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The acknowledged inspiration for The X-Files, and the basis for an updated 2005 network version, Kolchak: The Night Stalker was a short-lived 1974 series spun off from a pair of extremely popular made-for-TV movies about the supernatural adventures of dogged newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin). Though plagued by low ratings and critical brickbats, the show has cultivated a huge cult following over the past three decades, which has given rise to this three-disc set, which compiles all 20 episodes of the show. Though none of the episodic stories matches the suspense and writing strength of the Night Stalker or Night Strangler movies, TV horror fans will appreciate the parade of interesting and inventive monsters encountered by Kolchak (including a witches' coven in "The Trevi Collection"; an Aztec cult in "Legacy of Terror"; a Hindu Demon in "Horror in the Heights," which was penned by Hammer Films scribe Jimmy Sangster; and a headless biker in "Chopper," an episode deemed in extreme poor taste by Stephen King and co-written by Robert Zemeckis, Bob Gale, and Sopranos creator David Chase). McGavin is of course topnotch as Kolchak, and he's well-matched by Simon Oakland as his hot-tempered boss; guest stars include Scatman Crothers, James Gregory, Phil Silvers, Eric Braeden, Tom Skerritt, and Richard Kiel as the monster in two back-to-back episodes. Sadly, no extras accompany this fun collection of Kolchak's creepiest cases. --Paul Gaita
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
HAVE I GOT A STORY FOR YOU !,
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This review is from: Kolchak: The Night Stalker (3DVD) (DVD)
This set is well done with nice artwork and individual slim cases for the DVD's, but completely lacking in bonus material. Sadly Mr. McGavin passed away in Feb/2006, so why didn't the studio interview him for the DVD release of this classic show when they had the chance. Any commentary from Darren McGavin or a look back interview from him would have been a welcomed addition to this set. Universal Studios just doesn't get it, including bonus material is another reason to buy these classic shows on DVD.My only other gripe is that the two Kolchak movies should have been included in the set as well, to complete the entire series. This is the original Night Stalker and it definitely shouldn't be passed up at any price. Rumors about reviving this show have once again emerged, but like all classics they're often imitated and seldom duplicated. Thanks to Universal Studios, the complete Kolchak "The Night Stalker" television series has finally been released on DVD. The video transfer is really decent and the 2.0 sound is pretty consistent and definitely better than I expected. All 20 episodes of this classic 70's TV series are spread out over 3 double sided discs and that's my only major complaint with this set. Universal Studios should abandon the double sided discs and go with single sided discs even if it means adding a few more dollars to the price of the set. In a few of the episodes, some of the night scenes are very dark and sometimes it's hard to make out the images. I give this classic show five stars all the way for pure entertainment value. Darren McGavin in my opinion was the perfect choice to play the Kolchak character and he played it to perfection. DVD Features Include: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Studio: Universal Studios Available Subtitles: English, Spanish Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.1 Mono) All 20 original episodes on three double sided discs Episodes Include: Episode 1: The Ripper Episode 2: The Zombie Episode 3: They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be. Episode 4: The Vampire Episode 5: The Werewolf Episode 6: Firefall Episode 7: The Devil's Platform Episode 8: Bad Medicine Episode 9: The Spanish Moss Murders Episode 10: The Energy Eater Episode 11: Horror in the Heights Episode 12: Mr. R.I.N.G. Episode 13: Primal Scream Episode 14: The Trevi Collection Episode 15: Chopper Episode 16: Demon in Lace Episode 17: Legacy of Terror Episode 18: The Knightly Murders Episode 19: The Youth Killer Episode 20: The Sentry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic and fun!!!,
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This review is from: Kolchak: The Night Stalker (3DVD) (DVD)
I haven't seen this series or the two previous films since they ran in the '70s. Mostly I had a memory of enjoying them, but little memory of specifics. I'm so glad I took a chance and ordered this set. It was a wonderful revisit of a very cool show. I might even appreciate it more now then I did as a teenager. To me it seems hardly to have aged even if I can see some dated aspects in it. The series hit a wonderful balance of charm, quirky humour and creeping you out. And it's easy to see how this inspired the creation of The X-files twenty years later---there are a lot of similarities in concept and even some stories. Most of the twenty episodes I rate Good to Excellent. The few disappointments are not not bad, but only not quite as good as the rest.The only real disappointment is the lack of extras and that the discs are double sided. What really should be done is a proper remastering as well as inclusion of the previous two made-for-TV movies all in one package. That would be the proper way to celebrate this wonderful show.
3.0 out of 5 stars
A trip back in time... still a fun ride :),
This review is from: Kolchak: The Night Stalker (3DVD) (DVD)
I bought this series a few months ago due to a 'night shift' chat with a colleague where we were trying to stay awake by remembering some of those great old time tv shows which we really enjoyed watching when we were kids. 'Kolchak: The Night Stalker' was one that really got the conversation going. Surprisingly, Amazon.ca had it so I went for it. It was a little pricey for such an old series but I was excited to see an old 'kid' favourite so I went for it.When I got the package, I found that one of the DVD's came off it's mount and got scratched up but it played okay. This in not the best transfer I've seen and at times I had to replay parts that my player had skipped over but when I played it again it seemed to work fine. Hmmm. That being said, I had a lot of fun going back in time watching these 1970's episodes which revealed just how far we've come 'culturally' with respect to multi-cultural sensitivity and strength of story. The story lines are simple about werewolves, vampires, aliens, voodoo, etcetera taken from classic horror stories of the past and all were told in a cheesy, tongue in cheek way which made my colleague and I laugh out loud when we saw them again 40 years later. It's kinda like watching the movie Rock Horror Picture Show... if you're looking for a straightforward 'scary' story... this it not it. But, if you want to take a trip back in time where all the current social taboos were not even considered when these episodes were written then you should enjoy it as a 'tv time capsule' item. Darin McGavin's (Carl Kolchack) and Simon Oakland's (Tony Vincenzo) interactions as a press writer with his editor is fantastic and really keeps the fun alive in between the story lines and the rest of the cast also adds quite a bit to the enjoyment of this series as a whole. Lots of fun to see again... my only wish is that the quality of the Discs were better and that there was a special features added section for the cost (approx. $60.00) I paid for it... perhaps a revisit with living cast members or older interviews that may have been archived?
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