That was an excellent one.

Boring, over-political, tech fuzed mess

I am only giving this movie a 1 for the great cast, though I can't imagine what any of them were thinking. This movie was horrible

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

What a cast. Darren McGavin and Carol Lynley are more or less in their prime but the production has a striking assembly of supporting players that must by this time have been living on residuals -- Claude Akins, Kent Smith, Ralph Meeker, Elishah Cook Jr., and Charles McGraw whose face is now as mauled as his voice. Reminds me of John Ford's collection of falling stars in "The Last Hurrah." The plot is standard. McGavin is a hungry reporter in Las Vegas, always at odds with his boss, Simon Oakland, and pretty much hated by everyone else in authority. A number of young ladies are killed, their blood drained, and on the rare occasions when the killer is encountered, blunt force by the police doesn't stop him and neither do bullets. McGavin concludes that they're dealing with a vampire. When the scoffing is over, the authorities reluctantly accept his conclusion as well as his means of dealing with the vampire -- a crucifix, a wooden stake, and a mallet.The logic of the story is flawed. This is a kind of black comedy and a TV production so not much care goes into it. An informant tells McGavin the address of the vampire's house. The reporter then investigates the house, although it's night and we know the blood sucker is awake at night. Why not wait until dawn, you ask? Well, then you have no rough-and-tumble encounter between the Baron and McGavin. McGavin naturally loses the wrestling match but is saved by the arrival of a friend in the police department. Together -- and with the help of the crucifix and the Las Vegas desert sunlight -- they manage to destroy the monster. Not that it does McGavin any good. The police force the paper to kill the story and boot the reporter out of town.McGavin does well enough by the role of the cocky newspaperman. If sometimes he seems kind of dumb, well we all have our dumb moments. Lynley is luscious but is only there to prove that Darren McGavin's character is heterosexual. The supporting actors do the best they can with their roles. I prefer Kent Smith as the patient, reasonable, accommodating figure from the cat movies of Val Lewton. And I can't help wondering what Claude Akins would do in a sympathetic role.

Only in the glory days of television could you have a guy like Carl Kolchak-a middle aged reporter who's worn the same style of clothing for twenty plus years-be the main character and hero of a prime time event. Produced by legendary TV producer Dan Curtis and written by the equally talented Richard Matheson, "The Night Stalker" introduces us to that old school newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak, played by the late great Darren McGavin from "A Christmas Story", in what has to be one of his best and most iconic roles.Our story begins in the dazzling streets of Sin City, where a young woman is stalked and murdered by a creature of the night. Of course, the cops do everything in their power to try to cover up this fact but a certain dogged reporter just won't leave it alone (take a good guess who) much to their and Kolchaks's ever tortured boss ,Mr. Vincenzo's (Simon Oakland in his most memorable role) dismay. But as the bodies pile up, it soon becomes apparent to even the authorities, that only Kolchak has the answers to save the day. "Stalker" is a total blast to watch for several reasons but above all, Darren McGavin, who through his use of tape recordings, provides the audience with a straight forward and at times comical narration of events. Director John Llewellyn Moxey must also be praised for creating a spooky atmosphere for the film as well. And of course what vampire film would be complete without an effective Nosferatu and boy do we get it in the form of Barry Atwater, who may not say a whole lot, but manages to be quite memorable, I assure you! But there's something else I feel the film has and that is a grain of truth. Now I'm not saying that I believe in vampires; however in real life, when something strange is reported, something that defy's all natural logic, the authorities in charge-be they police, government, military,etc.-will never admit to the fact that they can't explain it. Rather, they will do everything in their power to down play the strange nature of the event by playing with words and burying the case as fast as they can (a fact that Kolchak learns the hard way). To sum it up, if you're in the mood for a fun filled, spooky movie, you can't go wrong with "The Night Stalker". Catch it on you tube sometime! Also starring Ralph Meeker, Claude Akins, Charles McGraw, and Carol Lynley.

So this is where it all begun. The enigmatic Darrin McGavin as Carl Kolchak the investigative reporter donning a straw hat, seersucker suit and white sand-shoes who always finds himself at the end of something supernatural that when it comes down to printing his story. Who's going to believe him. What was simply a one-off movie of the week had a winning formula which would spawn another made-for-TV film a year later (The Night Strangler) and a short-lived TV series which no doubts was an inspiration for latter TV shows. Nonetheless "The Night Stalker" was a made-for-TV feature produced by none other than Dan Curtis and the teleplay penned by Richard Matheson who adapted it from an unpublished novel by Jeffrey Rice. An ageing, former top crime newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak takes on a story, which sees a brutal murder of a showgirl. He finds out that the cause of death was due to her losing a huge amount of blood and bite marks where discovered on her neck. Then a series of murders start to occur in the same fashion, while also blood is being stolen from hospitals. The police are trying to conceal it, while Kolchak goes about getting clues to put in together. Could it be some maniac who thinks they're a vampire or is it the real deal?Fun, exciting, macabre and unique. Where's a better place to stage something which is strange and wonderful, Las Vegas is where those would considered those descriptions the norm. But the driving factor was the larger-than-life performance of McGavin, who's strong-willed and nosy persona was somewhat a nuisance for police authorities, political officials and of course his own editor, Vincenzo (play with vigour by Simon Oakland). These inter-actions were always amusing, for its suspense, but more so the witty laughs. This comes to light when he chucks out his vampire theory during a press conference, which of course he's shot down for. Even with the rich humour, the investigative side is tacked with snappy suspense and eerie thrills. Like those encounters when Kolchak watches on as the police struggle to contain the killer when they have him pinned or the finale standoff in a traditional Gothic sense which sees Kolchak risking his own life to finish the job which no one else will do. This makes the dying stages and final wrap-up in the District Attorney's office even more downbeat and heartfelt, as Kolchak virtually gets a stake to the heart in a no-win deal that sees him packing his bags after writing the story of his life for it to only hit the cutting room floor. Then you get the signature sign off. Matheson's clever script is a nice mix of horror and mystery with the witty, razor sharp dialogues and Kolchak's imitate voice-over lending well to the off beat story and highly engaging relationships (like the one McGavin's shares between the angelic Carol Lynley). The support cast are nothing short than remarkable; Ralph Meeker, Claude Atkins and Charles McGraw leave their marks. In the role as the sinister vampire, Barry Atwater is agreeably good with his striking features and overall silent, but animal-like presence. He's turn is more fiendish, than suave. Director John Llewellyn Moxey is sturdy in delivery. Production values are solid and the set-pieces are straight-forward, but comfortably competent in its positioning and use of shadows and lighting. An highly entertaining cult fare. "Don't look now, baby, but Kolchak's coming back in style."

This film is timeless. By timeless, I mean the story could not have been told any better. Of course the clothing and the cars, as well as the score seems dated, but so are these same features in Halloween, The Exorcist and a host of other classic horror films. Jeff Rice's idea of putting a vampire in a night-life city like Las Vegas was pure genius. The film itself is paced very well and we are completely absorbed within the atmosphere. The character of Kolchak, the reporter who figures out and tries to convince us all that this is a real vampire, is flawlessly portrayed by the always great Darren McGavin. I could go on about the movie, but it would become overkill since all of the other posters have hit it on the head. Do yourself a favor and BUY this film for your collection. If you are old enough to remember this movie as a pilot and then recall the series, you will have a blast watching it again. Great memories!