- Darren McGavin ( ) as Carl Kolchak
- Simon Oakland ( ) as Tony Vincenzo
- Jack Grinnage as Ron Updyke
- Ruth McDevitt as Emily Cowles
The Night Stalker (1972)
(75 min)
Shown 11 Jan 72
Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin - ) is a fifty-something newspaper reporter working in Las Vegas, although there is nothing distinct about the city and it was probably filmed on a back-lot in Los Angeles. He discovers an unsolved murder case, of a young woman who was drained of all blood.
As the bodies start to mount up, Kolchak embraces the one verdict that the Police refuse to accept. The serial killer is a vampire, and instead of arresting him they should stake him through the heart.
In a side note, the killer can only feed from a living victim but has found a way to survive on blood-bags. He has a captive victim, a universal recipient he can inject the blood into.
Night Strangler (1973)
(75 min)
Shown 16 Jan 73
This is set a year after the events of the original film, when Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin - ) was fired from his job as an investigate reporter at a newspaper in Las vegas. Now he is in Seattle, where he bumps into his former boss Tony Vincenzo who re-hires him and makes him the star reporter at the local Seattle newspaper.
Kolchak's first job is to cover the unusual murder of a young woman. He discovers a historical pattern. There were six murders in an eighteen-day period every twenty-one years, and the pattern started over a hundred years ago. This idea of a supernatural killer exposed by his recurring pattern occurred earlier, in one of Matheson's previous works - Star Trek TOS: A Wolf In The Fold . However, this is the TV show that inspired Chris Carter to create The X-Files - a show based around the idea of such patterns being detected by the FBI Cold Case squad.
There is a token woman in the cast. She is JoAnn Pflug , one of the killer's potential victims who works as a belly dancer in order to pay her way through college. Kolchak wants her as a love interest, even though she is probably half his age. In all fairness, the actress was in her early thirties at the time so there is only a twenty year age gap. Anyway, Kolchak settles for using her as bait to lure the killer out.
Finally, Kolchak investigates Dr Richard Malcolm (Richard Anderson - Six Million Dollar Man ). Unfortunately this actor does not get very many scenes, but he makes the most of the ones that he has.
The film tries to make use of the Seattle setting. For example, there are referential shots of landmarks like the monorail, the Space Needle and the Seattle Underground. However, this appears to have been filmed on a sound stage in Los Angeles rather than at real locations. For example, the climax takes place in a version of the Seattle Underground that is very different from the real-life location. It seems to have been the inspiration for the Undercity in the Judge Dredd comic-book stories, which itself seems to have inspired the Old New York of Futurama .
The ending is a setup for the full series. Since the show is set in Chicago, it is obvious that Kolchak and Vincenzo will not be stuck in Seattle for long. The only surprises are that they set out together for New York, and that they take the love interest along for the ride.
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 1]
The Ripper
Shown 13 Sep 74
Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin - ) is now in Chicago, once again working for Tony Vincenzo. His first job is to cover the unusual murder of a young woman. He discovers a historical pattern. If all this sounds familiar, it was the template for the made-for-TV movies and is basically the template for virtually every episode of the show.
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 2]
The Zombie
Shown 20 Sep 74
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 3]
They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be...
Shown 27 Sep 74
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 4]
The Vampire
Shown 04 Oct 74
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 5]
The Werewolf
Shown 01 Nov 74
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 6]
Firefall
Shown 08 Nov 74
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 7]
The Devil's Platform
Shown 15 Nov 74
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 8]
Bad Medicine
Shown 29 Nov 74
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 9]
The Spanish Moss Murders
Shown 06 Dec 74
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 10]
The Energy Eater
Shown 13 Dec 74
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 11]
Horror in the Heights
Shown 20 Dec 74
The local Jewish community is targeted by a demon. A local man, Phil Silvers (Sergeant Bilko), gives Kolchak info on the killings.
The main suspects are some Hindu people who moved into the area. They have been seen painting swastikas on walls.
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 12]
Mr. R.I.N.G.
Shown 10 Jan 75
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 13]
Primal Scream
Shown 17 Jan 75
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 14]
The Trevi Collection
Shown 24 Jan 75
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 15]
Chopper
Shown 31 Jan 75
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 16]
Demon in Lace
Shown 7th Feb 1975
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 17]
Legacy of Terror
Shown 14th Feb 1975
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 18]
The Knightly Murders
Shown 7th March 1975
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 19]
The Youth Killer
Shown 14 Mar 75
Night Stalker (1974) [Season 1, Episode 20]
The Sentry
Shown 28 Mar 75
