10 Most Gruesome TV Shows Of All Time
8. The Strain
Even ads for Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan's adaptation of their trio of novels The Strain were considered controversial, featuring worms burrowing out of eyes. But that was just an appetizer for the gore onscreen when the show hit FX.
The novels focus on the spread of a vampiric outbreak worldwide. And Del Toro, never one to shy away from gruesome imagery even in what is largely considered a fairy tale (Pan's Labyrinth), played it for all it was worth. First pitched to Fox, the network asked the creator to lean heavily on more comedic aspects (?), so instead he and Hogan set about writing the books.
After the first was out, studios were clamouring for the rights, but neither author was satisfied with the likely distillment of a film adaptation. Instead, they turned to FX, the network most likely to remain faithful to the material.
Though the vamp blood is a milky, alien-like white, there's plenty of red spread around, as well as the usual stakings, decapitations and skin-peelings associated with vampires. And Del Toro, known for creatively designed monsters, includes plenty such creatures as well, with all the subtlety of a David Cronenberg film.