Guillermo Del Toro’s horror TV series, based upon his own trilogy of novels, will air in the UK on Watch this Autumn. Del Toro himself has written and directed the pilot episode which premiered in the US in June this year. The premise concerns the aftermath of a plane arriving at JFK airport with the majority of its passengers dead. When the bodies of the deceased begin to disappear from the morgue, an investigation is undertaken that links a viral outbreak to an ancient threat of vampirism.
Del Toro has promised that The Strain will feel stylized and heavily designed, with his signature eye for fantastic visuals. As can be expected from the director of Pan’s Labyrinth, a lot of emphasis has been placed upon creature creation. Audience’s can also anticipate gore, plenty of scares and an intriguing mythology to sink their teeth into (no pun intended).
The show has already generated some controversy surrounding it’s advertising campaign. Complaints were made in response to a billboard depicting the image of a worm burrowing into a woman’s eye, however the billboard was eventually withdrawn from circulation. Nonetheless The Strain has been released to general acclaim in the U.S, and has been renewed for a second series with production set to begin in November. With someone as imaginative as Del Toro functioning as show-runner this could be something rather special.
The Strain stars Richard Sammel, Corey Stoll, David Bradley, Mia Maestro, Kevin Durand and Sean Astin.
The Strain airs on Watch 17th September at 10.00pm.
