Eccentric and abrasive Las Vegas reporter Carl Kolchak stumbles upon the story of his life as a series of ghastly murders rock the city. It seems a modern-day vampire is preying on young women, and from the startling discovery of a dead girl's body stuffed into a garbage can in the opening scene, "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" enthralled and terrified audiences as it aired on January 11, of 1972. Legendary Dan Curtis, of "Dark Shadows" fame, produced one of TV's best and most-loved movies, and a memorable slice of 70's horror.
Darren McGavin is fantastic as the impulsive Kolchak- it's arguably one of the most memorable performances of the decade. It's almost hard to believe it back then, but ABC's Movie Of the Week was a big deal- and hands down tops of all TV-movies. And during that time, some of the greatest TV shockers of all time aired- titles such as "Don't Be Afraid Of the Dark", "Trilogy Of Terror", and of course, "Kolchak". The movie was so popular, a sequel, "Kolchak: The Night Strangler" followed, then a weekly series followed that. Based on science and folklore with a dash of supernatural thrown in for good measure, "Kolchak" was a ratings smash. Since it was produced by Dan Curtis, you can see traces of "Dark Shadows" here and there throughout "The Night Stalker". You can also see how influential "Kolchak" would be in the future with "The X-Files".
This is a great vampire flick with a witty and atmospheric script by the great Richard Matheson that crackles with tension and paranoia. They certainly don't make movies like this anymore. But thanks to Netflix and DVD's, they can still be enjoyed today. Often cited as the best TV movie of all time, the original and refreshing story of a modern-day Dracula terrorizing Las Vegas is a groovy, scary time capsule of the funky and weird 70's. I recommend a "Kolchak" double feature and watch back-to-back with its sequel, "The Night Strangler".
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