Lechuguilla Narrated by eager-beaver newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin), "The Night Stalker" is Kolchak's account of his involvement in the murder cases of multiple young women in Las Vegas. His narration style is that of a diary of major events, even citing the date and time of day. The script consists of a talky first half wherein a lot of the scenes take place in meetings and one-on-one chat between Kolchak and his co-workers. Action picks up in the second half after the villain has been identified.There are several major problems here. First, Kolchak is not an especially likable guy. He's arrogant, cocky, egocentric, superior, and dominates discussions. Second, the ghoulish theme I found boring. I would have much preferred a standard whodunit with multiple suspects. The film does contain suspense, especially in the second half, but by that time the viewer already knows who the killer is.In addition, the script makes use of the old standby cliché whereby the lone hero solves the case and in the process makes the paid cops look inept. Also, there's no real point to the "Gail Foster" character (Carol Lynley), though Lynley does a nice job in the role.Production design, color cinematography, and editing are acceptable if a bit uninspiring. But that's to be expected, I suppose, given that this is a TV movie. Background music is jazzy in a 1960s sort of way, except for appropriately creepy sounds during the fairly suspenseful second half. Casting is fair. Actors Oakland, Meeker, Smith, and Akins have a similar look and tend to blend into a single character. Overall acting is average."The Night Stalker" (1972) is a cinematic vehicle for Darren McGavin. The film will appeal more to horror fans than fans of whodunit murder mysteries. Since an explanation by logic is not possible in a supernatural theme story, I just could not relate to it. Though by no means a bad movie, I find nothing special about it.

Spikeopath 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

AaronCapenBanner This 1972 TV film introduced audiences to Carl Kolchack, played indelibly by Darren McGavin, who here investigates a series of brutal murders he discovers to be the work of a vampire! Great supporting cast of guest actors include Carol Lynley, Claude Akins, Kent Smith, Elisha Cook Jr. and Simon Oakland, who would become a regular with McGavin in the sequel "The Night Strangler" and subsequent series.A wonderful blend of humor and horror, this film cast Barry Atwater as an evil vampire preying on women in Las Vegas, and Carl's frustrating attempts to convince the police that the vampire is real; they do believe him, but are afraid of the bad publicity such a discovery to the public would mean for the city, so... Don't wait for me to tell you, watch this film to find out!A classic TV film is one of the best ever made; A must see for horror fans!

sol1218 ***SPOILERS*** After a number of Las Vegas show girls are brutally murdered with their blood drained out of their bodies hard nosed reporter Carl Kolchak,Darrin McGavin, smells a big story in what he feels is behind those savage killings. Kolchak is certain that it was a vampire who did the women in and he was going to prove it even he ended up becoming one the the vampire's victims himself.With the Mayor and police commissioner of Las Vegas trying to prevent a city wide panic the thought that a legendary vampire was on the loose in the city Kolchak's story is put on hold with his editor Tony Vincenzo, Simon Okland, telling him to drop the whole thing and report on an upcoming beauty contest instead. It's when it become obvious to everyone even the city officials that some supernatural psycho with a craving for human blood is out killing people it's decided to finally go alone with Kolchak's plans in killing him. But only have it kept from the public together with the killer's by now some dozen drained of their blood of victims.The killer turns out to be 72 year old Romanian immigrant Jonos Skorzeny, Barry Atwater, whom it's found out has used a number of aliases in countries like Britain and Canada as well as here in the US over the last 50 or so years. Skorzeny used those phony names in him getting jobs as hospital orderlies and ambulance drivers where there's freshly dead, but still warm, people as well as blood banks available to him where he has access to the life giving human blood that he so desperately needs. Despite Skorzeny's craving for blood he also seems to be immune to bullets or anything thing else that can kill a mortal man and even worse has the strength of ten man despite his advance, in him being over 70 years old, age!***SPOILERS*** Reporter Kolchak finally hits pay-dirt when one of his stooges or informant little Mickey Crawford, Elisha Cook Jr, find out the address-13-13 Black Raven Lane-where Skorzeny spend his days locked up in his coffin. Kolchak now plans to do the guy in, when he's fast asleep and isn't looking, by driving a wooden stake through his evil heart and thus put an end to Skorzeny's regain of terror in the city of Las Vegas. Not quite sure what time of the day it is Kolchak, suffering from sleep deprivation, seemingly having lost his sense of time goes to confront and kill the sleeping in his coffin Skorzeny in almost the dead, or darkest before dawn, of night! In Kolchak not bothering to wait until the sun comes up where it would be suicide for Skorzeny to emerge from his deep sleep!Wild showdown between Kolchak and the vampire Skorzeny with Kolchak's good friend Las Vegas police detective Bernie Jenks, Ralph Meeker, joining in with the vampire in the darkness of night quickly getting the upper hand on the two of them. Just when it looked like curtains for both Kolchak & Jenks an attentive, in him finally knowing it's morning and about what turns vampires off, Kolchak pulled down a curtain in Skorzeny's lair and lets the sun shine in. Together with a crucifix and stake slammed into his heart Kolchak puts him on ice at the local city morgue together with his dozen or so victims. It was just too bad for Kolchak in that he couldn't file his big scoop of a story in what Skorzeny did and how he finished him off. That's in what kin of legal trouble he was in by being threatened by the Las Vegas police department and the city D.A Tom Pain,Kent Smith, with a murder indictment in him killing an "innocent man", Jonos Skorzeny. Since Skorzeny wasn't even arrested indited or tried for his crimes. It was in that way the city officials felt that the true story of the Vampire of Vegas would never see the light of day. Which was far more important to them then preventing the mass killings that Skorzeny committed in the city that Kolchak did everything possible, including risking his life,to prevent!