Director's Cut of "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" Released After 18 Years - It's Scarier and Shorter Than the Original

Chris Carter brought back horror elements that were cut and reassembled the story of a modern Frankenstein.

The director's cut of the film "The X-Files: I Want to Believe" has been released on Hulu and Disney+. The new edition is subtitled "Dr. Frankenstein" and has an R rating.

Chris Carter brought back horror elements that had to be removed before its 2008 theatrical release for a PG-13 rating. The director originally conceived the film as a darker and relatively realistic interpretation of the Frankenstein story, but Fox then demanded the film be softened.

However, the director's cut turned out to be seven minutes shorter than the original – about 97 minutes versus 104. Carter did not restore all the cut material and instead re-edited the film, bringing it closer to his original vision.

The original "I Want to Believe" was released in 2008, six years after the main series concluded. David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson returned as Fox Mulder and Dana Scully, who investigate the disappearances of women and uncover illegal medical experiments.

The film received mostly negative reviews and grossed about $68 million worldwide. The first feature film installment of "The X-Files," released in 1998, earned approximately $189 million.