The Night Stalker 1972
7.4 / 10
The Night Stalker
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.
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.
Videos & Photos
All 1 Videos & 6 Photos
cast
Full Cast & Crew
... Carl Kolchak
... Gail Foster
... Tony Vincenzo
... Bernie Jenks
... Sheriff Warren A. Butcher
... Police Chief Ed Masterson
User reviews
See All 2 Reviews23 Jun 2021 by John Chard
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
Directors:
Release Date:
Jan 11, 1972 (United States)
Run Time:
1hr 14`
MMPA Rating:
NR
Original Language:
English
Production Countries:
United States
Status:
Released
Plot Keywords:
Related Movies To
The Night Stalker
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-
Cast & Crew of
The Night Stalker
Directors & Credit Writers
... Director
Cast
... Carl Kolchak
... Gail Foster
... Tony Vincenzo
... Bernie Jenks
... Sheriff Warren A. Butcher
... Police Chief Ed Masterson
... District Attorney Tom Paine
... Mickey Crawford
... Fred Hurley
... Dr. Robert Makurji
... Dr. John O'Brien
... Janos Skorzeny
... Las Vegas Policeman (uncredited)
... Mrs. Brandon (uncredited)
... Intern (uncredited)
IC
Irene Cagen...
SF
Sig Frohlich...
...
...
...
Produced By
... Producer
HB
Hoyt Bowers... Casting
Videos & Photos of
The Night Stalker
Videos ( 1)
Photos ( 6 )
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