There was little room for anyone who wasn't a devout fan at the X-Files sneak peek (L.A. Film Festival on Sunday). For those of you who have not followed the series since it went off the air in 2002 the fan base is decidedly composed of young women, many of whom were not old enough to watch the show when it first premiered in 1993. The girls went wild for David Duchovny as he tossed back his bangs and walked on stage. It felt like the ceiling of the Crest Theatre in Westwood was about to collapse at any minute. Creator Chris Carter was shy and self-effacing. He seemed like a pleasant guy. Likewise screenwriter Frank Spotnitz.
After two brief clips featuring F.B.I. agents crunching and jingling about in the snow while looking for a missing woman's body the lights came up. That was it for the sneak. The only thing revealed on film was that Gillian Anderson and Duchovny are both ten years older and Gillian has a new hair-do. Nice to see them back in action.
Next came the Q&A. A very nice woman from Entertainment Weekly struggled to get details and revelations about the plot of the new movie. All three guests were polite and generous with their responses but they gave nothing away. Carter's presence, in fact, bordered on being a disappointment as he smiled and nodded through the whole thing, letting Duchovny and Spotnitz do most of the talking.
Among the insights the panel revealed about their work on the long running series and the two movies were the following...
- Chris Carter has a thing for shooting in the snow.
- The new movie is a throw back to the earlier episodes. It is supposedly a taught horror/thriller that stands on its own.
- Fans of the show will enjoy the upcoming movie but newbies will have no problem following it either. Why...it's a pretty good movie on its own.
- Duchovny still writes poetry from time to time but has no immediate plans to publish anything.
- The creative forces on the show often disagreed about things over the years during filming and this dissent was expected and made the show stronger.
- The upcoming movie will go light on the X-Files "mythology". It may touch on some famiar characters and themes but they will not be essential to the essence of the movie. There will be very little "winking" at the audience.
- If they are never able to make another X-Files movie the panel felt this one will stand on its own as a fitting bow to the franchise. If another movie gets green-lit, well that would be fine too! Wink!
All in all this was a family affair. As an X-Files fan from years past I must admit the show has drifted from my memory. Carter and Spotnitz even commented that they wanted their series to be so good that people would come back to it over the years much like Serling's original Twilight Zone. For me this hasn't happened. Why? Because of the heavy emphasis on mythology and the alien invasion conspiracy that ran so heavy in later seasons. The stand alone horror / thriller episodes became further and fewer in between. People come back for stand alone episodes. They are far more reluctant to return for shows that dangle threads of clarity over multiple seasons before the truth is finally revealed.
As I walked to my car I saw Duchovny and Carter exiting the back of the theater, dashing to their limo amidst a dozen or so autograph hounds. I couldn't help but think to myself, "hopefully the new movie will scare the shit out of me this time and there will be no more aliens".