Entertainment
Guillermo del Toro’s 4-Part Vampire Thriller Is the Perfect Horror Series To Binge
Some of the most popular vampire television shows were actually adapted from books. There was the haunting Southern Gothic HBO drama True Blood and the much tamer YA CW series The Vampire Diaries. Even though those shows aired a while ago now, television isn’t shying away from the genre yet. AMC has drawn from Anne Rice novels, such as Mayfair Witches and Interview with the Vampire, for two recent shows that have been a hit with viewers. But perhaps the best television adaptation of a vampire series was brought to the screen by one of the writers who actually created the story himself.
What Is ‘The Strain’ About?
The Strain is a trilogy of novels written by the brilliant director Guillermo del Toro and his co-writer, Chuck Hogan. The first book was published back in 2009, but del Toro knew that the series would be perfect for a no-holds-barred, fast-paced television show. It premiered in 2014, and ran for four seasons, with the final season wrapping up three years later. Del Toro and Hogan had their hand in bringing their creation to the screen by drafting some episodes, along with del Toro directing. The captivating story follows Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll), who works for the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in New York City. He’s called to investigate a mysterious event that occurs when a plane lands with every single person onboard having died. Ephraim discovers that this is no run-of-the-mill airborne disease. In fact, it appears this virus leads to a zombie-like outbreak that starts to flood the city. What makes The Strain so much scarier than other vampire shows is the way the creatures infiltrate their victims (often hiding their true nature before they strike).
‘The Strain’s Terrifying Premise and Fantastic Cast Will Compel You To Watch
The Strain has all of the most exciting components of a traditional vampire show. It has sexy and alluring vampires, ancient mysticism for how they came about, and a badass group of people who will stop at nothing to halt the outbreak in its tracks. But the series stands apart from its competitors for several other reasons. First, The Strain incorporates historical events through flashbacks to show how the vampire world has existed for centuries. This provides a mythology for the series that only deepens its storytelling. There’s also the head vampire, who just might be one of the scariest villains to ever grace the screen. And then there are the vampires themselves. By blending the familiar bloodsucking trope with a terrifying, creepy-crawly creature, the vampires in The Strain are 100% scarier than any other onscreen version. By poisoning their victims with little worm-like entities that enter people’s mouths and eyeballs (yes, it is that disgusting), The Strain brings the horror to a whole other level that only someone as imaginative (and twisted) as del Toro could dream up.
With The Strain, the talented actors all offer a necessary authenticity to bring this wild world to life. The action is often tempered by the grounded Stoll, whose Ephraim acts as an Everyman who suddenly finds himself in the middle of a dangerous apocalyptic situation. David Bradley is also fantastic as Professor Abraham Setrakian, who just might be the only person who knows how to stop the vampiric outbreak. Bradley plays him with a soft wisdom, but also infuses a broken gruffness that makes his character all the more compelling. No mention of The Strain would be complete without giving a shout-out to Kevin Durand, who plays Vasiliy Fet, a Ukrainian vermin exterminator who is drafted to fight the vampires. With his fearlessness and wry humor, Durand makes Vasiliy an essential part of the show’s thrilling, action-packed rhythm. Other well-known actors join the cast throughout its run, including Regina King, Sean Astin, and Samantha Mathis, proving that the show is incredibly well-cast.
The Strain finished up its run in 2017 with a finale that ties up the story, just like the last novel does. Interestingly, we were still several years away from our own viral pandemic, so watching the show now feels oddly prescient. If you have a strong stomach, you’ll appreciate the body horror and bloodiness of the action, and you can see del Toro’s genius on full display here. With 46 episodes of eerie and frightening storylines, The Strain is perfect for a binge-watch that will blow your mind.
the strain
- Release Date
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2014 – 2017-00-00
- Showrunner
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Carlton Cuse
- Directors
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Chuck Hogan
- Writers
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Chuck Hogan
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