User reviews

The Night Strangler is the follow up to the successful 1972 TV movie 'The Night Stalker'. Aside from featuring similar titles, the films also share similar plot lines, and it could be said that this is something of a remake of the first film with a slightly more in depth story. I won't profess to be a big fan of the first film in the series, although I found it to be a more than decent TV movie and I did enjoy it. This film isn't a big improvement over the first one, although I would say it's an improvement; with a longer running time and a more well thought-out plot, this one delves into it's subject matter more and feels more like a proper movie than a made for TV movie. Darren McGavin once again plays Kolchak; a maverick reporter who this time finds himself in Seattle after being ran out of Las Vegas (probably for annoying everyone with his constant persistence!). Coincidence strikes and pretty soon he's on the trail of yet another vampire! He discovers that every 21 years for over a hundred years, a group of people have been killed within a small time period and thinks the murders are connected.

The thing that stands out most about this film is most definitely the central performance from Darren McGavin. His portrayal of the stubborn reporter is great to watch and always ensures that the film is entertaining. A lot of the film consists of our unlikely hero trying to convince the relevant authorities that his suspicions are fact and them disbelieving them. These scenes are fairly clichéd, although they are fun to watch; and again it's mostly because of McGavin's excellent impersonation of the central character. Since the film is really about the detective on the trail of the vampire, there's not a great deal of actual bloodshed or bloodsucking in the film, although that isn't much of a hindrance because as a thriller it works very well and director Dan Curtis does manage to create several moments of suspense that kick the action up a level. It's always obvious where it's all going, and the ending doesn't come as a surprise; but it's a fun time getting there. This film and the first one were pilots for a TV series and obviously they did the trick because Kolchak was solving more mysteries in his own TV series a year after this film was released.

Follow-up to the 1972 TV movie "The Night Stalker". Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) is now in Seattle. It seems women are being killed and drained of their blood. It also seems this happens every 21 years. Kolchak investigates helped by a wacky woman (Jo Ann Pflug).

This is nowhere near as good as "The Night Stalker" despite having most of the same crew involved. The story is kind of vague and the comedy and scares don't really work. Still it looks fantastic, has great atmosphere and good acting. McGavin and Simon Oakland reprise their roles and are great. Pflug is too but her character is annoying. This lead to a TV show called "Kolchak the Night Stalker" which was not a hit but has a cult following now. So this is an OK movie elevated by good acting and atmosphere.

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+

Relocated to Seattle, reporter Kolchak stumbles on yet another series of murders, a series which seems to be repeated every twenty-one years. Of the two movies, `The Night Strangler' has the slight edge. This is possibly down to its location, Seattle. Very unfamiliar to me, it adds certain freshness to the story, while the underground ‘old' Seattle is a fantastic location, macabre and memorable; it sticks in my mind long after watching the movie. The candle lit, cob-webbed corpses are perhaps one of the most vivid images in American genre television.

Also of note is Richard Anderson's villain, a crazed, immortality seeking Doctor, he is far more impressive than the original's vampire. A more assured script (which is genuinely funny in places), plus some enjoyable cameo's (Carradine, Hamilton), help make this a rare sequel which is better than the original.

Sadly, plans for a third movie were abandoned and instead a short-lived, inferior television series (without Matheson's involvement) resulted. A patchy effort, despite McGavin's best efforts it never attained the quality of the two movies.

The intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak (McGavin) returns to familiar paranormal territory as he uncovers a case of an apparently 'undead' fiend, maniacally bumping off hot models for their blood. Typically, his agitator brand of journalism and puritanical pursuit of integrity, rubs his superiors the wrong way leading to another double edged sword. Not as good as the predecessor ("The Night Stalker"), but still entertaining fare with another capable cast and effective chills.

The characterisations are, essentially, the same as the aforementioned picture, with different actors in the respective parts; Scott Brady is in the Claude Akins role, John Carradine vice Kent Smith, Richard Anderson vs Barry Atwater, Jo Ann Pflug in for Carol Lynley etc etc. Despite the carbon copy, the set design is superior here, and the storyline involves a few more angles, even if the comedic tone is more pronounced. Dialogue remains taut and functional, and Simon Oakland is again borderline self-parody as Kolchak's long suffering editor, Tony Vincenzo. Overall, the key distinction here is that director Curtis (who served as producer on the first picture) treats the subject matter with much more humour.

In spite of its age and relative confinement (TV scale), brevity keeps things absorbing and the appearance of beauties Pflug, Nina Wayne and Anne Randall (in a prominent cameo as a feisty policewoman) is a welcome sight amid all the macabre.

Part of the success of The Night Stalker and this its sequel has to be the ever-present humour created throughout the script in the character of Carl Kolchak. He is a character that is as stubborn as ever andone that despite his need/desire for a story shows more humanity and ethical standards than the system which continually steps on him. He is at one point a caricature...sneakers and the same suit and the same straw hat....and yet possesses common sense, intelligence and wit. These contradictions in character often provide a lot of comedic relief in the Night Stalker/Strangler movies and the television series as well. No one better understands this than Darren McGavin who essays the role of the obstinate reporter. Each of his performances is a real treat. And although I have been genuinely frightened by these films and the series...many of my fondest memories are about the funny things..the character traits(and outfit) of Kolchak, the discussions between Kolchak and super veteran character actor Simon Oakland(his boss), the situations Kolchak faces out of lack of care, and so on. In many ways The Night Strangler is a better film that the first one...perhaps not as scary..but better written and acted. Great character actors abound with the likes of Al Lewis, Margaret Hamilton, Wally Cox, and John Carradine. The story this time deals with the secret of a man who kills young women for their blood...a need he must satisfy every few years. He lives in a city below a city...and the shots of this subterranean polis are visually striking. Great story, great acting, wonderful sets, and lots of scary moments and funny ones make this a triumph of the small screen.

¨The Night Strangler¨ is the second Pilot and follow up to ¨The Night Stalker¨ film for the TV series . It finds reporter Carl Kolchak (Darren Mcgavin who wore a full hairpiece) is a veteran reporter for a Los Angeles newspaper who moves to Seattle , Washington State . After being run out of Las Vegasc, Kolchak heads for Seattle and another reporting job with the local paper where again finds his former boss (Simon Oakland) . Through more accident than design he ends up investigating homicides, many of which involve supernatural forces that lead him to believe a modern-day vampire is stalking Seattle . It seems that every 21 years, for the past century, a murderer kills a certain number of people, drains them of their blood and then disappears into the night , that is until the next 21 years passes, resulting in the killer's desscription is always the same . Kolchak turned his investigative skills to vampires , but in the end he always failed to convince his skeptical editor, Tony Vincenzo (Simon Oakland who held same role in the series) , that the stories weren't products of Kolchak's own overworked imagination. One man's quest to uncover the truth. 140 years ago he began to kill, rising from the caverns beneath the city to claim his victims. Every 20 years he must kill...to live. A vampire killer loose in Seattle? It's hard to believe, isn't it? . A real horror story. Television's Greatest Chiller Movie Becomes a Weekly Series! Ultimately, rather than reporting on the crimes, he solves them.

A superb and enjoyable made-for-televison chiller about a modern-day vampire stalking the streets of Seattle and the obstinate reporter on the trail of another string of bizarre murders similar to previous entry : Night Stalker . As the troublemaker reporter sets out in hunting down , while attempting to solve the mystery of several strangulations that recur every few years where the victims are drained of blood by a 144-year old alchemist who is killing women for their blood . This Richard Matheson's teleplay is suspensefu l, intriguing and tight . Main and support cast are pretty good . Darren McGavin is nice as the intrepid journalist on the bloodsucker's trail . Darren forms an amusing and funny couple with Simon Oakland , they often use to shout and argue . They're finely accompanied by a good cast , such as : Jo Ann Pflug , Scott Brady , Wally Cox , Margaret Hamilton, Richard Anderson , John Carradine, Al Lewis, among others . This second pilot was followed by 20 episodes in which Carl Kolchak was a reporter for Chicago's Independent News Service, and a trouble magnet for situations involving the supernatural beings as werewolves , vampires , zombies and all manner of legendary creatures, the series was the inspiration for The X - Files.

It contains an atmospheric and colorful cinematography by cameraman Robert Houser , shot on location in Seattle , Washington , though mostly shot in studio : Universal Studios , Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California. As well as suspenseful and frightening musical score by Robert Cobet. The motion picture was competently directed and in limited budget , as shooting was completed in a few weeks . Being financed by the notorious producer Dan Curtis , who created the series about Kolchak and this Night Strangler was well directed by Curtis himself at his best . He was a writer, producer and director of TV series , working from the 60s . Curtis was a specialist in terror genre as proved in ¨Dark shadows¨, ¨Trilogy of terror¨, ¨Night Stalker¨, or ¨Scream of wolf¨ and successful wartime series filmmaker as ¨Winds of war¨ and ¨War and remembrance¨ , among others . The Night Strangler(1973) rating : 7/10 . Better than average horror movie.

I love this movie! It's better, sexier, and even more scary than the original "The Night Stalker". I know sequels degrade the first films, but this is the best sequel besides "Scream 2" and "A Nightmare On Elm Street 3" that I have ever seen.

I love this movie and give it **** stars. SEE IT!

As you can probably derive from the title, the movie poster and the brief plot synopsis, "The Night Strangler" is almost identical to its predecessor "The Night Stalker". Is that bothersome? Perhaps a little… But can you blame writer Richard Matheson and producer/director Dan Curtis for copying themselves? No, of course not, because the original was such an unexpected but prompt and tremendous success that a sequel had to come and it had to come fast! And besides, the plot and atmosphere of the first film were so terrific that watching a rehash of the same story isn't irritating at all. Quite the contrary, "The Night Strangler" is once again a very entertaining and reasonably fast-paced combo between horror and detective, with cool humor and delightful characters. One year after he was unjustly chased out of Las Vegas, sewer journalist Carl Kolchak is wandering around in Seattle. He bumps into his old editor Vincenzo in a sleazy bar and – out of pity – gets offered a job. His first assignment is to report the bizarre murder of a showgirl, but the obsessive Kolchak quickly discovers that several Seattle unsolved murders are related and that the same type of crimes plagues the city of Seattle every 21 years. Once again Kolchak digs up classified police information, once again he doesn't stick to reporting the facts and one again every authority figure in town aims to shut him up! The best (and only innovative) thing about Matheson's script here is the wonderful usage of its filming locations. The culprit – an alchemist that keeps himself alive through murdering young women – has his hideout underneath the ground, in the old Seattle that was destroyed by a tremendous fire. A few years ago, I visited Seattle as a tourist and also took the underground tour, so I can confirm that it forms a unique and authentically creepy filming location for a monster like this! If you're still not convinced yet, the sequel features the awesome John Carradine as a furious and loud-shouting newspaper owner! The end sequences pave the road for a third movie entry that never got made, although apparently Matheson had the script ready, and instead the legendary TV-series were unleashed.

It's a toss-up, but Night Strangler is actually a better movie than the original Night Stalker it derives from. The characters are a lot more fleshed out in this one, while none of the horror is left to slide. There is an incredible range of performance from Simon Oakland, John Carradine, Wally Cox, and particularly Richard Anderson as the alchemist/murderer. There's humanity, pathos, horror, and comedy all mixed up in this one. The original is maybe scarier...but Stalker is still better.

Effective sequel to "The Night Stalker" this time directed, as well as produced by Dan Curtis, this story again revolves around the mysterious murders of several women,this time in Seattle, where Kolchack happens to be. He first thinks it to be the work of another vampire, but all is not as it appears...

Another fine guest cast includes Richard Anderson, John Carradine, Margaret Hamilton, Al Lewis, and Simon Oakland, returning as Carl's editor/best friend, who puts up with his antics to an amazing degree.

Not quite as good as "The Night Stalker", this still memorably brings back the indelible Darren McGavin as fearless Carl Kolchack, a unique, one-of-a-kind TV character that sadly we have precious little of these days.

The one-season TV series followed the next year.

Investigative reporter Darren McGavin (as Carl Kolchak) is back; this time, he's after "The Night Strangler". Once again, police officials and fellow journalists either disbelieve, or want to cover-up, the supernatural angle. Producer-director Dan Curtis presents the same basic story as his preceding "Night", with understandably less success.

Mr. Curtis assembles a fun supporting cast, included are "Dark Shadows" alumni George DiCenzo and Ivor Francis. Jo Ann Pflug (as Louise Harper) heads up a sexy collection of belly-dancers. And, although I've never seen it mentioned anywhere, that must be Roger Davis as Mr. McGavin's dining companion in an early scene, feigning disbelief in the existence of vampires!

**** The Night Strangler (1/16/73) Dan Curtis ~ Darren McGavin, Jo Ann Pflug, Simon Oakland, Wally Cox

This is the sequel to the hugely successful "Night Stalker" and unlike most sequels this one was just as frightening and just as funny as the original. The story has just the right mix of horror and humor to have made it as successful as it was. The fact that it never took itself seriously and Darrin McGavin's performance helped to make this a very memorable film. After this the critically acclaimed, but short lived series was released the next year and it like this film and its predecessor are still great to watch.

"The Night Strangler" was screenwriter Richard Matheson's sequel to "The Night Stalker," completed in Aug. 1972, only seven months since the original was broadcast, Darren McGavin returning as intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak, Simon Oakland also back as his 'bilious grouch' editor Tony Vincenzo. Instead of a modern day vampire on the loose in Las Vegas, Matheson recalled a tour of underground Seattle, the ruins of a 19th century culture that stirred him into creating a killer from another time ("The Time Killer" was one alternate title), committing a series of six murders of young women over a period of 18 days, only to disappear for 21 years until the next spate of killings. Kolchak finds himself happily employed once more due to a chance meeting with Vincenzo, but the honeymoon doesn't last long as a new story even more incredible begins to take shape due to the diligence of Daily Chronicle librarian Titus Berry (Wally Cox), who helps connect the dots by starting with a previous set of similar crimes from 1952, all detailing a loss of blood from a needle puncture at the base of the skull, rotted flesh left on each woman's crushed throat: "as if they had been strangled by a dead man!" Continuing their research further back, they discover that the same number of victims covering the same span of days dates all the way back to 1889, another lead arriving via author Mark Twain, describing a chance meeting with Dr. Richard Malcolm (Richard Anderson), a former Union army surgeon during the Civil War who believed that immortality was achievable through an 'elixir of life.' Margaret Hamilton puts in a splendid cameo as Prof. Crabwell, whose pontifications on the nature of alchemy conclude that the main ingredient necessary for this potion to succeed is human blood. All of this is too much for a beleaguered Vincenzo and aging publisher Llewellyn Crossbinder (John Carradine), compared by Kolchak to Cotton Mather (Vincenzo: "don't underestimate him, he may be old but his fangs are potent!"), while equally exasperated police captain Roscoe Schubert (Scott Brady) handles the case his own way, until all six victims are claimed by the 18th day. The connection between Dr. Richard Malcolm and a clinic named for Dr. Malcolm Richards leads Kolchak to the fabled Seattle underground and a final date with destiny, revealing a 144 year old culprit ready to disappear for another 21 years once he ingests the final dosage. McGavin may have clashed with producer/director Dan Curtis but it doesn't show in his performance, a spirited, robust presentation of facts (or 'screwball speculation' in Vincenzo's opinion) that even Carradine's publisher can't ignore, until such time that the reporter finds himself unemployed yet again, too damn effective for his own good (both McGavin and Oakland would repeat their roles in all 20 episodes of the subsequent series). As simple and straightforward as the first Kolchak outing was, this sequel is at least its equal with so many intricate threads tied together to weave a web of murder spanning more than a century, with another superb cast bringing it all to vivid life, and special kudos to the set design for the hidden underground, shrouded in fog and a marvel to behold with the rotted corpses in attendance.

While I really didn't think there was enough of a formula for an entire series, producer/director Dan Curtis shopped around three different TV movies hoping to be able to eventually get the go ahead for a series. First, Darren McGavin starred in "The Night Stalker". Second, he returned with Kolchak and brought McGavin back for "The Night Strangler". Oddly, instead of giving a chance for the networks to accept or reject this series, Curtis also made "The Norliss Tapes" and it was shown on TV only a few weeks after the second Kolchak film--even though the basic story was pretty much the same. Regardless, ABC soon okayed the series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker". I loved it as a kid, but see why the show only lasted a season. After all, how many monsters could the reporter uncover until the idea got repetitious? My watching "The Night Strangler" was actually a wonderful coincidence. In a few weeks, I am traveling to Seattle and the film is set in Seattle. The reason this is so exciting is that a major part of the show is the mysterious abandoned underground city--which I assumed was fictitious. However, I did a bit of research and there really IS an underground city--and they do tours!! As I have a couple free days, you can guess what I'll be going to see. I'll try to update this review afterwords.

In the first film, the reporter Carl Kolchak (McGavin) was working in Las Vegas when he discovered a vampire--yes, a vampire. Instead of being applauded for his efforts, he was fired from the paper. Now, he's in Seattle--and so is his incredibly grouchy old boss (played wonderfully by Simon Oakland). Against his better judgment, he hires Kolchak--who then begins investigating a weird string of murders. Thanks to some help from a researcher at the paper (Wally Cox), he soon learns that the same pattern occurs every 21 years since just after the Civil War--6 young women are murdered and the modus operandi is identical. Eventually, he comes to realize that it's the work of a fiend who has learned the secret to keeping himself alive for almost 150 years--by draining the blood from these women and using it to make some elixir! Despite an ending that is reminiscent to "Dr. No" (where there was a conveniently located self-destruct button for James Bond to push!), this is a very good film--better than the first one. The biggest reason is the spooky setting--particularly the underground. You really felt creeped out by this--which is great for such a film. Additionally, the sense of humor of the film is quite nice--with the repartee between Kolchak and his poor boss providing a lot of laughs--particularly just as the credits are about to roll. Fun and well worth seeing.

Wise cracking reporter Carl Kolchak is back, this time he's investigating a series of murders in Seattle, young women are being strangled with great force, crushing their spines and a small quantity of blood is being extracted by syringe. Upon further investigation these murders appear to be a pattern, repeated every 21 years and dating back to the 19th Century!

Personally I thought that Stalker is the better of the two Kolchak TV movies, however Strangler is great viewing. I think that there is more humour here though the last 20 minutes or so is pure horror. Kolchak (Darren McGavin) and his editor Tony Vincenzo (Simon Oakland) bounce of each other brilliantly, very entertaining. Horror legend David Carradine has a small role, "This isn't Fun Town USA, this is Seattle!" Brilliant! Another genre actor is Al Lewis, who played Grandpa in the 1960's TV series The Munsters, here he plays a tramp. Again, good fun. Proof that TV movies could be better than many cinema ones, pity they didn't produce a planned third film. Be sure to watch the end credits, they are very cool.

Item: supernatural murder mystery. Item: vicious and creepy villain. Item: cool and occasionally eerie soundtrack. Item: tension and scares. Item: sly and witty humor. Item: charismatic and relentless journalist.

'The Night Strangler' is sequel to 'The Night Stalker' where, again reporter Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin reprising his role without discount) is on the tails of mysterious killer who leaves behind victims drained from blood and with their neck crushed. This time the playground is Seattle. Kolchak relentlessly tries to convince authorities about his fact based theories while, again, he is left without help, as no one takes him seriously.

Maybe not as dark as its predecessor, but equally enjoyable.

Frankly, I had never heard of the Night Stalker series, or the Night Strangler film, but it is all B material. Direction by Ian Curtis is pedestrian, acting by Darren McGavin wearing a laughable little straw hat and running on tiptoe with bandy legs, plus the preposterous plot all combine to make this an average horror flick and an immediately forgettable experience.