Konterr
Brilliant and touching
SeeQuant
Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction
Bob
This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.
norman-bloom
I have the DVD series and have watched it right through.I watch the series at night after 9pm for maxament effect.
I like all the series and episodes. Its too bad the series only lasted for 1 season 1974 to 1975.
The remake in 2005 was so bad it didin,t last that long and was canceled after 13 episodes.I wasn,t sorry. You can,t re create a great series like the original nightstalker.The new one had too many characters in it and made carl kolchak weak and it wasn,t even funny at times.I recommend the original series its the best and its a shame that the series didin,t have a longer run.I liked Tony Vincenzo,s character played by Simon Oakland. Him and Carl strangely enough had some good weird chemestry. There were laots of familiar faces in the series and I have the only 3 disc DVD of the series.I do have the Nightstrangler 1972 only on VHS. I loved Carls clothes. It was him and that hat was like a bird ,s nest on his head. He was identifiable at all times. But at least he got down to the story and delt with whatever he had to do. The police couldn,t do what Carl did. He had guts I tell you.You don,t find that in todays news reporters. carl stood out from all others. His boss must be proud of him. If you find this series I recommend you watch it.
jpm4444
My mom and I were very much into horror films. As a little kid I loved being scared and Kolchak: the Night Stalker was more than happy to oblige me. The creators of X-files constantly gave credit to this series as being their foundation. They even wanted the Kolchak character to be a part of the series. The stories are smart and fun and keep you thinking. A handful of the stories are a little campy like the Sentry which uses a walking reptile like creature, but for most of the stories they deal with evil entities based on the supernatural, folklore, and legends. I love the Tony Vincenzo character; Carls' angry and often yelling editor in chief who is always fighting, but also always supporting Kolchak. From the actors to the great music, this series is a must have for any true horror fan. If you are looking for a slasher series, then this isn't it. For a fun, smart, and often scary and interesting ride, it doesn't get any better than the Night Stalker. I have the DVD series and I watch it often.
walshtim94
Some of the scariest bits on TV were delivered by Karl Kolchak for us. "THe Vampire" was one of the best non-Dracula vampire stories ever shown on television. This is the scenario: a victim of the vampire Janos Skozeny was never found and destroyed by Las Vages police. After some earth is moved by heavy equipment, she claws her way out of the dirt and frightens a woman. She makes her way to Los Angeles and gets a job as a high priced hooker. As a call girl, she wear huge amounts of pancake and rouge. She kills the sister and her sister's boyfriend, and then wreaks havoc on the Los Angeles's Rams offensive line. Kolchak arrives in time to get bit, but he shows her a cross and she cowers away. Of course, Kolchak has to dispatch the vampire without the help of skeptical police (Kolchak, people disappear every day, is Amelia Earhardt supposed to show up as a vampire?) This female vampire is the scariest, vicious, feral lady vampire this side of the Borgo Pass. Even Drac would not want to be on her bad side. Other memorable episodes are Jack the Ripper, RING, the alien, the headless motorcyclist, the immortal, the witch, the goddess, the satanic politician (not a redundancy) and the rakshasa. The best horror serial of TV. Comparable to the movie. Kolchak in Vincenzo are in Chicago for the series, having been driven out of Vegas by the authorities who knew that Kolchak killed the vampire Skorzeny.
Woodyanders
It's a genuine shame that this spin-off TV series inspired by the superior made-for-TV pictures "The Night Stalker" and "The Night Strangler" only lasted a single season and twenty episodes, because at its best this program offered an often winning and highly entertaining blend of sharp cynical humor (Carl Kolchak's spirited verbal sparring matches with perpetually irascible and long-suffering editor Tony Vincenzo were always a treat to watch and hear), clever writing, nifty supernatural menaces (gotta love the offbeat and original creatures in "The Spanish Moss Murders," "The Sentry," and "Horror in the Heights," plus you can't go wrong with such tried'n'true fright favorites as zombies, vampires, werewolves, and witches), colorful characters, lively acting from a raft of cool guest stars (legendary biker flick icon William Smith got a rare chance to tackle a heroic lead in "The Energy Eater" while other episodes featured great veteran character actors like Keenan Wynn, John Fiedler, John Dehner, Severn Darden, and William Daniels in juicy roles), effective moments of genuine suspense (the sewer-set climax of "The Spanish Moss Murders" in particular was truly harrowing), and, best of all, the one and only Darren McGavin in peak zesty form as the brash, aggressive, and excitable, but basically decent, brave, and honest small-time Chicago, Illinois newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak.Kolchak was the quintessential 70's everyman protagonist, a wily and quick-witted fellow with a strong nose for a tasty scoop and an unfortunate knack for getting into all kinds of trouble. Moreover, the occasionally bumbling Kolchak was anything but superhuman; he usually either tripped or stumbled while running away from a deadly threat, yet possessed a certain inner strength and courage that enabled him to save the human race time and time again from all kinds of lethal otherworldly foes. Kolchak was surrounded by a handful of enjoyable secondary characters: Simon Oakland was perfect as Carl's chronically ill-tempered boss Tony Vincenzo, Jack Grinnage as the prissy Ron Updyke made for an ideal comic foil, Ruth McDevitt was simply delightful as the sweet Miss Emily Cowles, and Carol Ann Susi was likewise a lot of fun as eager beaver rookie Monique Marmelstein (who alas disappeared after popping up in only three episodes). Granted, the show did suffer from lackluster make-up and special effects (the titular lycanthrope in "The Werewolf" unfortunately resembles a Yorkshire terrier!) and the latter episodes boasted a few laughably silly monsters (the headless motorcyclist in "Chopper," Cathy Lee Crosby as Helen of Troy in "The Youth Killer'), but even the second-rate shows are redeemed by the program's trademark wickedly sly sardonic wit and McGavin's boundless vitality and engagingly scrappy presence.
