Collider | ‘The Strain Season 3’ Review

Collider

The Strain can be an incredibly frustrating show. It has so many elements that could make for great horror television — a charismatic cast, a striking visual palette, creative creature designs and expertly rendered effects, not to mention the support of genre genius Guillermo del Toro, and a home on one of television’s most creatively ambitious networks — and yet the series so rarely aligns those elements in a way that fulfills its potential. While The Strain has always suffered a wearying slow burn, savoring the gradual spread of The Master’s vampire apocalypse for a bit too long at every turn, the first three episodes of Season 3 make it painfully clear that the lackadaisical narrative pace is crippling the show and sucking the life out of its hard-earned moments of victory.