The final three exclusive teaser art images for The X-Files draw you in with their creepiness but also evoke memories of the original run.
The first image, “Hand”, shows an unfocused image of aliens in a group with an elongated hand in the foreground. This is a reference to Season 2’s “Duane Barry”, written and directed by showrunner Chris Carter. In the memorable opening scene, the title character wakes up frightened as aliens press against the plastic renovation sheets that line his walls, right before he is abducted.
The second image, “Eye”, shows an unnerving closeup of an eyeball, where the iris has been replaced by a glossy black X. This calls back to the dreaded alien virus “Purity”, otherwise known as the black oil, which first showed up in Season 3’s “Piper Maru”. Purity would take control of a host body, or could incubate an alien within. The oil would be visible in the eyes, usually in a cloudy form. Of course, the classic catchphrase “Trust No One” takes on a spooky subtext when dealing with the black oil.
Finally, the “UFO” image is an updated version of Mulder’s FBI office poster that read simply “I Want To Believe”. The original had been destroyed in a fire that the villainous Cigarette Smoking Man set in the Season 5 finale, “The End”, and Mulder was gifted a new one in the Season 7 episode “Alpha”. In the trailer for the six episode series, we see it on the floor of Mulder’s old office, being kicked and torn. The “UFO” image reads “I Still Want To Believe”, which could be a reminder of Mulder’s quest to prove the existence of extraterrestrials, Scully’s guarded skepticism in Mulder’s many pursuits or simply the way many fans feel about this highly-anticipated event series.
THE X-FILES debuts with a special two-night event beginning Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016 at 10pm, and continuing with its time period premiere on Monday, Jan. 25 at 8pm on FOX.
