FX's The Strain Summer Horror Series Reinvents The Old World Vampires

Another great fantasy horror series this summer is FX's The Strain, which does an interesting twist on Bran Stoker's classic tale of Dracula. It was the arrival of what one character stated as the arrival of a "dead airplane" and later the  "9' by 4' ancient coffin" that brought the master vampire to the city of New York that was the first of several clues to the influences for this new series.

The similarity between the vampire Dracula's arrival in the small English town of Whitby on a storm driven derelict ship and that of the New York commercial airplane filled with 206 dead passengers and four seemingly survivors that arrived in as a "cold airplane" cannot be missed. 

While there are other similarities between the old tale and this new master of darkness, there are some very interesting and new twists or plot departures that can and do unnerve the viewers.  In one

The Strain

departure (and this is where The Strain sharply drifts away from Bran Stoker's Dracula) is that while blood is  not taken with fangs from the vampire's victims, it is done with the assistance of an worm-like parasite that bores into its victim's body by any means that it can . It leaves behind a mucus-like substance and if the victims survives, they become vampires. Hence, the origin of the mysterious "outbreak".  In addition. the master vampire is gliding among the citizens of New York City like a nightmarish and mucilaginous brown phantom instead of turning into a bat or black mist.

Richard Sammel

Then there is the connection between the sadistic and undead acolyte Thomas Eichorst (Richard Sammel), who is clearly a former Nazis jailer or commandant,  and the Holocaust survivor, Professor Abraham Setrakian (David Bradley).  While Setrakian reminds us of Van Helsing in Dracula, Eichorist, however, is no vermin eating lunatic like Renfield. He is much more dangerous.

David Bradley

Among the antagonists in the story are seven master vampires.  Jusef Sardu, a former  19th-century Polish nobleman is one of them. However, Sardu  has broken the territorial truce between himself and the other ancient vampires,  and he has set into motion the events that if not stop by Professor Abraham Setrakian  and Dr. Ephraim Goodweather will quickly turn New York into a graveyard of the undead.  Eldritch Palmer a billionaire  is partially responsible for Sardu's arrival in America, and he has done so because he wants above all things to be an immoral even at the risk of destroying life in New York City.

Corey Stoll

Our potential  heroes to date, Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll), Professor Abraham Setrakian, Vasiliy Fet (Kevin Durand), and Augustin 'Gus' Elizalde (Miguel Gomez).

Professor Abraham Setrakian (who Eichorst refers to as A230385) is an old vampire hunter who runs a pawn-shop.  He is the man with the answers about the mysterious outbreak and the occupant of the ancient coffin.

Kevin Durand

Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll  ), the head of the CDC Canary Team in New York City is already beset with problems.  The first problem being his personal life is falling apart due to his work at the CDC. The second problem being that the powers-to-be at the CDC headquarters are not taking the discovery of parasites that a invading humans as a possible threat.

Vasiliy Fet, a vermin hunter turned a vampire hunter in Setrakian and Goodweather's efforts to
destroy the Master and all the other vampires in New York.

Miguel Gomez

Augustin 'Gus' Elizalde (Miguel Gomez, a young actor with a strong screen present; however, he is only listed in the first two episodes.); Yet, as Gus, his  desire for easy cash puts him and his community in danger because he knows where the coffin is and that whatever is in it, is something evil and very much alive. And later, once he has learned the truth about the vampires, his instint to protect those he loves and to right his part in the wrong he has had a hand in bringing into the city will probably make him a great vampire hunter.

The Strain airs every Sunday night at 10 p.m. on FX.

EPISODES

Pilot	Night Zero"	July 13, 2014
2	"The Box"	July 20, 2014
3	"Gone Smooth"	July 27, 2014
4	"It's Not for Everyone"	August 3, 2014
5	"Runaways"	August 10, 2014
6	"Occultation"	August 17, 2014
7	"For Services Rendered"	August 24, 2014
8	"Creatures of the Night"	September 7, 2014
9	"The Disappeared"	September 14, 2014
10	"Loved Ones"	September 21, 2014
11	"The Third Rail"	September 28, 2014
12	"Last Rites"	October 5, 2014
13	"The Master"	October 12, 2014