Kolchak: the Night Stalker

RCMerchant · August 11, 2007, 10:48:34 PM

I used to watch this show all the time. It started as a TV Movie directed by Dan Curtis of DARK SHADOWS and DRPHIBES fame. The first involved a Polish(!) vampire ,and a follow up movie involved an immortal serial killer -the NIGHT STRANGLER.(I had the paperback novelization !)
Anyway....I loved this show! I didn't care about the fact that Carl ran into more monsters in a month than Abbot and Costello did in their whole carrers! It was fun! Sure,the f/x were cheezy (rember the one with the rubber suit dinosaur monster chasing Kolchak through the underground tunnels?) Any other fans of this old show?

the music was cool,too!

[youtube=425,350]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6E3NQ225_4

I remember this episode!

[youtube=425,350] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeDW18c00Js

Allhallowsday · August 11, 2007, 11:15:10 PM

Are you kidding? This show was monolithic on the old SCIFILM.org website, and has many devotees (but we all seem to be around the same age, y'know, 1960-63?)

I have both of the original TV movies on a DVD set, the first one is a masterpiece, one of the very best vampire movies ever made; the second one is fun and echoes the atmosphere of the first, but is fraught with holes in its storyline, is not nearly as scary, and it does get a bit corny with the working elevator to the underground city with more fog machines than a too-huge disco including fog-lights. The TV series was like an hour-long version of the second movie with a new monster each week. Darren McGavin? Who can complain? I loved it and mourned the day it was cancelled.

RCMerchant · August 11, 2007, 11:36:17 PM

Yeah...Simon Oakland as his boss always seemed on the verge of a heart attack!
I guess it was doomed to falilure...I mean-cmon! How many monsters can one man run into in the space of a year?

Still-it was a great show...(sigh)...Darren McGavin made it real...he always did such a bang up job!

Allhallowsday · August 11, 2007, 11:48:34 PM

Quote from: RCMerchant on August 11, 2007, 11:36:17 PM
Yeah...Simon Oakland as his boss always seemed on the verge of a heart attack!
I guess it was doomed to falilure...I mean-cmon! How many monsters can one man run into in the space of a year?
Still-it was a great show...(sigh)...Darren McGavin made it real...he always did such a bang up job!

I'm sure you're aware there was an attempt to revive the TV series but it was cancelled; I've seen one or two reruns on the SCIFI channel (I think) and I did not find it nearly as bad as many had said... but, one can never recapture the past, even at its kitschyest. The original movie and that superb music haunts my dreams, and the eyes, those black eyes of Janos Skorzeny... one of my favorites.

indianasmith · August 11, 2007, 11:51:25 PM

Oh wow did I love that show!!!! Even though I jokingly referred to it as KOLCHAK'S MONSTER OF THE WEEK, I never missed an episode. Good times, my junior high years.

Shadow · August 11, 2007, 11:56:50 PM

I was just a wee lad when this series was on, but I can remember my family watching it. I can also recall being scared by some of the imagery, like the creature in "The Spanish Moss Murders." I really want the DVD set, so I can relive those fading memories.

RCMerchant · August 12, 2007, 12:14:46 AM

I forgot all about the Mossman one!!!

Yeah! They came up with some crazy creeps! Another favorite of mine was this crazy biker with no head...he would drive around like a modern day Headless horseman with a sword...hunting heads! OOOOOieeeeiiooo!

JaseSF · August 12, 2007, 01:13:05 PM

I love Dr. Mality's tribute to it at his Wormwood Chronicles site. Just go to www.wormwoodchronicles.com and click Philm Phreaks...actually there's loads of great stuff at Doc's site and some familiar names amongst the regulars at his site's message board .

RCMerchant · August 12, 2007, 02:07:06 PM

Quote from: JaseSF on August 12, 2007, 01:13:05 PM
I love Dr. Mality's tribute to it at his Wormwood Chronicles site. Just go to www.wormwoodchronicles.com and click Philm Phreaks...actually there's loads of great stuff at Doc's site and some familiar names amongst the regulars at his site's message board .

DAM!! How did I ever miss this site? Super cool!!! Jeff Rice...! That's it! I had a paperback book called the NIGHT STRANGLER back in the 70's...he was the writer. I think I need to look around at this joint...!

raj · August 14, 2007, 02:57:06 PM

What a fantastic show. I both loved it and was creeped out by it. Sci-fi was rerunning them not too long ago, cheesy but still entertaining

felgekarp · August 15, 2007, 03:57:27 AM

Paid 40 quid for copies of it on dvd off e-bay thinking it would never get a proper release, some great stuff in it and a lot of wry comedy as well.

Mr_Vindictive · August 15, 2007, 08:40:03 AM

Kolchak was before my day and time but I always heard about how great it was. A cable station called Trio (now defunct) used to have a program called "Brilliant But Canceled" where they would air shows that were canceled way before their time. That's how I fell in love with Kolchak. Darren McGavin was a great actor and I love that he played Kolchak as a smartass. As was said before, some of the effects seem cheesy now, but it's still a ton of fun.

CheezeFlixz · August 15, 2007, 10:24:57 PM

Man I was devoted to that show, it was on I was there. Never missed it, now I'm going to have to see if I can rent it or pick up the series reasonable.

JaseSF · August 16, 2007, 10:52:55 AM

I'll take Kolchak, cheesy effects and monster suits and all, over any of today's lifeless CGI crap.

Dennis · August 19, 2007, 10:22:09 AM

This is one of my favorite shows, never missed an episode, had to get the DVD set, now I can watch Kolchak do his stuff whenever I want. Silly effects and goofy monster suits aside, what made the show for me was Darren McGavin's acting, especially enjoy his narration.