Review: Guillermo Del Toro's 'The Strain' Is A 'Scary Roller Coaster Ride' That Will Leave FX Viewers Breathless!

The Strain terrified readers as an ongoing horror series from Dark Horse Comics. Now the vampire novels from visionary director Guillermo Del Toro (Pans Labyrinth) and co-writer Chuck Hogan (The Town) arrives on FX, continuing to be a scary roller coaster ride that will leave viewers breathless.

Stylishly gory, the live-action adaption thrills audiences with its quick-paced mystery. The horror story begins with an overseas flight arriving in the middle in the night. A New York airport is suddenly quarantined when the aircraft arrives with plane full of dead passengers.

If you have read the trilogy, book lovers will be interested in seeing their beloved characters brought to life by their counterparts. Corey Stoll (House of Cards) brings in his charisma, and a little dark humor, to the lead role of epidemiologist Ephraim Goodweather. Lord of the Rings' Sean Astin is quite convincing as his nervous CDC teammate who suspects a viral epidemic.

Because this is an ensemble cast, Del Toro gives enough screen time to each character in the pilot. In the opening, we see David Bradley as an action hero through the aging vampire hunter, Abraham Setrakian.

If you have collected the novels and comics, there is enough changes and surprises so that viewers do not feel the mythology is repeating itself. This reviewer's favorite character, Gus (played by Miguel Gomez) is brought in sooner and is younger than I originally expected.

Though we have seen bloodsuckers on True Blood and Vampire Diaries, Del Toro delivers a new twist on an old take. The TV series has the look of a flashy 80's horror movie with its glowing blue tones.

The Strain delivers the scares that any horror fan would love and the suspense regular viewers would crave.

Verdict: See it!

Check out the extended trailer here:

The Strain premieres on FX July 13 at 10pm. Readers, are you excited to see Guillermo Del Toro's vampire TV series?