The Night Stalker (1972) had the highest ratings of any TV film at that time. Development and production therefore began, immediately, to make a sequel titled The Night Strangler. The Night Strangler (1973) was also a success, garnering huge ratings and was a delight to critics and audiences alike.
They were going to make a third movie called The Night Killers in 1974 but instead decided to make the TV show Kolchak: The Night Stalker (1974-1975), with Darren McGavin reprising his role. I find these titles interesting. Since the sequel is called The Night Strangler, it seems to me that the titular “Night Stalker" in the original film is the vampire. But in the TV show, Kolchak himself is called the Night Stalker (I guess because he reports on supernatural creatures of the night). It was probably just because of brand name recognition, but I find that interesting nonetheless.
So, was The Night Strangler good enough to warrant a TV spin-off? You read the title, so you already know my opinion. The Night Strangler (1973) is even better than the original Night Stalker movie and is definitely worth your time. Like the original film, the DVD is currently out of print and is not on any streaming service. However, you can find a high-quality upload that I can link below. And as stated before, as of the time of this writing, you can stream the entire Kolchak: The Night Stalker series on Peacock.
Due to being kicked out of Las Vegas, Kolchak is now seeking employment in Seattle. And wouldn’t you know it, he runs into his old editor Tony Vicenzo played once again by Simon Oakland. I didn’t mention the editor in my first review, but this doesn’t mean I didn’t like him. It is just that his character didn’t stick out as much to me in the original. But his character has grown on me this time around. You can tell that he feels remorse for how things went down in Las Vegas and wants to give Kolchak another chance.
Of course, the paranormal seems to follow Kolchak around like murders seem to follow Jessica Fletcher around in Murder, She Wrote. Like Jessica Fletcher, Kolchak doesn’t necessarily seek it out, but it follows him around nonetheless. Life can be this way sometimes. Usually, when something unique happens to us, that’s it. It is a one-time freak occurrence.
But, I have heard of the unusual following people around. For example, Violet Jessup was a nurse who survived the sinking of the Titanic. Just four years later, she was on the Britannic, the Titanic’s sister ship, which also sank. A man named Roy Sullivan was struck by lightning seven times. I find these kinds of stories beyond fascinating, and it shows how truly bizarre life can be.
Vicenzo assigns Kolchak to report on a series of stranglings in which all of the victims were exotic dancers. You’d think these are all done by a creepy fan and nothing supernatural about it. I mean, after all, these things happen in the real world. So of course Kolchak would discover that there is a supernatural element to this story, much to the dismay of his editor.
Kolchak learns from the coroner's report that the victims' necks were crushed (a feat no human is strong enough to accomplish). They were drained of a few ounces of blood, and there were traces of rotting flesh on their necks. Kolchak, with the help of a nerdy librarian, discovers that just like in Las Vegas, a similar pattern of murders can be traced back over the years in Seattle. One of the more unique things they come across is an interview with Mark Twain (yes, that Mark Twain) conducted with Dr. Richard Malcolm who claimed to have discovered the elixir of life.
There’s a new supporting lady this time around, a college student named Louise Harper (played by the lovely Jo Ann Pflug), who is paying her way through college by working as an exotic dancer. Unlike last time, there’s no romance between the supporting lady and Kolchak, although it is clear that he does find her to be pretty. Originally she was just someone that Kolchak was interviewing for his story, but she decided to help him out.
I really like her character. She’s smart, charming, and self-confident, but not in the way that you usually see these sorts of characters in movies and shows. They tease her becoming a regularly occurring character at the end of the movie, but while the actress is in the TV show, she plays another character entirely.
So, what makes this movie better than the original? Well, it does what a good sequel is supposed to do. It gives more of what you want, but it develops the lead and places him in a new situation. That sounds simple enough, but you know as well as I do how many films seem to mess that up.
The music, my only nitpick from last time, fits a lot better here. Bob Cobert returns as the composer, but he does a much better job in my opinion. Can you hum the score? No. But, does it fit better with the scenes? Absolutely.
My favorite part of the movie is the scenes that take place at Seattle Underground. I looked it up, and yes it is a real place. And it is stunning to look at. As someone who is fascinated by urban exploring, I could spend hours wandering around down there. The filmmakers make full use of the scope and size of Seattle Underground.
While the hoarder's house look of the vampire’s lair in the original movie is creepy, the villain's lair in The Night Strangler is gorgeous to look at. This is one of my all-time favorite movie sets, and if you like movie sets, then you can’t miss this film. Seattle Underground is shown as a time capsule of what Seattle looked like in the late 1800s. It is abandoned and dusty to be sure, but has a gothic charm that shines on film.
(Spoiler comments) As stated before, the mystery here is similar to the one in the last film. The killer ends up being older than you think, and he has to kill in cycles to stay alive. What makes this villain better is that they give him more to say in the finale. The vampire was a more “stunt”-driven villain and had no dialogue. However, Dr. Richard Malcolm, played by Richard Anderson, does get a little bit of dialogue at the end and it is quite good.
He is still a monster, but you get why he did what he did. Kolchak had a hard time convincing the police in this movie about his theory that the killings throughout the years were connected because sometimes that killer was described as handsome and sometimes looking like a corpse.
The finale reveals that Dr. Malcolm has to make a new life elixir every 21 years or he will turn into a corpse and die. He has to use fresh human blood combined with a few other things. The more he takes it, the less he looks like a corpse. Dr. Malcolm seems to think the more time he has, he will eventually find a way to make the elixir permanent and therefore have no need to keep taking it.
Of course, if he hasn’t figured it out after a century, I don’t know why he doesn’t just give up and die. That sounds harsh, but remember that he kills innocent women to create this elixir and has lived 140 years.
Like the original film, The Night Strangler doesn’t necessarily have a happy ending, although it isn’t nearly as downbeat as being framed for murder. The police, including the police chief, witness Dr. Malcolm throwing himself off a balcony and turning into a skeleton. So, Kolchak can’t be framed for murder this go-round and no one can deny what just happened, right? Well, the police force Kolchak’s editor to censor the story, much to the fury of Kolchak himself.
Kolchak and his editor are then fired, and decide to move to New York City for a fresh start. Louise decides to skip the last semester of school to join them (which is why I cannot understand why she was not in the rest of the show). The TV show must take place after this because it takes place in Chicago.
So as you can see, I had a lot more to say about The Night Strangler, and in a good way, I still don’t feel like I did it justice. Basically, if you like Darren McGavin, a good mystery, fascinating sets, and even a few laughs, then check out The Night Strangler!
Link to The Night Strangler (1973) on YouTube: Click here to watch!
Read the original movie review. Click here!
