5. The Source Material
If you have not read the trilogy of novels from Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, (The Strain, The Fall and The Night Eternal), I highly recommend doing so. The novels mix together many different sub-genres within the overall horror theme. There's an element of the medical thriller, as the main character Dr. Ephraim Goodweather is an employee of the Centers for Disease Control initially called in to investigate what is believed to be some sort of disease. The story's vampirism is a biological plague that is transferred parasitically. You have a post-apocalyptic element since a large portion of the novels takes place after mankind has fallen and is under the rule of the vampires. The main characters have to live underground, scavenging for food and supplies and struggling to survive while trying to bring an end to the plague. And in one of the most unforgettable sections of the story, there's an element of historical fiction as the origin of the vampire is told in an amazingly creative twist on the mythology. The characters are engaging and easy to root for, from the unlikely hero Goodweather to Gus Elizalde, the gangbanger turned vampire killer who finds redemption battling the bloodsuckers. The villain is truly frightening and there is a very real sense that this story may not have a happy ending. Producer Carlton Cuse and crew have so much great material to draw from and adapt. And what makes it even better is that del Toro initially envisioned The Strain as a television show, but after being unable to garner enough interest he enlisted Hogan to help him craft the novels.