One of the most popular TV movies of all time, and still a witty and enjoyable, if extremely dated, 1972 film. Initially broadcast on ABC, it received an amazing 33.2 rating and 54 share, making it the most widely viewed TV movie of its time.
THE NIGHT STALKER was one of several TV movies scripted by the late Richard Matheson, and inspired a 1973 sequel, THE NIGHT STRANGLER, which in turn led to a 1974 TV series, KOLCHAK THE NIGHT STALKER. It was based on an unpublished short story by Jeffrey Grant Rice, although the film’s true inception was THE NORLISS TAPES, a previous TV movie directed by Dan Curtis, THE NIGHT STALKER’S producer—and a figure nearly as important to horror cinema as Matheson himself.
Las Vegas: an attractive casino employee is attacked and murdered by an unseen intruder while waking home from work one night. Her corpse is later discovered drained of blood through two throat wounds. Shortly thereafter a young cocktail waitress is killed in a similar fashion, as is a third young woman.
The eccentric detective Carl Kolchak investigates the murders. Upon learning that human saliva was found in the murdered womens’ throat wounds Kolchak deduces that a vampire—or at least someone who thinks he’s a vampire—is the culprit.
The killer strikes again, and this time is witnessed in the act by the mother of the showgirl victim. That of course doesn’t stop the killer from continuing his grisly business: he kills a woman’s dog and beats up several hospital attendants while attempting to steal blood. The freak is seen by Kolchak and several cops, and identified as a 70-plus year old fugitive. This is followed by a second confrontation with cops during which the suspect is shot around 30 times yet still runs away. This leads to the greatest manhunt in Las Vegas history, and the authorities’ grudging acknowledgment that Kolchak may be correct in his beliefs about vampirism.
Kolchak eventually breaks into a scary old house where the murderer is currently staying. Inside he finds a captive woman and the killer everyone is searching for, who is indeed a vampire.
The direction by TV veteran John Llewellyn Moxey is stylish and streamlined, especially by TV movie standards, and boasts a couple impressive Hollywood-worthy action sequences. The film further benefits from a charismatic lead performance by Darren McGavin, whose laid back demeanor was never better utilized. The script by Richard Matheson is unfailingly witty and inventive (if excessively plot-driven) in its unprecedented (for the time) combination of detection and supernatural horror.
I could have done without the DRAGNET-like voiceover narration, and also the dull wrap-up in which Kolchak learns of his fate. There’s also the fact that this is an early seventies TV movie, meaning it’s quite dated in terms of lighting, music, fashion and hairstyles.
Vital Statistics
THE NIGHT STALKER
American Broadcasting Companies
Director: John Llewellyn Moxey
Producer: Dan Curtis
Screenplay: Richard Matheson
Cinematography: Michael Hugo
Editing: Desmond Marquette
Cast: Darren McGavin, Carol Lynley, Simon Oakland, Ralph Meeker, Claude Akins, Charles McGraw, Kent Smith, Elisha Cook Jr., Stanley Adams, Larry Linville, Jordan Rhodes, Barry Atwater