How sad is this?

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Blistering performances.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Kicked out of Vegas for uncovering the presence of a creepy vampire, Darren McGavin's Kolchak refuses to abide by the old adage "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!" He heads to Seattle where he runs into old boss Simon Oakland, gets a new job working with him on John Carradine's newspaper, and goes undercover to discover why half a dozen women every 21 years are being murdered in the very same area. Along the way, he encounters some creepy Seattle citizens, among them a prissy library clerk (Wally Cox), a ghoulish professor of the occult (Margaret Hamilton), a drunken tramp (Al Lewis) who has seen perhaps too much, and a group of go-go dancers, one of whom (Joanna Pflug) he brings into his investigation, and another one with a very butch female lover. The mystery involves the old underground city and a nefarious civil war era doctor whose experiments are very Lugosi and Karloff like in their sinister goals.Obviously heading towards a TV series, Kolchak continues his witty observations about all of these freaky people and puts his own life in jeopardy just so he can get a story. It's ironic to see Carradine cast as a newspaper owner rather than one of the creepy characters involved in McGavin's investigation, and in her one scene, Hamilton is deliciously over the top and given some rather risque dialog. What could in a sense be called a variation of the Jack the Ripper case and the Boston Strangler mystery gets its own unique telling where once again McGavin's narration paves the way for intrigue, subtle comedy and a fun finale where everything is wrapped up yet left open for the potential series which came McGavin's way. A well known TV character actor gets to inhabit the role of the fiendish ghoul, a far cry from their respectable film and television roles, and chewing the scenery (and a few women's throats) along the way.

A reporter (Darren McGavin) hunts down a 144-year old alchemist (Richard Anderson) who is killing women for their blood."The Night Strangler" proved almost as popular as its predecessor garnering strong ratings and eventually prompting ABC to order a TV series (though neither writer Richard Matheson nor producer/director Dan Curtis was involved in the TV series).For me, this is actually the stronger of the two films, with a better mystery and a more interesting villain. The pacing is a bit off and seems a tad slow, due in part to its being pushed to 90 minutes from its original 74 minutes. It is not awful, and I shouldn't complain about more Kolchak. Rumor has it that still more footage exists somewhere... so maybe we'll see that in a Scream Factory release.

THE NIGHT STRANGLER is a better Kolchak movie than the original THE NIGHT STALKER for the following reasons.1.) Production values are obviously much higher. The sights of Seattle and the local color are much richer and the cinematography is much better.2.) Better supporting cast. Wally Cox is unforgettable as Titus Berry, Kolchak's greatest research assistant ever. But Al Lewis as the tramp is also brilliant, and so is Joanne Pflug, much funnier than Carol Lynley and just as sexy as Kolchak's love interest. And the old lady professor is brilliant. And the villain, aka Malcolm Richard, or Richard Malcolm, or Oscar Goldman. And of course Simon Oakland rules as Vincenzo. And don't forget Hollywood legend John Carradine as the feared Crossbinder! 3.) Much better story for the villain. While the vampire in THE NIGHT STALKER is just a one-dimensional hissing baddie, the tragic doctor in this movie has a backstory and a heartbreaking personal history. And his quiet sadness and horror at what he has done makes the horrifying climax even more upsetting. This is no common mad scientist, but a tragic hero on the level of Dr. Faust! 4.) Much more subtlety and dimension to the chilling horror. Watch the scene where Kolchak paints the mustache on the doctor's portrait. It's broad daylight, and a whole crowd of people are laughing, but as you start to see what Kolchak sees -- the man long dead is clearly still alive today -- a chill runs down your spine. Ditto the scenes were Kolchack and Mr. Berry are hunting old newspaper headlines. Couldn't be funnier, yet as the pattern develops it becomes quietly chilling.5.) Don't mess with Vincenzo. The chemistry between Kolchak and his boss is just as explosive here as in the original. "All right, I'm willing to buy that these two sets of murders might be connected. I'm even willing to buy that they might have been committed by the same man. But a man, Kolchak, a man. Not some sort of a SUPER DEAD MAN!"

The night Strangler is a better film in ways than 1972's The Night Stalker, and, of course, is the second TV-film featuring Darren McGavin as the seedy but ever-determined reporter Carl Kolchak. This film set up the comedic elements more strongly which carried-over into the TV series the following year. I must admit that Jo Ann Pflug is a heroine more to my taste than Carol Lynley(if something of a motormouth). she does seem a bit old to be a psychology undergraduate, not that it shows a bit in her belly-dancing scenes, of course.As others have noted, Richard Anderson's Dr. Malcom Richards is perhaps his best role, if fairly-brief - I do tend to think he is a somewhat sympathetic villain, much more so than Janos Skorzeny in the first film. He seems to have started out with a noble goal in mind before madness overtook him. His elixir of life does seem to make him bulletproof as well as giving him superhuman strength, and agility, else many of Seattle's police force are remarkably poor shots.In the novel by Rice, it is strongly hinted at that Richards is much older than in the film, and probably the historical figure Count St. Germain. Germain was an alchemist believed by some to have perfected something similar which extended his lifespan several times over a normal range for those interested in looking into him.I have wondered what it was Kolchak tosses throw Vincenzo's office window near the climax - a desk clock? To give Vincenzo credit, he did, indeed, try to publish the real story this time, though - I think in the series, only other instance of this was in "Primal Scream." have to love the closing scenes with Louise in the car along with Carl, and Tony! Clearly they never made it farther east than Chicago, but always wondered where Louise ended up...