Production
"Excelsius Dei" was written by Paul Brown, his second and last script after the earlier episode "Ascension". The episode was directed by Stephen Surjik, his only credit for the series. Surjik requested to direct an episode because he was a fan of the show. The episode was noticeably difficult to create; the book The Complete X-Files notes that the entry "gave the staff headaches—both during the shoot and editing process". This was due largely to the fact that the script arrived for the cast and crew to film only two days in advance. In order to film the scene featuring the bathroom door bursting with water—a scene Matt Hurwitz and Chris Knowles called "nail-biting"—special effects supervisor Dave Gauthier built a tank and flooded the set hallway with 3,300 gallons of water. One part of the episode that never made the final cut was an extended look at Michelle's love life. In the script, she is explicitly described as a lesbian and her lover enters her apartment to talk to her. Series creator Chris Carter eventually decided to remove the scene because he felt it "felt gratuitous at that point".
Many of the scenes were filmed at Riverview Hospital, a mental health facility located in Coquitlam, British Columbia. While filming at the site, several of the members of the production staff claimed they heard mysterious voices and did not dare to "venture into the bowels of the building" for fear that the location was haunted. The episode features several actresses that had previously had parts in other episode of The X-Files. Tasha Simms, who portrayed the daughter of Stan Phillips in the episode, had previously played the part of Cindy Reardon's mother in the first season episode "Eve". Sheila Moore, who had appeared as a background character in the episode "Deep Throat" appears in the episode as the director of the home.
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