|
|
 - Includes All 20 Episodes Of The 1974-1975 Series!"INCLUDES ALL 20 EPISODES OF THE 1974-1975 SERIES!" [from the sticker of front cover of the DVD case] Rating: - Classic Science FictionThe Night Stalker blends mystery,horror and imagination into one. Although this series doesn't have alot of blood or gore, the suspense comes from shadows, glimpes or ideas the stories portray. Some humor is added by Darren Mcgavin as the bumbling Kolchak. While trying to convince the police he is not insane or just plain seeing things, Kolchak manages to solve the murder or mystery of this once weekly series. Series was taken from the movie, "The Night Stalker", about a vampire who terrorizes Las Vegas. Some of my favorite episodes include, The Ripper, Chopper, Horror In The Heights and Demon In Lace. Series is nothing special by today's standards, but people who watched it back in the 70's will still appreciate this fine show. Rating: - A Walk Back In TimeTo write this review I have to admit my age but for a short lived show, this was great. Action, mystery, horror, it was a kids dream come true. It's wonderful that someone has opted to forever preserve this in DVD format. If you prefer the past over the future, you'll love this. It's a show the entire family can watch without fear of scenes nowdays that could only be seen previously in a movie theater. Rating: - What a great show to watch!!!I lived in Chicago when this series came out & it brings back sweet memories seeing this show again, since Kolchak is based in Chicago as a reporter for a 2nd tier newspaper. I like the plots, as they're interesting & with many lines of humor mixing with the supernatural. I also like Simon Oakland as his boss. Kolchak is of the old school of reporters like Edgar R. Morrow & Ernie Pyle, just updated to horror school. It's interesting to see the big cars used back then & the fashions. The scripts are intelligent & each episode moves so fast. I love watching this late at night with a storm raging outside. I just don't understand why this show only lasted one season. A true classic. BUY! Rating: - One of the greatest TV shows EVER.Darren McGavin stars as the irrepressible Carl Kolchak, fearless reporter for Chicago's Independent News Service. Ever dressed in seersucker suits and a porkpie hat with a camera and tape recorder slung over his shoulder, Carl shows up everywhere that news is happening, much to the chagrin of the local authorities. Kolchak has a knack for finding the story behind the story, and that story usually has something wrong with it; something that makes it unfit for printing and often puts Kolchak in some very uncomfortable situations. He's faced vampires, werewolves, witches, mummies, zombies, immortals, and more, but his biggest adversaries tend to be the people in charge who keep his stories from getting out to the public. If you haven't seen the 1974/75 television series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker", you've really been missing out, especially you "X-Files" fans, as this is the show that inspired that whole search for the truth. After two hit TV movies in '72 and '73 (available on a double-feature DVD), Kolchak returned with these weekly adventures that spanned 20 episodes of witty tales of the macabre, pitting Kolchak against a cavalcade of monsters that varied from frightening to ridiculous. As a kid, the Alligator creature from the Sentry episode scared me I think, but today it looks rather like a High School football mascot costume, ha. The show featured guest stars galore, including the lovely Lara Parker of Dark Shadows fame back as a witch whose fits of laughter seem more than a bit excessive. In this DVD set you'll find all 20 episodes with varying picture quality, though it's decent throughout. There are only three discs holding the twenty 44 minute episodes though, meaning they are double-sided (so ya gotta be extra careful with 'em) and a lot of sets have had issues. I had to do a return myself in order to get one in which all the episodes played properly. I bought my younger sister, the X-Files fanatic, a set too, and she didn't have any troubles, thankfully. There are no bonus features, but at least you'll have the whole show with this set. The episodes are as follows: 1. The Ripper: Yep, Jack the Ripper seems to be back alive and in Chicago! 2. The Zombie: A dead man returns for revenge on those who laid him out! 3. They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be...: This is the alien episode. You can really see how X-Files got inspiration from this one! 4. The Vampire: A victim of the first Kolchak TV movie's vampire has returned as the living dead and is now stalking Hollywood! 5. The Werewolf: On a cruise ship, Kolchak runs into a werewolf who enjoys tossing people around. 6. Firefall: If you've ever been curious about dopplegangers (my friend's wife is sure she is being plagued by one), this episode is for you. And there's spontaneous human combustion no less! 7. The Devil's Platform: Tom Skerritt plays a devil-dealing politician to perfection! 8. Bad Medicine: A Native American demon is robbing high-rises of priceless jewels! 9. The Spanish Moss Murders: A Cajun boogeyman is killing people in Chicago, but is it just a dream? 10. The Energy Eater: A Native American Bear God is taking people out for building on his territory. 11. Horror in the Heights: A Hindu demon begins attacking the elderly in a neglected part of town. 12. Mr. R.I.N.G.: Artificial Intelligence turns deadly! 13. Primal Scream: Kolchak goes up against a man-eating ape-man grown out of Antarctic cell samples. 14. The Trevi Collection: The fashion industry is plagued by murders that could only be the work of a model witch. 15. Chopper: When a motorcycle gang member returns from the grave, Kolchak is the only one who cares, as usual. 16. Demon in Lace: A succubus plagues a college campus and causes young men to drop dead. 17. Legacy of Terror: An Aztec cult begins making sacrifices at a fancy hotel, and the final sacrifice will require a mummy's participation. 18. The Knightly Murders: The Black Knight attacks! 19. The Youth Killer: Who knew Helen of Troy was such a terrible person? She's alive and well, and running a very deadly dating service in Chicago. 20. The Sentry: A reptilian creature is tearing apart the workers in an underground facility, and Kolchak is the only one who can stop it! I used to watch Kolchak reruns late Friday nights on CBS in the '80's as a kid, and I LOVED 'em. Three I have always remembered in particular were the Zombie, werewolf, and alligator-man episodes. I think they just showed them more often or something. They used to give me quite a thrill, and they still do, though it's more because of the smart dialogue and delightful characters nowadays, not to mention the great nostalgic aspect. Though the overall quality of the DVD set varies, I highly recommend it to Kolchak fans and those curious about this awesome show! Trust me, if you've only seen the recent revival series, you ain't seen Kolchak. If I can ever break into the biz and afford to do it, I'd like to do some new Kolchak films and do them right! For now though, there's this set, there's the TV movie double feature DVD, and also some books available on the subject. Don't bother with the short-lived revival series that was trying more to be "The X-Files" than "The Night Stalker". I also highly recommend the recent Kolchak comic books and graphic novels from Moonstone. Good stuff!
|
