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''The Night Stalker'' is an American
made for television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, ap ...
which aired on ABC on January 11, 1972 as their
ABC Movie of the Week ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
. In the film, an investigative reporter, played by
Darren McGavin Darren is a masculine given name of uncertain etymological origins. Some theories state that it originated from an Anglicisation of the Irish first name Darragh or Dáire, meaning "Oak Tree". According to other sources, it is thought to come from ...
, comes to suspect that a serial killer in the Las Vegas area is actually a
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
. The film was based on the then-unpublished novel by Jeff Rice titled ''The Kolchak Papers'' (a.k.a. ''The Kolchak Tapes''). Rice said he wrote the novel because, "I'd always wanted to write a vampire story, but more because I wanted to write something that involved Las Vegas." Rice had difficulty finding a publisher willing to buy the manuscript until agent Rick Ray read it and realized the novel would make a good movie. The 1973 novel (renamed ''The Night Stalker'') wasn't published until after the TV movie had already aired, and was delayed according to Rice because the publisher wanted both Rice's original novel and the 1974 sequel ''The Night Strangler'' (written by Rice but based on the screenplay by author
Richard Matheson Richard Burton Matheson (February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013) was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is best known as the author of '' I Am Legend'', a 1954 science fictio ...
) so "they could be placed on the top of the publisher's list in the 1 and 2 positions for 1974." Directed by John Llewellyn Moxey (a veteran of theatrical and TV movies) who shot the movie over 12 days, adapted by Richard Matheson, and produced by Dan Curtis (best known at the time for ''
Dark Shadows ''Dark Shadows'' is an American gothic soap opera that aired weekdays on the ABC television network, from June 27, 1966, to April 2, 1971. The show depicted the lives, loves, trials, and tribulations of the wealthy Collins family of Collinspo ...
''), ''The Night Stalker'' became the highest rated original TV movie on US television, earning a 33.2 rating and 48 share. The TV movie did so well it was released overseas as a theatrical movie and inspired a sequel TV movie titled '' The Night Strangler'', which aired on January 16, 1973, a single-season TV series of twenty episodes titled '' Kolchak: The Night Stalker'' which ran on ABC between September 1974 and May 1975, and a short lived 2005 TV series called '' Night Stalker''. Actor Darren McGavin recalled that his involvement began when "My representatives called to say that ABC had purchased the rights to a book called ''The Kolchak Papers''. They were into a kind of first draft of a script by Richard Matheson, and they called the agency to ask them if I'd be interested in doing it. My representative read it and called me." The popular TV movie, along with its sequel and the TV series, provided the inspiration for Chris Carter's ''
The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...
''. Carter featured actor Darren McGavin in the show as a tribute to the actor and the project that inspired his popular series. Originally Carter had wanted McGavin to play Kolchak, but the actor elected not to, so the role was rewritten, making McGavin's character Arthur Dales, the "father of the X-files".''The Night Stalker Companion'', by Mark Dawidziak


Plot

Kolchak, sitting on the bed of a sleazy hotel room, is listening to a replay of his dictation on his portable tape recorder. The notes are about a series of murders that have plagued the
Las Vegas Strip The Las Vegas Strip is a stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard South in Clark County, Nevada, that is known for its concentration of resort hotels and casinos. The Strip, as it is known, is about long, and is immediately south of the Las Vegas cit ...
, and a cover-up of those events by the authorities. All of the victims had their bodies drained of blood. When a meeting is conducted with the sheriff's department, the FBI, the police, and others, they discover the suspect's true identity is Janos Skorzeny, who is the prime suspect in multiple homicides extending back years, involving massive loss of blood. When Skorzeny attempts to rob a hospital, the police are called to stop him. Skorzeny is shot multiple times without effect, and manages to escape by outrunning a police car and motorcycle. Kolchak's girlfriend, Gail Foster, a casino 'change girl', urges him to explore vampire lore. The evidence persuades Kolchak to suspect that Skorzeny is a
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mi ...
, much to the disbelief of his boss Anthony "Tony" Vincenzo. Following yet another failed attempt to capture Skorzeny despite overwhelming police force, the authorities strike a deal with Kolchak to eschew their traditional investigative methods for his vampire-centric approach in exchange for giving him exclusive rights to the story. Acting on a tip, Kolchak locates Skorzeny's safe house and pursues the story on his own, fearful that the police will renege on their deal. Compromised when the vampire returns, Kolchak struggles to escape and is nearly killed by Skorzeny before his friend FBI Agent Bernie Jenks, alerted to Kolchak's presence in the house, arrives and joins the fight. Realizing that dawn has broken, Kolchak and Jenks force a weakened Skorzeny back against a sun-drenched staircase and stake the vampire, just as authorities burst through the front door. Kolchak writes his version of the story for the newspaper and proposes to his girlfriend, telling her that they will both move to New York City. The authorities, however, unwilling to publicly admit that Skorzeny was the vampire Kolchak claimed, print a false version of the newspaper story with his byline and threaten to charge him with first degree murder unless he quietly leaves Las Vegas. They also tell him that his girlfriend Gail has already been forced to leave the city for being "an undesirable element." Carl exhausts his savings placing personal advertisements across the country in a futile attempt to find her. The final scene reverts to Kolchak in his sleazy hotel room. He explains that if anyone tries to verify the events in the book, they will find that all witnesses have either left town, are not talking, or are dead. He concludes by noting that Skorzeny and all his victims have been cremated, destroying any further ability to investigate the matter and eliminating the possibility that those killed by Skorzeny would in turn rise as vampires and perpetuate the curse.


Cast

*
Darren McGavin Darren is a masculine given name of uncertain etymological origins. Some theories state that it originated from an Anglicisation of the Irish first name Darragh or Dáire, meaning "Oak Tree". According to other sources, it is thought to come from ...
as Carl Kolchak *
Carol Lynley Carol Lynley (born Carole Ann Jones; February 13, 1942 – September 3, 2019) was an American actress known for her roles in the films ''Blue Denim'' (1959) and '' The Poseidon Adventure'' (1972). Lynley was born in Manhattan to an Irish ...
as Gail Foster * Simon Oakland as Tony Vincenzo * Ralph Meeker as Bernie Jenks *
Claude Akins Claude Aubrey Akins (May 25, 1926 – January 27, 1994) was an American character actor with a long career on stage, screen, and television. He was best known as Sheriff Lobo on the 1979–1981 television series '' B.J. and the Bear'', and ...
as Sheriff Warren A. Butcher * Charles McGraw as Police Chief Ed Masterson *
Kent Smith Frank Kent Smith (March 19, 1907 – April 23, 1985) was an American actor who had a lengthy career in film, theatre and television. Early years Smith was the son of Mr. and Mrs. James E. Smith. He was born in New York City and was educated ...
as District Attorney Tom Paine * Elisha Cook Jr. as Mickey Crawford * Stanley Adams as Fred Hurley * Larry Linville as Dr. Robert Makurji *Jordan Rhodes as Dr. John O'Brien * Barry Atwater as Janos Skorzeny


Subsequent history

''The Night Stalker'' garnered the highest ratings of any TV film at that time (33.2 rating - 48 share). That resulted in a 1973 follow-up TV film called '' The Night Strangler'' and a planned 1974 film titled ''The Night Killers'', which instead evolved into the 1974-1975 television series '' Kolchak: The Night Stalker'', with McGavin reprising his role in both. An episode of the series titled "The Vampire" was an actual sequel to ''Stalker'', deriving its story from characters introduced in the film. The " undesirable element " is a holdover from the original script where Gail was more clearly inferred to be a Las Vegas prostitute that Kolchack was romantically involved with. This was changed when standards and practices had her changed into a casino employee. Following the series' cancellation, the franchise was still highly regarded enough to prompt two more TV films, which were created by editing together material from four previous episodes of the series, with some additional narration provided by McGavin as Kolchak to help connect the plot lines. No new footage was included. On September 29, 2005 ABC aired a remake of the 1974 series ''Kolchak: The Night Stalker'', titled '' Night Stalker''. ABC owned the rights to the original TV films, but not the Universal TV series, and were limited only to using characters that had appeared in the films.


Home media

The film was released in 2004 by
MGM Home Entertainment Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment LLC ( d/b/a MGM Home Entertainment and formerly known as MGM Home Video, MGM/CBS Home Video and MGM/UA Home Video) is the home video division of the American media company Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. History ...
as a
double feature The double feature is a motion picture industry phenomenon in which theatres would exhibit two films for the price of one, supplanting an earlier format in which one feature film and various short subject reels would be shown. Opera use Opera h ...
DVD with '' The Night Strangler''. The DVD also has a 21-minute interview with producer and director Dan Curtis divided between each film: 14 minutes of him discussing ''Stalker'', and on the flipside, seven minutes of him discussing ''Strangler''. Both films, issued on October 2, 2018, were released separately on HD Blu-Ray and DVD, featuring new 4K transfers by Kino Lorber, Inc.


See also

*
List of American films of 1972 This is a list of American films released in 1972. ''Cabaret'' won 8 Academy Awards including Best Director and Best Actress. ''The Godfather'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture. __TOC__ A–C D–G H–M N–S T–Z See also * ...
* List of ''Kolchak:The Night Stalker'' episodes * List of films set in Las Vegas *'' Crackle of Death'' (3rd produced movie) *
Vampire films Vampire films have been a staple in world cinema since the era of silent films, so much so that the depiction of vampires in popular culture is strongly based upon their depiction in films throughout the years. The most popular cinematic adaptat ...


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Night Stalker (1972 film), The 1972 horror films 1972 television films 1972 films 1970s comedy horror films 1970s thriller films ABC Movie of the Week Occult detective fiction 1970s English-language films Films based on American novels Films set in the Las Vegas Valley Films about journalists American horror television films Films with screenplays by Richard Matheson Films directed by John Llewellyn Moxey American vampire films Films adapted into comics 1972 comedy films The Night Stalker (franchise) 1970s American films