Watch the Trailer for Chris Carter’s R-Rated, Frankenstein-Inspired Director’s Cut of ‘The X-Files: I Want to Believe’!

Nearly two decades after The X-Files: I Want to Believe hit theaters, Chris Carter is finally getting the chance to share the version he originally envisioned.

EW has debuted the first trailer for The X-Files: I Want to Believe Vrach Frankenshteyn, a new director’s cut of the 2008 feature that restores Carter’s darker, more horror-driven vision. The subtitle, Vrach Frankenshteyn – Russian for “Victor Frankenstein” – reflects the filmmaker’s attempt to resurrect a movie he feels never fully came to life.

I have straight-up goosebumps after watching this new trailer. When I Want to Believe first hit theaters, I actually booed during the credits. I was that disappointed. I absolutely hated the movie. So if it turns out the film was that bad because the studio butchered it, that’s honestly kind of heartbreaking.

But now we’re getting the director’s true vision, and based on this trailer, it looks like a full-blown horror movie. I haven’t watched I Want to Believe since I saw it in theaters, so I don’t remember many of the details. But I am pretty sure I don’t remember two-headed dog monsters, mutilated body parts, and all the other insane imagery that’s packed into this new trailer.

What makes this even more interesting is the story we just ran about the supposed fake-out “werewolf head” that was spotted on set during production. This trailer seems to point toward mutations, monstrous dogs, and wolves playing a much bigger role than anyone realized. It’s starting to make me wonder if that rumored material was actually part of Chris Carter’s original cut all along.

Needless to say, I am very, very excited to finally see this version when it premieres August 14 on Hulu.