggie's mother, argues with her daughter in Romanian
Romanian language
Romanian Romanian Romanian (or Daco-Romanian; obsolete spellings Rumanian, Roumanian; self-designation: română, limba română ("the Romanian language") or românește (lit. "in Romanian") is a Romance language spoken by around 24 to 28 million people, primarily in Romania and Moldova...
that Charlie is a devil child.
The agents meet with Steve to discuss the investigation. Steve explains that Golda, Maggie’s Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n mother, was against the marriage, and thought Steve was the devil. Strange things began to happen, however, after Teddy was born and Golda came to live with the Holveys. Steve hints that Golda might be harming the children, so Scully suggests that the Holveys meet with a social worker named Karen Kosseff. Maggie strongly objects to the agents’ request, believing that Steve blames her for Teddy’s death. As Steve prepares to take Charlie to Kosseff, the garage door refuses to open. When Steve tries to check the motor, the door suddenly opens, grabbing Steve's tie, who is then strangled.
As police investigates the house, they find evidence of dead chickens and other ritualistic items in Golda's room, and Mulder finds a film of fine dust or ash in the garage. As the results of lab tests on the ash have come back as if nothing had been sampled, Mulder takes the sample to Chuck, who recognizes it as Vibhuti
Vibhuti
Vibhuti is a word that has several meanings in Hinduism.-Sacred ash:Vibhuti is the sacred ash used in religious worship in Hinduism. The main ingredient of Vibuthi is a special kind of wood, but several other substances, such as milk and ghee, prescribed in scriptures are also added...
, a residual sign of spiritual energy. At the Holvey home, Golda and three old men conduct a ritual in her room. Kosseff arrives, and after some resistance from Maggie, gets permission to meet with Charlie. However, at that exact moment, Charlie goes into convulsions. Kosseff and Maggie see smoke coming from under Golda's door, so they look inside. Maggie is horrified, and orders the old men out of the house. The old men leave, but Golda grabs Charlie and pulls him into her room, closing and locking the door. As Maggie beats at the door, Kosseff runs outside to tell Mulder and Scully what’s happening. Golda tries to complete the ritual, but a table knocks her away from Charlie. Charlie, suddenly impassive, holds the dead chickens above the fallen Golda. At his command, they return to life and tear Golda’s face apart. By the time Mulder forces the door open, the birds and Golda are dead.
During the subsequent investigation, Mulder finds more ash under Golda’s body, convincing him of paranormal activity. After asking Maggie, he learns the old men are Calusari
Calusari
The Căluşari were the members of a Romanian fraternal secret society who practiced a ritual acrobatic dance known as the căluş. According to the Romanian historian Mircea Eliade, the Calusari were known for "their ability to create the impression of flying in the air" which he believed represented...
, responsible for the correct observance of rituals. When Mulder demands that the leader of the Calusari explain what is happening, the old man tells Mulder that they are dealing with an ancient and unrelenting evil.
When Kosseff asks Charlie about it, however, the boy insists that he was not in his grandmother’s room, and clims that it was a boy named Michael. Maggie is terrified at the claim, explaining to the agents that Michael was Charlie’s stillborn twin. Golda told the parents that a ritual should be performed to separate the spirits of the twins, or the “world of the dead would follow Charlie”. Charlie has another seizure, so he is hospitalized. When a nurse tries to inject him with medication, the nurse is attacked by a boy who looks just like Charlie. Michael, pretending to be Charlie, convinces Maggie to take him home. Scully sees them leaving, and checks on Charlie. They find the nurse and Charlie still in the hospital room. Mulder, now convinced that some kind of spirit being is behind the killings, sends Scully to the Holvey home to stop whatever is about to happen. Meanwhile, Mulder calls for help.
Maggie tries to conduct the same ritual that Golda had been performing. However, Michael walks in, intent on stopping her. Back at the hospital, Mulder welcomes the Calusari, who begin an exorcism ritual on Charlie. As Mulder helps with the ritual, Scully arrives at the Holvey house, and finds Maggie pressed against one of the walls, up by the ceiling. Scully is tossed across the room by an unseen force. Just as Michael is about to stab Scully, the exorcism ends, and the spirit disappears. Scully helps Maggie recover as she falls to the floor. The Calusari leader tells Mulder to call the mother to see to Charlie, and warns that Mulder must be careful now that the evil knows him. With the case over, Mulder is left to contemplate that innocence and vigilance may not be enough to protect against evil.
Broadcast and reception
"The Calusari" premiered on the Fox networkFox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
on April 14, 1995. The episode earned a Nielsen household rating of 8.3 with an 16 share, meaning that roughly 8.3 percent of all television-equipped households, and 16 percent of households watching TV, were tuned in to the episode. A total of 8.3 million households watched this episode during its original airing.
The show received an explicit rating in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
; that of "18" by the BBFC.