"The horror continues…"
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?
Darren McGavin
Carl Kolchak
Jo Ann Pflug
Louise Harper
Simon Oakland
Tony Vincenzo
Scott Brady
Capt. Schubert
Wally Cox
Mr. Berry
Margaret Hamilton
Prof. Crabwell
Richard Anderson
Dr. Richard Malcolm
John Carradine
Llewellyn Crossbinder
Al Lewis
Tramp
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?
I just saw your "so-called killer" wipe up the street with your so-called police force! After the success the previous year of The Night Stalker, Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) returns for another feature film. The intrepid reporter with a quip on the lips and a disdain for the unbelievers in the suit wearing echelons, is now in Seattle and quickly realises that the current spate of killings are more than just the work of a serial killer. But can he convince the authorities of this? The formula is exactly the same here, Kolchak simultaneously locks horns with his editor and all the law enforcement people in his arc. He does a voice over for us, proves to be clearly better than the law officers in charge of the case, drops sarcasm as pearls of wisdom, and of course has charisma in abundance. The difference here is that the villain, elegantly played by Richard Anderson, has a voice, a sort of Count Dracula for the modern setting, a Eugene Tooms in embryonic form, he's a great villain and this in turn gives Kolchack more to get his teeth into. Of course the ending is never in doubt, but there's a whole bunch of fun and 70s style scares to enjoy during the ride. Joining the ever enjoyable McGavin are Jo Ann Pflug, Simon Oakland (again great foil for McGavin), Scott Brady, Wally Cox, Margaret Hamilton and John Carradine. A TV series would follow, such was the popularity of the character and its monster of the week formula, and it would influence none other than The X-Files some years down the line. Kolchack, legacy earned and warranted. 7.5/10
Every 21 years a formidable strangler is on the loose in Seattle RELEASED TO TV IN EARLY 1973 and directed by Dan Curtis, "The Night Strangler" chronicles events in Seattle when the strangled bodies of several young women are found. Intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) discovers that the same kinds of murders occur every 21 years dating back to the late 1800s. Simon Oakland plays Kolchak’s bellowing boss while Jo Ann Pflug appears as a genial belly dancer who assists Carl. Scott Brady plays the police captain while Wally Cox is on hand as a helpful scribe. Richard Anderson has a key role. “The Night Strangler” was the follow-up to the highly successful “The Night Stalker” (1972) and led to a series that ran for one season from 1974-1975 (20 episodes), not to mention numerous Kolchak books. The two pilot movies are the best of the batch and established the template (formula) for the series and books. Like the first film, there’s a lot of intrigue, action, ravishing women, horror and suspense, plus a percussion-oriented jazzy score that’s even better. “The Night Strangler” adds a little effective comedy and the antagonist is more complicated. The underground lair is mysterious and the mummified family is creepy, but the details of the alchemist’s elixir and strategy seem contrived. It’s good to have Kolchak team-up with someone (cutie Pflug), which rarely happens in the ensuing series, but it was welcome when it did (“The Energy Eater” and “Demon in Lace”). There are a few peripheral beauties (Regina Parton, Nina Wayne and Francoise Birnheim), which the rest of the series mostly lacked, except for the debut episode, “The Ripper,” and "The Werewolf." Since this is a TV flick from the early 70s don’t expect much gore. THE MOVIE RUNS 90 minutes (with the original TV release more streamlined at 74 minutes) and was shot in Seattle and the Bradbury Building in downtown, Los Angeles, with studio work done at 20th Century Fox Studios. WRITER: Richard Matheson (teleplay) & Jeffrey Grant Rice (characters & formula). GRADE: B+
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.
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.
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.
Jane Marple solves the mystery when a local woman is poisoned and a visiting movie star seems to have been the intended victim.
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.
Upon waking up to the news that the man she’d gone on a date with the previous night has been murdered, a young woman with only a faint memory of the night’s events begins to suspect that she murdered him while attempting to resist his advances.
When her friend Martin turns up murdered just hours after auctioning off an abandoned storage unit full of unique items to Jennifer, she is immediately pulled on the case as a key eyewitness. Working with Detective Lynwood, Jennifer helps single out a disgruntled customer as the prime suspect, while she and her business partner, Danielle, sift through boxes from the auction.
With The Cookie Jar, Hannah Swensen has a mouthwatering monopoly on the bakery business of Lake Eden, Minnesota. But when a rival store opens, and one of the owners is found shot to death in the store, Hannah is determined to prove that she wasn't the only one who had an axe to grind with the Quinn sisters. Somebody wasn't fooled by the Georgia Peaches and their sweet-as-pie act--and now it's up to Hannah to track down whoever had the right ingredients to whip up a murder.
When Hailey helps her friend Pam sell her recently deceased parent’s estate, she becomes suspicious when Pam suddenly leaves town without notice. To make matters worse, Pam's boyfriend is the sudden victim of an accident and the man Hailey's dating, Assistant Medical Examiner Dr. Jonas McClellan, falls critically ill. Now Hailey must determine: Are all these events a coincidence?
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?