|
 Darren McGavin
plays full time newspaper reporter and part time paranormal
investigator, Carl Kolchak.
Writer/producer/ director Chris
Carter acknowledges that The Night Stalker TV series was a major inspiration
to him when creating his popular television series The
X-Files.
This series
was one of those that should have been produced for many
seasons. Unfortunately, we have to settle for only two.
The Night Stalker
Made for TV Movie - Originally Aired: January 11, 1972
 Wisecracking Carl Kolchak is a rumpled news
hound plucked from the fast-talking newspaper flicks of the
1940s and dropped into the swinging '70s. What makes the
eccentric Kolchak even more unique, however, is his nose for
the supernatural, a trait that leaves his editor exasperated and the police less than amused. When
he insists that a late-night Las Vegas serial killer is a modern-day vampire, he's practically run
out of town by the local authorities. Naturally, he stalks the
vampire himself, an unlikely Van Helsing armed with a silver
cross, a wooden stake, and his ever-present tape recorder
and flashbulb camera.
The Night Strangler
Made for TV Movie - Originally Aired: January 16, 1973
The Night Strangler finds down-on-his-luck investigator Carl
Kolchak in Seattle, hot on the trail of a serial killer
hiding in the underground city beneath the streets, a
gas-lit fantasy world frozen in time. Exotic dancer and medical
student Jo Ann Pflug tags along as partner and bait, and the
exasperated Simon Oakland returns as Kolchak's harried
editor.
"Kolchak: The Night
Stalker" - Television Series
Originally aired 1974-1975
 Due
to its popularity and that of its main character, Darren
McGavin reprised his role as grizzled journalist Carl
Kolchak, whose beat for a Chicago-based news service brought
him into contact with werewolves, zombies, headless
motorcyclists, and other creatures of the night. Simon
Oakland, Jack Grinnage and Ruth McDevitt also starred. All
20 episodes from the series is now available on a three DVD
set, giving you a total of seventeen wonderful hours of
Kolchak.
The Ripper
Episode 1 - Original Air Date: 13 September 1974
When a rash of serial murders suddenly begins in the Chicago
area, Kolchak establishes a similarity between the new
killings and the murders committed by Jack The Ripper. The
killer soon reveals himself to possess superhuman
characteristics, and Kolchak suspects that they may be
dealing with the original Ripper after all.
The Zombie
Episode 2 - Original Air Date: 20 September 1974
Carl follows up on a series of murders where key figures in
the Chicago numbers racket are turning up dead, their spines
snapped by someone with incredible strength. The body of a
murdered numbers runner keeps turning up at the scene of
each crime, and Kolchak soon learns that someone is using
voodoo to gain revenge on the criminals in the form of a
murderous zombie.
They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be...
Episode 3 - Original Air Date: 27 September 1974
Kolchak is witness to a bizarre manifestation when an unseen
force decimates a building and causes a cache of lead ingots
to vanish into thin air. He soon draws a connection between
the disturbance and a series of incidents where both animals
and human beings are turning up dead, the marrow
mysteriously sucked out of their bones.
The Vampire
Episode 4 - Original Air Date: 4 October 1974
In this sequel to the original "Night Stalker" telefilm, a
road crew accidentally unearths the grave of a vampire in
Las Vegas, a female victim of Janos Skorzeny. Kolchak gets
word of the recurrence of vampire-like murders and flies to
Las Vegas under the ruse of interviewing an Indian guru, but
soon enlists the help of a friendly real estate agent in his
hunt for the home of the rampaging vampire.
The Werewolf
Episode 5 - Original Air Date: 1 November 1974
When a tax audit interrupts Vincenzo's plans to take a
cruise ship vacation, he sends Kolchak in his place to
follow up on a story about swinging singles. Kolchak becomes
more interested in a series of mutilations that begin taking
place on the ship, perpetrated by a creature that seems to
be half man, half wolf.
Firefall
Episode 6 - Original Air Date: 8 November 1974
Kolchak looks into several instances of spontaneous
combustion, where the victims were suddenly incinerated as
they dozed. He finds that the apparition of a renowned
orchestra conductor was spotted at the scenes of the crimes,
but the catch is that the conductor isn't dead. With the
help of a gypsy, Kolchak learns that a vengeful ghost known
as a "doppelganger" is at work, impersonating the conductor
in an attempt to take over his life. When Kolchak himself is
marked for incineration, he must avoid falling asleep until
he can stop the ghost once and for all.
The Devil's Platform
Episode 7 - Original Air Date: 15 November 1974
An aspiring politician is surrounded by a series of deadly
"accidents" that obliterate any opposition to his career,
and Kolchak discovers a bizarre supernatural element to his
campaign: a deal with the devil that affords him protection
and allows him to change form into that of an ominous dog.
Soon it's up to Kolchak to get him off the campaign trail
once and for all.
Bad Medicine
Episode 8 - Original Air Date: 29 November 1974
A Native American legend materializes in Chicago, and Carl
discovers it when he investigates the mysterious deaths of
two wealthy society matrons who possessed priceless jewels.
When the murders increase, Kolchak learns that the force at
work is know as The Diablero, a being cursed to roam the
Earth in search of valuable gems.
The Spanish Moss Murders
Episode 9 - Original Air Date: 6 December 1974
A pair of seemingly unrelated deaths are connected by the
fact that each victim had a small amount of Spanish Moss on
the body. When more murders occur, Kolchak is able to
determine that each victim is indeed connected to a comatose
Cajun man who is part of a sleep experiment where he is
denied the ability to dream. The man's subconscious is able
to physically manifest a vengeful monstrosity, the
"Paramafait", a legendary Cajun boogeyman who dispatches
anybody who wronged the sleeping man. Kolchak's intention to
stop the Paramafait marks him for death, unless he can stop
the creature before it kills him.
The Energy Eater
Episode 10 - Original Air Date: 13 December 1974
Kolchak faces another Native American monster, this one
known as the Matchemonedo, when he learns of a series of
mishaps taking place in a newly opened hospital. The
construction of the hospital has awakened Matchemonedo, an
invisible manifestation that causes ruptures in the
building's constitution, electrical outbursts, and deaths
that are seemingly caused by electrocution. Kolchak enlists
the help of a reluctant Indian shaman to combat the
rampaging force.
Horror in the Heights
Episode 11 - Original Air Date: 20 December 1974
Carl investigates a series of deaths that take place in a
community mostly populated by the elderly. The bodies are
partially devoured, seemingly by rats, but Kolchak begins to
suspect that a more sinister force is at work: a ghastly
flesh-eating Hindu demon known as the Rakshasa has set up
shop in the area, and it has the ability to take its victims
by surprise by appearing to them as the person they trust
the most.
Mr. R.I.N.G.
Episode 12 - Original Air Date: 10 January 1975
Kolchak writes an obituary for a deceased scientist, but
soon becomes involved in further investigation when no one
can give him a straight answer on how the scientist died.
Meanwhile, a mysterious figure goes on a rampage throughout
Chicago, stealing morticians' wax and Halloween masks.
Kolchak eventually finds out that the scientist was working
on Project R.I.N.G.: the development of an artificially
intelligent robot. R.I.N.G. killed his creator rather than
be shut down, and now the government is hunting it. Kolchak
must find where the robot is hiding and reveal the story
before the government catch up to R.I.N.G.
Primal Scream
Episode 13 - Original Air Date: 17 January 1975
An arctic oil-drilling expedition unearths some strange
organic matter, cells which begin to spontaneously multiply.
When the cooling unit in their storage facility fails, the
cells grow into a violent and deadly life-form, a murderous
ape-man. Kolchak finds the feature story he's planning on
writing about the murders blocked by the authorities at
every turn, and it seems that pressure from the large
corporation which sponsored the drilling is threatening to
squelch the truth about the murders.
The Trevi Collection
Episode 14 - Original Air Date: 24 January 1975
Kolchak arranges to meet an informer at the Trevi Salon. But
the man falls from an unoccupied top floor studio before
Carl can learn what he knew. Now the mob is after Carl, and
worse than that, so might be a supernatural force. A bit of
research leads Carl to some people who might be able to help
him. But all magic benefits from a little misdirection, and
Carl has to correct his mistake before the real culprit's
plan succeeds.
Chopper
Episode 15 - Original Air Date: 31 January 1975
Former members of a biker gang from the 50s are being
decapitated, and a key witness claims that the murders are
being committed by a headless figure on a motorcycle
wielding a sword. Kolchak pieces the story together and
finds that the specter is out to avenge his death due to
some rather unusual circumstances surrounding his burial.
Demon in Lace
Episode 16 - Original Air Date: 7 February 1975
When an ancient stone tablet is unearthed in the Mid East
and brought back to American for study, a deadly mystical
force is unleashed. Kolchak follows a series of deaths where
healthy young men were found dead of heart attacks, each
accompanied by the bodies of women who seemed to have died
in unrelated circumstances and locations. Kolchak discovers
that the murders are the work of a Succubus, a Sumerian
demon that assumes the form of recently deceased women and
lures men into her deadly embrace.
Legacy of Terror
Episode 17 - Original Air Date: 14 February 1975
A series of brutal murders all share a particularly grisly
characteristic: each victims has his or her heart cut out,
much like a human sacrifice. Kolchak discovers that the
murders are all connected to a modern-day Aztec cult that
has been preparing for an apocalypse for centuries. Kolchak
tries to stop the final sacrifice from being made, but he
soon discovers that the mummified corpse of the cult's
leader may not be as inanimate as it appears.
The Knightly Murders
Episode 18 - Original Air Date: 7 March 1975
A ghostly knight is making a habit out of executing certain
persons responsible for the 'desecration' of his burial
site; that is, anybody involved with the creation of a
restaurant/disco near the knight's resting place. Kolchak
catches on when he happens to be in the wrong place at the
wrong time and witnesses one of the murders with his own
eyes. An axe that's been blessed is the only thing that will
stop the ghost from exacting his gruesome revenge.
The Youth Killer
Episode 19 - Original Air Date: 14 March 1975
A dating service for young, fabulous singles proves to be a
breeding ground for supernatural murder when certain members
start turning up as elderly corpses. Kolchak makes the
connection and discovers that the proprietor of the dating
service has a mysterious way of remaining young and
beautiful.
The Sentry
Episode 20 - Original Air Date: 28 March 1975
An underground data-storage facility uncovers a problem when
they excavate a tunnel for a new wing. Carl investigates the
deaths of several employees of the facility who appeared to
have been killed by a wild animal, and he discovers a
rampaging reptile that has been disturbed by the digging of
the tunnel. As Kolchak tries to stay one step ahead of the
law, the beast continues its assault on the facility,
destroying anything and everything in its quest for the eggs
that have been stolen from its nest.
|
