REEL CRITICS:

The latest episode of “The X-Files” has a touch of the psychic flair that earned a cult following for the TV series.

As you might expect, it opens with a string of strange crimes being investigated by the FBI.

The plot takes some mystical turns, but this film has a lot in common with a conventional police procedural.

Scully and Mulder return with their unusual chemistry intact. They are no longer FBI agents.

But they are sought out by bureau brass when unexplained phenomena intrude on the search for several missing people.

They reluctantly get involved and take us all down a mysterious path where unknown dangers lurk.

The movie has the trademark spooky music and sparse dialogue that were hallmarks of the original shows.

But this version has more understandable forces at work behind the bizarre crimes.

It’s a competent effort that will not disappoint fans and might also entertain the casual viewer.

Bare-bones indie flick spoofs horror genre

“Baghead” is an original little indie film and a mildly amusing change of pace from the frenzied summer blockbusters.

No men in tights, no explosions, and no special effects except for a shaky hand-held camera and a lot of lip gloss.

Four unemployed film extras decide to hole up in a mountain cabin for the weekend and write a movie, with themselves as the stars.

Like many actors, they’re attractive, insecure and self-absorbed. No surprise that the weekend starts out with lots of flirting and drinking but generates little in the way of creativity. Everybody’s feeling rejected or jealous, and all of them are hung over.

After one of them dreams about a spooky guy lurking outside with a paper sack over his head, they decide to use the idea to write a scary movie.

The dynamics among the four are such that when a guy actually does appear outside the cabin wearing a bag, each thinks one of the others is doing it.

Then people start disappearing, and some genuine scares start happening — is this a joke, or is it real?

“Baghead,” written and directed by Jay and Mark Duplass, gently spoofs the horror movie genre as well as the industry that feeds off it.

If you enjoyed “The Blair Witch Project” or “Friday the 13th,” you may enjoy this twist on the tried and true.

JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office. SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant for a financial services company.