The Night Strangler

This is the sequel to the hugely successful "Night Stalker" and unlike most sequels this one was just as frightening and just as funny as the original. The story has just the right mix of horror and humor to have made it as successful as it was. The fact that it never took itself seriously and Darrin McGavin's performance helped to make this a very memorable film. After this the critically acclaimed, but short lived series was released the next year and it like this film and its predecessor are still great to watch.

The follow-up story to The Night Stalker once again finds wisecracking reporter Karl Kolchak investigating a string of bizarre murders that yet again points to an unnatural suspect. Deftly crafted and making fab use of its added runtime, The Night Strangler is just as impressive as its predecessor and is a sequel done right, for it takes what was good about the first film and builds on top of it.

Directed by Dan Curtis, the story follows almost the same route as before and retains all the fascinating aspects of the original. Additional runtime allows for more of Kolchak's ranting & friction with the powers that be. The plot is simple in structure but executed with finesse and the improved production value is evident in its elaborate set pieces. The antagonist however is less memorable in this one.

Just like the previous entry, the film comes equipped with a spooky atmosphere for the night scenes and the camera is skilfully utilised to heighten the build-up. Darren McGavin reprises his role as Kolchak and is even more abrasive, intruding & exasperating than last time which only works in the story's favour. The finale is a tad too expository and is amongst the weaker aspects but it still wraps the journey of a fine note.

Overall, The Night Strangler is slightly more polished in looks, more focused in content & more confident in executing the original formula and also improves upon the original in few aspects. Despite lacking a fearsome villain, the film makes up for it by creating an aura about him. The ride is almost as entertaining & satisfying if not more, the interest in the outcome is never lost, and McGavin's grating act comfortably steers the film past the finish line. A worthy sequel.

Follow-up to the 1972 TV movie "The Night Stalker". Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) is now in Seattle. It seems women are being killed and drained of their blood. It also seems this happens every 21 years. Kolchak investigates helped by a wacky woman (Jo Ann Pflug).

This is nowhere near as good as "The Night Stalker" despite having most of the same crew involved. The story is kind of vague and the comedy and scares don't really work. Still it looks fantastic, has great atmosphere and good acting. McGavin and Simon Oakland reprise their roles and are great. Pflug is too but her character is annoying. This lead to a TV show called "Kolchak the Night Stalker" which was not a hit but has a cult following now. So this is an OK movie elevated by good acting and atmosphere.

Relocated to Seattle, reporter Kolchak stumbles on yet another series of murders, a series which seems to be repeated every twenty-one years. Of the two movies, `The Night Strangler' has the slight edge. This is possibly down to its location, Seattle. Very unfamiliar to me, it adds certain freshness to the story, while the underground ‘old' Seattle is a fantastic location, macabre and memorable; it sticks in my mind long after watching the movie. The candle lit, cob-webbed corpses are perhaps one of the most vivid images in American genre television.

Also of note is Richard Anderson's villain, a crazed, immortality seeking Doctor, he is far more impressive than the original's vampire. A more assured script (which is genuinely funny in places), plus some enjoyable cameo's (Carradine, Hamilton), help make this a rare sequel which is better than the original.

Sadly, plans for a third movie were abandoned and instead a short-lived, inferior television series (without Matheson's involvement) resulted. A patchy effort, despite McGavin's best efforts it never attained the quality of the two movies.

Having seen this movie when it originally appeared on TV in the '70's, I can still remember the chills I got watching it. Seeing it again on video recently, those old chills returned and were just as enjoyable. Kolchak is one of my all-time favorite heroes, a bumbling regular guy who has enough faith in himself to follow his beliefs despite the road blocks thrown in his path by the authorities, who believe only they know the right way. The villain is not your run of the mill monster but as evil, lurking and despicable as the best of them. The premise of the movie that these things can and do exist unbeknownst to the gullible public is what makes this movie so much fun to watch. It makes you want to pull your covers up over your head on a dark stormy night just the way a great horror film should.