AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

mark.waltz Kicked out of Vegas for uncovering the presence of a creepy vampire, Darren McGavin's Kolchak refuses to abide by the old adage "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!" He heads to Seattle where he runs into old boss Simon Oakland, gets a new job working with him on John Carradine's newspaper, and goes undercover to discover why half a dozen women every 21 years are being murdered in the very same area. Along the way, he encounters some creepy Seattle citizens, among them a prissy library clerk (Wally Cox), a ghoulish professor of the occult (Margaret Hamilton), a drunken tramp (Al Lewis) who has seen perhaps too much, and a group of go-go dancers, one of whom (Joanna Pflug) he brings into his investigation, and another one with a very butch female lover. The mystery involves the old underground city and a nefarious civil war era doctor whose experiments are very Lugosi and Karloff like in their sinister goals.Obviously heading towards a TV series, Kolchak continues his witty observations about all of these freaky people and puts his own life in jeopardy just so he can get a story. It's ironic to see Carradine cast as a newspaper owner rather than one of the creepy characters involved in McGavin's investigation, and in her one scene, Hamilton is deliciously over the top and given some rather risque dialog. What could in a sense be called a variation of the Jack the Ripper case and the Boston Strangler mystery gets its own unique telling where once again McGavin's narration paves the way for intrigue, subtle comedy and a fun finale where everything is wrapped up yet left open for the potential series which came McGavin's way. A well known TV character actor gets to inhabit the role of the fiendish ghoul, a far cry from their respectable film and television roles, and chewing the scenery (and a few women's throats) along the way.

AaronCapenBanner Effective sequel to "The Night Stalker" this time directed, as well as produced by Dan Curtis, this story again revolves around the mysterious murders of several women,this time in Seattle, where Kolchack happens to be. He first thinks it to be the work of another vampire, but all is not as it appears...Another fine guest cast includes Richard Anderson, John Carradine, Margaret Hamilton, Al Lewis, and Simon Oakland, returning as Carl's editor/best friend, who puts up with his antics to an amazing degree.Not quite as good as "The Night Stalker", this still memorably brings back the indelible Darren McGavin as fearless Carl Kolchack, a unique, one-of-a-kind TV character that sadly we have precious little of these days.The one-season TV series followed the next year.

Chase_Witherspoon The intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak (McGavin) returns to familiar paranormal territory as he uncovers a case of an apparently 'undead' fiend, maniacally bumping off hot models for their blood. Typically, his agitator brand of journalism and puritanical pursuit of integrity, rubs his superiors the wrong way leading to another double edged sword. Not as good as the predecessor ("The Night Stalker"), but still entertaining fare with another capable cast and effective chills.The characterisations are, essentially, the same as the aforementioned picture, with different actors in the respective parts; Scott Brady is in the Claude Akins role, John Carradine vice Kent Smith, Richard Anderson vs Barry Atwater, Jo Ann Pflug in for Carol Lynley etc etc. Despite the carbon copy, the set design is superior here, and the storyline involves a few more angles, even if the comedic tone is more pronounced. Dialogue remains taut and functional, and Simon Oakland is again borderline self-parody as Kolchak's long suffering editor, Tony Vincenzo. Overall, the key distinction here is that director Curtis (who served as producer on the first picture) treats the subject matter with much more humour.In spite of its age and relative confinement (TV scale), brevity keeps things absorbing and the appearance of beauties Pflug, Nina Wayne and Anne Randall (in a prominent cameo as a feisty policewoman) is a welcome sight amid all the macabre.

wes-connors Investigative reporter Darren McGavin (as Carl Kolchak) is back; this time, he's after "The Night Strangler". Once again, police officials and fellow journalists either disbelieve, or want to cover-up, the supernatural angle. Producer-director Dan Curtis presents the same basic story as his preceding "Night", with understandably less success.Mr. Curtis assembles a fun supporting cast, included are "Dark Shadows" alumni George DiCenzo and Ivor Francis. Jo Ann Pflug (as Louise Harper) heads up a sexy collection of belly-dancers. And, although I've never seen it mentioned anywhere, that must be Roger Davis as Mr. McGavin's dining companion in an early scene, feigning disbelief in the existence of vampires! **** The Night Strangler (1/16/73) Dan Curtis ~ Darren McGavin, Jo Ann Pflug, Simon Oakland, Wally Cox