I’m beyond pumped for The Strain, FX’s vampire horror thriller series which premieres this July. Based on the bestselling trilogy by horror maestro Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth) and author Chuck Hogan (Prince of Thieves, which was adapted into The Town), the series will explore the high-stakes (sorry, couldn’t resist) battle between a group of scientists and the evil creatures responsible for unleashing a deadly virus in New York City, one which turns the afflicted into vampiric monsters.
FX has been extremely active in promoting the show and has released plenty of eye-catching images and chilling teasers, such as one titled “Eclipse” and another titled “Body Bag.” Now, three more evocative teasers and a set of the new images from the series have hit the web.
The teasers, titled “Heart,” “Watch Your Step,” and “Beware,” all give us a better look at the sinuous creatures which work to communicate the virus. The little, wormlike parasites are pretty gross to look at, and audiences can expect the ones featured in actual episodes to look even ickier.
Along with the teasers came a new set of images, which don’t exactly add much to what we already knew about the show but still showcase The Strain‘s strong cast. We get shots of series star Corey Stoll (Netflix’s House of Cards), who plays Dr. Ephraim Goodweather; Mia Maestro (Alias) as Dr. Nora Martinez; and Sean Astin (the Lord of the Rings trilogy) as CDC administrator Jim Kent.
There are a lot of reasons to be excited for The Strain. FX is more comfortable pushing boundaries than most networks (I mean, look at American Horror Story alone); Lost‘s Carlton Cuse, a guy who definitely knows how to handle a heavily serialized show, is on board as showrunner; and del Toro himself directed the pilot. Additionally, the fact that the vampires in this series are created via a gruesome virus should freshen up a horror subgenre that has been nearly drained of all creative juices by too many romanticized entries.
The Strain premieres on July 13th at 10 p.m. on FX. Are you excited?
