In an era when so many prestigious shows are destined to die a too-early death, there’s something fascinating about The Strain. Guillermo del Toro’s television adaptation of the novel he co-wrote with author Chuck Hogan made a big splash when it was released in 2014, riding a wave of high-profile horror that followed the success of The Walking Dead. But even in the heyday of peak television, The Strain helped shape the template for the horror stories that would follow: creator-driven shows that were unapologetically scary.
