Official trailer release for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story

With the release date for Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story just a little more than two weeks away from its official Netflix debut, the streaming service has unveiled the first full-length trailer, granting curious viewers a sneak peek at actual footage from the show.

Cooper Koch and Nicholas Alexander Chavez star as Erik and Lyle, respectively, and the trailer opens with a chilling shot of the brothers armed with shotguns entering their parent's Beverly Hills home where the double homicide would later occur. From the trailer, it looks like Monsters will deliver some riveting performance, particularly from Chavez and a very menacing Javier Bardem, who plays Menendez patriarch José Menendez.

Those concerned that the show might only depict the Menendez brothers as monsters without acknowledging the alleged years of abuse they suffered at the hands of their parents will likely be comforted by the trailer's unflinching portrayal of darker moments, like one clip showing Bardem slapping one of his on-screen sons.

The official Netflix description shared in the trailer's YouTube description also notes that the real brothers have "remained adamant to this day" that "their actions stemmed out of fear from a lifetime of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse."

During the many highly publicized trials, prosecutors argued the boys just wanted their family's wealth, and the trailer does show them living the high life after committing the murders. Based on what's shown, it appears the series will do its best to show all facets of the story so viewers can draw their own conclusions.

In that regard, the follow-up to season one, which focused on serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, seems to be playing with the question of who the "real" monsters were in this story. Despite the Menendez brothers' claims, they were still found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to life sentences in jail without the chance of parole. The actual Lyle, 56, and Erik, 53, are incarcerated at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility.

Besides the main cast, the trailer provides us with our first chance to see multi-hyphenate star Nathan Lane in action as the investigative crime journalist Dominick Dunne, who famously wrote a revered account of the saga titled "Nightmare on Elm Drive" for the October 1990 issue of Vanity Fair. Ari Graynor (I'm Dying Up Here) stars as Leslie Abramson, the brothers' criminal defense attorney.

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story premieres on Netflix on Thursday, September 19.