Rating: 
Summary: Bring on the TV Series
Review: I see TV show collections on everything from The Monkees (which I like, by the way) to MASH (good one, two), but why hasn't this classic show been issued? Let's hope it will soon -- along with the "Get Smart" TV series. Come on, my credit card is ready to go CHA-CHING!
Rating:
Summary: They don't Make Programs Like This Anymore
Review: Nobody but Darren McGavin could have played Carl Kolchak - he was the perfect actor for the role. If you've never seen the Night Stalker or Night Strangler movies you don't know what you're missing. Made-for-TV movies, the former served as the pilot for the series which ran several years and pre-dated the X-Files by 25. It was one of those "don't miss" series in the early '70's....highly enjoyable with just enough touches of horror to keep you on the edge of your seat. You knew it wasn't real, but that didn't stop you from biting your nails if you were so inclined. It also proved you can have outstanding TV and considering what is on today, you have to wonder what happened and where the TV programmers went wrong. If you want a good scare and first-class entertainment - pick this one up now.
Rating: 
Summary: Modern Character, Ancient Evil
Review: One of my favorite shows when I was a kid was "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" and I was always bummed that the show only lasted one season. I loved the character of Carl Kolchak and the way Darren McGavin played him.
And I've always thought it was very cool that Chris Carter, creator of "The X-Files," always acknowledges that NIGHT STALKER was a big influence on him.
The original TV movie, THE NIGHT STALKER, was a ratings monster back when it aired in the early 70's.
One of the reasons I think the story works so well is that you had the vampire legend told in modern-day Las Vegas where everyone--meaning every 20th Century human--refuses to believe no matter what the evidence shows. Except for Kolchak.
THE NIGHT STRANGLER is included, as well as interviews with Dan Curtis.
Definitely worth having.
(I've heard that plans are in the works to bring Carl Kolchak back to the screen. Something to look forward to!)
Rating:
Summary: Thoughts on MGM's DVD release
Review: The Night Stalker: Movie: ***** DVD Quality: ***** Extras: ***
The Night Strangler: Movie: ***** DVD Quality: ***** Extras: ***
Two beloved made-for-TV movies (which later inspired a short-lived series) are given the deluxe treatment on this MGM single disc release. Both films feature the inimitable Darren McGavin as veteran newshound Carl Kolchak, who has a special gift for sniffing out stories with a supernatural angle; and Simon Oakland as Vincenzo, Kolchak's skeptical and exasperated editor. In "Stalker", the two are in Las Vegas and become involved in a series of vampire murders; in "Strangler", the men have been chased out of town and meet up in Seattle where a very strong (dead) man is strangling young women and removing their blood! Produced by "Dark Shadows" veteran Dan Curtis and scored by "Dark Shadows" composer Robert Cobert, both films offer genuine chills perfectly balanced with just the right amount of humor, and both feature fantastic supporting casts of veteran character players, all of whom play their parts with relish.
The MGM DVD features superb video and audio transfers of each film. The soundtracks are crisp and clear, and the visuals are sharp with perfectly balanced color (you don't often see TV movies from the early 1970's looking this incredibly pristine, and I would guess that these programs did not look this good during their initial network television broadcasts). Each film is accompanied by a short interview segment with producer Curtis who provides nuggets of information regarding the making of these specific movies, his own career, and the process of making telefeatures in the 1970's versus today. Highly recommended as a worthwhile addition to your home video collection, this is a double feature you'll enjoy watching again and again.
Rating:
Summary: Kolchak - A Timeless Classic Series
Review: These two movies are the mostly highly-polished of the "Kolchak" series and are well-preserved in this DVD. While these movies don't have a tremendous amount of special effects (Some of the special effects were limited in the series) they do have gripping storylines and Darren McGavin really made the character of Carl Kolchak enjoyable. I've watched these movies dozens of times and they're great each and every viewing.
I watched the series as a kid when it first aired and it always scared the living daylights out of me! Simon Oakland is perfect as Kolchak's impatient ranting boss. The whole series is a lot of fun but might be too intense for young children.
If you're able to find copies of the series (apparently out-of-print) grab them and you'll have a great addition to your collection. An old-school newsman fighting monsters, management, city hall cover-ups and bureaucracy. Gotta love it!!!
Rating:
Summary: Nothing tops Carl Kolchak
Review: This is the horror series that turned horror tv and movie upside down. I hear the tv series Night Stalker is going to be released sometime next year as a collection library. I hope this is correct. Ill be the first in line for the tv series collection if it truely comes out. Untill then the movies do just fine B-)
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Summary: Seattle Strangler
Review: Though a lesser film than its predecessor, THE NIGHT STRANGLER is still an above-average sequel to the classic 1972 TV thriller THE NIGHT STALKER.Darren McGavin once more slips into the role of Carl Kolchak, the inquisitive and often brusque newspaper reporter who somehow manages to get crossed up not only with big city bigwigs but also with supernatural happenings. Last time, it was in Vegas and it involved a vampire. Now it's Seattle and the culprit this time is an aging monster (Richard Anderson) who goes on a strangling spree against women every twenty-one years to keep his youth. He lives in Seattle's famed underground city, which is why he routinely escapes detection. But McGavin's on the case alone, having to stop Anderson before he strikes again. And when he's not after Anderson, he must also deal with Seattle's city fathers and his irascible editor Tony Vincenzo (Simon Oakland). Featuring appearances by horror veterans John Carradine and Al Lewis, THE NIGHT STRANGLER is efficiently directed by "Dark Shadows" creator Dan Curtis, who served as the producer for the original NIGHT STALKER. McGavin is at his usual best, hard-nosed, tough, and with a tendency to rub those in authority exactly the wrong way. Richard Matheson once again has written a fine screenplay. Even though it is a slightly inferior film, mainly because a sex strangler in a place like Seattle is not quite like a vampire in Vegas, THE NIGHT STRANGLER is effective and atmospheric horror/suspense entertainment, highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Carl the Vampire Slayer?
Review: When I was 9, I used to stay up and watch Kolchak: The Night Stalker. To me, it was some seriously scary stuff. I didn't know at the time that the series was based on 2 made-for-TV movies from a couple of years earlier. Many years later I was in the Air Force in 1987 and stumbled onto the original Night Stalker on VHS. I immediately rented it. The memories came flooding back. The Night Stalker, when originally aired, became the most viewed TV movie ever (at the time). It would be many more years before I got to see the second movie, The Night Strangler as part of this DVD double feature. The Night Stalker is the story of Carl Kolchak (played by Darren McGavin), a formerly respectable reporter who fell on hard times and has ended up at a Las Vegas newspaper, searching for the one big story that will propel him back to the New york daily papers and the Big Time. That big story comes in the form of a killer with amazing strength who is, for some reason, draining his victims of blood. There is much nervous joking about the killer thinking he is a vampire. However as Kolchak follows the killer's trail, he comes to the impossible realization that the killer may indeed be a genuine vampire, and since no one else will believe or at least admit the possibility, it is up to him to kill it. The character of Kolchak works because he is a lot like the rest of us. When the killer discovers him in hiding, Carl screams like a little girl and runs like mad! It makes us examine how we would truly react if faced face-to-fang with a REAL mythical undead creature. Carl is cowardly in many ways but he is noble on some level too. He risks his life to stop the creature, but then again, maybe he is just doing it to land that perfect story. The Night Strangler takes place in Seattle (Kolchak moves there after the events of the first film) and he bumps into his old editor from the original movie, Anthony Vincenzo (played by the great Simon Oakland)and begs his way into another job. Soon he is investigating a series of murders where the killer apparently re-appears every few decades. This story is very similar to the character of Toomes in the first season of the X-Files, and since Chris Carter's inspiration for X-Files was the Kolchak series, it is possible that this resemblance is not coincidental. As many other reviewers have mentioned, it is a SHAME that the Kolchak TV series has not been released on DVD yet. I am sure it will happen eventually, but the sooner the better. These movies are 30 years old now, but they still hold up today. Just try to ignore the polyester suits, plaid sports jackets, and go-go boots! Note: in August 2004 a new release of these 2 films is being issued. It supposedly will have some featurettes and interviews. I am reviewing the 1998 release which has no extra features. Hold out for the new release if you have not bought this yet.
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