"A real horror story…"
Wisecracking reporter Carl Kolchak investigates a string of murders in Las Vegas and suspects the culprit is a vampire. His editor thinks he's crazy and the police think he's a nuisance, so Kolchak takes matters into his own hands.
Darren McGavin
Carl Kolchak
Carol Lynley
Gail Foster
Simon Oakland
Tony Vincenzo
Ralph Meeker
Bernie Jenks
Claude Akins
Sheriff Warren A. Butcher
Charles McGraw
Police Chief Ed Masterson
Kent Smith
District Attorney Tom Paine
Elisha Cook Jr.
Mickey Crawford
Stanley Adams
Fred Hurley
Wisecracking reporter Carl Kolchak investigates a string of murders in Las Vegas and suspects the culprit is a vampire. His editor thinks he's crazy and the police think he's a nuisance, so Kolchak takes matters into his own hands.
Judge for yourself its believability and then try to tell yourself, wherever you may be, it couldn't happen here. Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) is a cynical and brusk Los Angeles newspaper reporter who comes to believe the activities of a serial killer are in fact - those of a modern day vampire! It spawned a sequel and a TV series, such was the impact of this better than average TV horror movie. It's a film of many delights, full of rich and quirky characters, who come to life as the screenplay enjoys toying with audience expectations. Nicely photographed as well, there's a lot of love gone into bringing this to the screen. The great Richard Matheson adapts from a Jeffrey Rice story, while a roll call of excellent character actors of the 40s and 50s give stoic support to the magnetic and witty McGavin. Not as scary these days as it would have been to impressionable viewers back in 72, it's none the less a horror antique to cherish. 7/10
A formidable vampire is on the loose in Las Vegas RELEASED TO TV IN EARLY 1972 and directed by John Llewellyn Moxey, "The Night Stalker" chronicles events in Las Vegas when the bodies of several young women are found drained of blood. Intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) increasingly suspects that something supernatural is at foot, which his bellowing boss finds incredulous (Simon Oakland), as well as city authorities (Ralph Meeker, Claude Akins & Kent Smith). Elisha Cook Jr is on hand as an informant while Barry Atwater plays Janos Skorzeny. “The Night Stalker” was a hugely successful TV movie, which naturally led to a sequel, “The Night Strangler” (1973), and a series that ran for one season from 1974-1975 (20 episodes), not to mention numerous Kolchak books. This original movie was the best of the batch with “The Night Strangler” almost as good and even better in some ways. Both movies established the template (formula) for all that followed. What makes this movie “the best of the batch”? Answer: The streamlined story is full of intrigue, action, ravishing women, horror and suspense; and the jazzy score doesn’t hurt. As far as the women go, lovely Carol Lynley is on hand as Kolchak’s babe, but not enough is done with her. Nevertheless, there are 3-4 peripheral beauties. The sequel flick and the first episode “The Ripper” followed this pilot’s lead in the female department, but the rest of the series was rather weak on this front. Since this is a TV flick from the early 70s don’t expect a much gore. THE MOVIE RUNS 1 hour 14 minutes and was shot in Las Vegas with studio work done at Universal Studios & Samuel Goldwyn Studios, CA. WRITER: Richard Matheson (teleplay) & Jeffrey Grant Rice (story). GRADE: A-
This is a nicely done TV thriller. It's campy but has a dark mood that I enjoyed. The "Night Stalker" himself got quite a bit of screen time; he wasn't hidden in the shadows too much. There are a couple of short but good action sequences where the Night Stalker evades police cars, motorcycles, even gun fire. Kolchak manages to handle the Night Stalker a bit too easily when compared to the army of police and their failings, but that is all part of the movie's charm. Darrin McGavin as Kolchak was one of my favorite characters as a youth and I absolutely loved the TV series that followed soon after. Kolchak is different in this movie than he is in that TV series. He's mostly interested in getting the big story so he can get a job in New York again. He doesn't seem to be friends with his boss Tony Vincenzo in this. They seem very much at odds with one another. Kolchak greases a lot of palms and swings a few deals to get what he needs to score the scoop. I'm surprised he doesn't wear the light blue suit here. He's got the trademark porkpie straw hat, though. He also has a love interest who seems much too young and beautiful for ol' hairy Carl. Darren McGavin is fantastic as Kolchak, and this has a nice gritty '70s Las Vegas atmosphere.
After being run out of Las Vegas, reporter Carl Kolchak heads for Seattle and another reporting job with the local paper. It's not long before he’s on the trail of another string of bizarre murders. It seems that every 21 years, for the past century, a killer murders a certain number of people, drains them of their blood, and then disappears into the night. Kolchak is on his trail, but can he stop him?
Private eye Phillip Marlowe wants to get out of the detective racket and into crime writing. But when he's called to the office of editor Adrienne Fromsett, it's not to talk about his story ideas — she wants him to locate the missing wife of her boss, Mr. Kingsby. The assignment quickly becomes complicated when bodies start turning up.
Vacationing on historic Nantucket Island, a teenage mystery writer and her friends must outwit two scheming thieves to solve the secret behind a legendary ghost story.
Jane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.
Former prosecutor-turned-therapist Hailey Dean is a powerhouse, Mensa bright, and acutely observant. During a tragic week, one of her patients loses her parents to separate fatal accidents along with millions of dollars that has seemingly vanished into thin air. When the police begin to question Hailey's patient, shes knows she is innocent. But who is the culprit?
Hannah Swensen is thrilled when she is chosen as a guest for the first Eden Lake Dessert Bake-Off, but when fellow judge, Coach Bishop is found murdered, Hannah once again takes it upon herself to find the killer.
Two millennia ago, a Lybian king has a basilisk (snake-shaped dragon), which petrifies people, subjected to the same fate with a golden scepter during a solar eclipse. Both these and several victims are dug up by modern archaeologist Harrison 'Harry' McColl's expedition. Despite a cryptic warning from tribal locals, everything goes to his Colorado university's museum. It's all exhibited during another eclipse, which leads to the monster reviving. Harry and some of his friends must try to petrify the monster again.
A sister and her disturbed twin are implicated in a murder and a police detective must figure out which one's the killer.
A crooked politician finds himself being accused of murder by a gangster from whom he refused help during a re-election campaign.
Jennifer Shannon can always find a diamond in the rough, when it comes to garage sales, that is. Whether it's a new antique to sell at her consignment shop, an Atari game for her son or a piece of furniture for her handy husband Jason to refurbish, she has made a career out of her treasure hunting prowess. When a string of burglaries hits her town, Jennifer's keen eye for detail and her natural problem solving instincts even help her see the connection between these burglaries and local garage sales! Jennifer works with Detective Adam Iverson to investigate her theory that the perpetrators of the burglaries are fellow garage sale regulars. The case escalates to dangerous levels when Jennifer discovers the dead body of her friend. Even though the deceased's husband, Ben Douglas, finds nothing missing in their house, and the police label the death as accidental, Jennifer suspects that the death may be related to the burglaries.