Kolchak: The Night Stalker (DVD)

The setting is Sin City. The year is 1972. The reporter is Carl Kolchak. The quarry is a bloodthirsty vampire.

So begins the very first TV movie to feature the character of Kolchak, which served as a pilot of sorts for the groundbreaking television series that ran for only one season (1974-5) before its restless star, Darren McGavin pulled the plug thus unknowingly ensured its semi-legendary status.

If Quincy was the first C.S.I. on the boob-tube, then surely Kolchak is the first paranormal investigator and the undisputed forerunner to the most popular show in the genre, The X-Files. (In fact Chris Carter readily admits to The Night Stalker being a major influence, and even cast McGavin in a few episodes of his show.) A cross between Frank Columbo and Fox Mulder, Carl Kolchak was a tenacious believer who looked like an average Joe. In his ever-present straw hat and seersucker suit, he would doggedly question witnesses with an almost “one more thing” kind of ease, all the while recording and snapping pictures with brazen chutzpah. At the time, the characters were described as “1940s comics come to life in the 1970s.”

The initial two TV movies, certainly the best Kolchak has to offer as far as writing (by Richard Matheson) and production value, are The Night Stalker (vampires in Vegas) and The Night Strangler (strangulations in Seattle). When the regular series began airing, Carl Kolchak had settled in Chicago and was working for Tony Vincenzo (Simon Oakland) — “We all have rats, sir. You should see the one I work for” — at the Independent News Service. Every week he solved a crime involving all manner of legendary supernatural creatures with his usual irascible, devil-may-care flair.

Kolchak: The Night Stalker is definitely dated. The stories seem so innocent compared to today’s primetime scripts. The special effects, though wisely minimal, are cheesy at best. The leading man doesn’t look like he just came off a GQ photo shoot. Yes, it’s admittedly a dated relic — but charmingly so. Like a pair of old, soft slippers the Kolchak DVD is a welcome friend on a cold October day.

All 20 episodes are included:

"Bad Medicine" — A ghostly medicine man is after the family jewels.

"Chopper" — Undead bikers rev Kolchak’s investigative motor.

"Demon in Lace" — A succubus stalks the local college campus.

"Firefall" — Spontaneous human combustion is the hot spot in this plot.

"Horror in the Heights" — A Hindu demon wreaks havoc.

"Legacy of Terror" — An ancient Aztec cult starts sacrificing the locals.

"Mr. R.I.N.G." — A robot gone bad.

"Primal Scream" — Angry apes run amuck in Chicago’s sewer systems.

"The Devil's Platform" — A senatorial candidate makes a pact with the Devil.

"The Energy Eater" — Horror in the hospital.

"The Knightly Murders" — Chivalry is not dead!

"The Ripper" — Is Jack back?

"The Sentry" — A lizard-like creature has its reasons for murder.

"The Spanish Moss Murders" — A creature from the Bayous has somehow made it to Chicago.

"The Trevi Collection" — A coven of witches puts fashion first.

"The Vampire" — A Las Vegas call girl takes a bite out of Sin City.

"The Werewolf" — A hideous hound stows away on a cruise ship.

"The Youth Killer" — Young people at a singles club start dying of old age.

"The Zombie" — Revenge, undead style.

"U.F.O." — An alien force is sucking the marrow out of peoples’ bones.

With this 3-DVD set you can join the hunt in the dark alleys and creepy hidden lairs of Chicago with Kolchak and super-70s guest stars like Scatman Crothers, Antonio Fargas, Sharon Farrell, Dick Van Patten, Jamie Farr, Larry Linville, Jim Backus and more. The shows have been digitally restored to “capture every shiver every scream, and every bump in the night” to quote the press release, but unfortunately… There are no additional goodies.

McGavin is still alive and kicking at 83, but even some vintage interviews with him and the cast and crew would have been welcome. Oh, well. We’ll take what we can get  (and anything is better than the 2005 Night Stalker update series with Stuart Townsend portraying a dour Kolchak who doesn’t even solve the crimes).

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Reviewed by Staci Layne Wilson