On N List of Movie Reviews
(For optimum viewing, adjust the zoom level of your browser to 125%.)
The Night Stalker (1972)
Rate:
6
Viewed:
10/19
10/19:
Kolchak seemed a familiar name to me, yet there was Telly Savalas' Kojak, so I had no idea until I saw
The Night Stalker.
It was hitherto the highest rated telefilm of all time, spawning a sequel before being transformed
into a TV show which ran for merely twenty episodes. Now, that's not bad, and my interest in the latter had been piqued.
Now, let's be honest: the film is guilty of being made-for-TV with a lot of cheesy fade-outs. Some of
the acting, especially from Simon Oakland, is terrible. Yet it's nice to see Ralph Meeker who's a pro at this, having
appeared in a similar picture called Kiss Me Deadly.
Sporting a straw hat like a meddlesome newsman, Darren McGavin does a good job. He's the sole reason why the film
works even though the premise is silly given Fred Dekker had done it a lot better later in
The Monster Squad. At least, Darren McGavin gets me through the whole thing with his
antics although I find it interesting that his character was allowed to roam freely through
crime scenes with access to significant witnesses and ask them questions at will.
Unfortunately, I hate how quickly it had turned into a vampire movie; the feeling of banality begins to sink in when
Kolchak is at the house, ready to drive the wooden stake into Prince of Darkness' heart. Any time the archvillain's
eyes are shown in a close-up, all I can think of is Christopher Lee, hence the desperate need for originality.
All in all, The Night Stalker is a nice stab at mishmash of neo-noir and supernatural horror, but the
made-for-TV feel has to go.