Starring:Corey Stoll, Mia Maestro, Sean Astin,B-Good horror is hard to come by these days, be it on television, at the movies or even in the pages of a book. In the first two media, there seems to be a dichotomy between “torture porn” stories and supernatural haunting stories. The first relies on gore, the second on jump moments.
FX’s new show “The Strain” is like neither of these. Rather, its pilot, “Night Zero,” suggests the show could be of that rare breed of horror story that blends an uncanny understanding of human psychology with an exciting narrative.
While the characters introduced so far threaten to stray into cliché, the episode’s rapid pace manages to make us compelled by these individuals, and will convince most viewers to tune in next week.
The basic story has several threads. One is the Center for Disease Control’s investigation of a plane full of deathly passengers. This investigation is led by Dr. Ephraim Goodweather (Corey Stoll) with the help of Dr. Nora Martinez (Mia Maestro) and the agreeable Jim (Sean Astin).
The other story involves an old pawnshop owner Abraham Setrakian (David Bradley) who is clearly something of a Van Helsing in this universe. He seems to be the only one who knows the true threat the plane full of plagued passengers possesses. He also seems to be the only person who scares the two vampire overlords overseeing the outbreak.
Lastly, we have Gus (Miguel Gomez), who is unwittingly aiding the vampires’ plot on the assumption that this will be his last gig for the strange criminals. These plots overlap in some unexpected ways that, so far, seem irrelevant to the larger picture.
The show is at its best when it creates tension. Though we can often guess the fate of a certain character, how exactly that character will or will not die is one of the joys of scary entertainment.
The only downside to this is that, so far, the characters are all fairly one-note. Gus, for instance, is only working for the vampires to protect his family, while Dr. Goodweather is a talented at work but lacks as a family man. The show’s understanding of human psychology is never about the characters it creates, but rather how things scare us.
To really be great, “The Strain” will have to trust us to understand its themes – the voiceover is unnecessary – and also make us care about the characters threatened with violence. As it is, the show is fun. With a little work, it could be a bloody good time.
