"The Curse of Frank Black", which was inspired by the 1964 Japanese horror film Kwaidan, has received positive reviews from critics, with its minimalist plot being seen as its main strength.
On Halloween, Millennium Group consultant Frank Black (Lance Henriksen) is carving a jack-o'-lantern while preparing to take his daughter Jordan (Brittany Tiplady) trick-or-treating.
Crocell, a World War II veteran, explains the meaning of Halloween to Black, telling him that it is the one night of the year that ghosts walk among the living.
Crocell hopes that it is his chance to commune with the friends he lost in the war and is dismayed when the young Black dismisses the possibility of ghosts.
After bringing Jordan back to her mother, Catherine (Megan Gallagher), Black notices several youths egging a house—the house he once shared with his family, and in which his friend Bob Bletcher was killed.
Black takes these coincidences to be pointing him towards a Bible verse, Acts 26:8—"why should it be thought incredible by you that God raises the dead?"
"The Curse of Frank Black" was written by frequent collaborators Glen Morgan and James Wong, and directed by Ralph Hemecker.
[10] Gibron also felt that the episode's structure, based on "hidden hints and secret connections", foreshadowed Morgan and Wong's later work on the film Final Destination.
[10] Robert Shearman and Lars Pearson, in their book Wanting to Believe: A Critical Guide to The X-Files, Millennium & The Lone Gunmen, rated "The Curse of Frank Black" five stars out of five, feeling that "it's simple, and it's brave, and it's curiously moving".