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Kolchak - The Night Stalker
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| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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October 11, 2016 "Please retry" | DVD | 5 | $12.00 | $6.64 |
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| Genre | Horror, DVD Movie, Mystery & Suspense/Thrillers, Blu-ray Movie |
| Format | Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled |
| Contributor | Tom Skerritt, James Gregory, Allen Baron, Darrin McGavin, Phil Silvers, Scatman Crothers, Eric Braeden See more |
| Language | English |
| Number Of Discs | 1 |
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Product Description
Product Description
Kolchak: The Night Stalker, the uniquely eerie mystery series that paved the way for The X-Files, comes to DVD with all 20 original one-hour episodes of the 1974-1975 series. Emmy nominee Darren McGavin stars as Carl Kolchak, a headstrong investigative reporter on the trail of the paranormal: zombies, vampires, werewolves, ghosts, succubi and even aliens. No matter how unnatural or unbelievable, Kolchak is there to uncover the truth…one supernatural threat at a time. Join the hunt in the dark alleys and creepy hidden lairs of Chicago with such sensational guest stars as Scatman Crothers, Antonio Fargas, Sharon Farrell, Dick Van Patten, Jamie Farr, Larry Linville, Jim Backus and more.
Amazon.com
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
Product details
- Aspect Ratio : 1.33:1
- Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
- MPAA rating : NR (Not Rated)
- Package Dimensions : 7.6 x 5.3 x 1 inches; 12 Ounces
- Item model number : MHV61022265DVD
- Director : Allen Baron
- Media Format : Multiple Formats, Box set, Color, Dolby, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
- Run time : 30 hours and 54 minutes
- Release date : October 4, 2005
- Actors : Darrin McGavin, Scatman Crothers, James Gregory, Phil Silvers, Eric Braeden
- Subtitles: : Spanish
- Language : English (Dolby Digital 2.0), Unqualified
- Studio : Universal Pictures Home Entertainment
- ASIN : B000ATQYWY
- Number of discs : 1
- Best Sellers Rank: #11,519 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #275 in Horror (Movies & TV)
- #403 in Mystery & Thrillers (Movies & TV)
- Customer Reviews:
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Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonReviewed in the United States on October 26, 2011
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As a character, Kolchak's charm is beyond measure. Aside from his quirky wardrobe, we first notice that he is a trickster. That is, he is a fast talking Anasi, Hare, Br'er Rabbit, and Bugs Bunny rolled into one. Second, unlike Superman, Kolchak is, in G. K Chesterton's words, quite "eatable" (Orthodoxy, Ch. 8). "In a thrilling novel (that purely Christian product) the hero is not eaten by cannibals; but it is essential to the existence of the thrill that he *might* be eaten by cannibals."
Lastly, Kolchak is the essential underdog. He is straightjacketed between editor Vincenzo, and the flux of police detectives, both who never let him win. In this respect we are all Kolchak, and we follow his example of "Rage against the machine" and "Illegitimi non carborundum."
However, the technical aspects of the DVD do not live up to the series' standards. Although the menus are nice, the Universal logo and fanfare keep popping up--OK, we just need to see it once, and we get the idea. On a scale of 5, the transfer is about a 2. This was a jolt, since the TV movie DVD was a 5+. Lastly, like the TV movie disc, these DVDs are the double-sided ABOMINATION! No! No! No! Since they are so awkward to handle, I would much prefer more discs at a higher price than the accursed double sided discs at a cheaper price. Kolchak is a series we will watch every October, so the discs must be built to last.
The series does have its has flaws. It focuses on characterization and setting (Kolchak in a weird world), but not on theme. There is no cohesion to the episodes, just a steady stream of odd events. The "Twilight Zone" was a consistent exploration of cosmic justice. In this area, the revival series NuKolchak, was better with the wrist tattoos; we had a sense that the series was going somewhere. With the original series, we get into a rut of Kolchak's glib Cassandra caterwauling and random acts of malevolence. So when the series finally ended, we were a bit relieved.
Favorite episodes:
"The Zombie" The premise is similar to "Live and Let Die," but the conflict between the pimp, the Mafiosi, and Kolchak, and the dialogue during the phone call leave you laughing.
"The Vampire." This episode builds upon the events in the first TV movie, so it is a deeper, and does answer some of the questions we had from the first film.
"The Werewolf." Placing this episode on a swinging singles cruise was a stroke of genius, the actor who played the werewolf was perfectly cast, and when Kolchak's cabin mate dies, you knew that this episode was serious. Love the 1970's fashions.
"Horror in the Heights." Guest starring Phil Silvers. The mysterious set up--swastikas in a Jewish neighborhood--gets you from the first gammadion. This episode should be the baptism of fire of Kolchak uninitiates.
"The Trevi Collection." Newbies should see this after "Horror in the Heights." If Ghostbusters was darker, I imagine that it would feel like this episode. It is a nice mixture of everyday 1974 and the undercurrent of Macbeth. It has nice plot-twists, a well-cast warlock, and the ending cosmic justice are all refreshing.
"Mr. RING" has the best set-up. The opening narration leaves you wondering, and you see a taproot to the X-files.
"They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be." You see an early reference to the MIB in a black limo.
"Legacy of Terror" is notable for two cameos--Eric Estrada and Boss Hogg. And watching the dangling recorder in the stairwell is vintage Kolchak.
"The Knightly Murders". Being the first episode where Vincenzo questions Kolchak's sanity, this does not jibe with the events in "The Night Strangler," where Kolchak persuades Vincenzo to "Believe."
"The Sentry" The plot is too close to Star Trek's "Devil in the Dark" (the Horta) for my taste. But the skeptical female cop grinding against Kolchak changed the dynamics (and chemistry) of the series. In this sense, this episode is the last of Kolchak, and the first of X-files.
"The Chopper." This is generally considered the worst of the series. I see two flaws. Fist, although the funeral scene is vintage Robert Zemeckis, it goes on too long. Second, the special effects leave much to be desired. Being filmed 3 years before Star Wars, we see why Lucas could not film episodes I-III at that point in time. Guest stars include Larry Linvel (Frank Burns) who played the surgeon in the first TV Movie, and a comb-over Jim Backus.
For horror buffs, "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" brought great anticipation to television viewers in 1974. The first two television movies about Jeff Rice's intrepid, if slightly weird reporter were ratings smashes. The same was expected of the show, but the end result wasn't quite what CBS executives envisioned, but it was their own fault.
Personally, I loved the show. Then again, I was only seven years old and didn't get to stay up late enough to catch most of the episodes. Later, in the 70's, CBS late night brought the show back in syndication and I got to see what I missed.
All of the important characters (main and secondary) are here. Darren McGavin as Kolchak. Simon Oakland as beleaguered editor Tony Vincenzo, who always seemed more concerned with the image of the Independent News Service than with serious journalism. Jack Grinnage as Ron Uptight, eh, I mean Ron Updike. Ruth McDevitt as loveable columnist Miss Emily.
McGavin carries the show, always making the story lines believable. Oakland helps but Grinnage and Miss Emily never grew beyond their two-dimensional character portraits.
What helped and hurt the show the most was CBS Television's insistence on a "monster-of-the-week" format. Such formats can often turn a good show into a cheesy one and "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" often had plenty of that.
Good guest stars helped and it was fun to see the likes of Larry Linville, Antonio Fargas, Jamie Farr, Raymond Bieri, Keenan Wynn, John Fielder, Shelly Novack, Cathy Lee Crosby and even veteran stalwarts like John Dehner, Phil Silvers, Carmen Zapata, Scatman Crothers, Marvin Kaplan and Nina Foch. As with most TV shows of the time, we got to see some stars before they were stars, such as Erik Estrada (CHiPs), Margaret Avery (The Color Purple), Tom Skerritt (Alien) and Robert DoQui (Robocop).
That said, a detraction from the show had to be the constant run-ins between Kolchak and the police captain-of-the-week. Linville, Wynn, Bieri, James Gregory, William Daniels, Henry Jones and even McGavin's real-life wife Kathie Browne all did the same tired thing -- tried to cover up the incidents in question. It got annoying after the fourth or fifth episode.
And, as you would expect with a TV show culled from a movie, the budget showed in every episode. Plots featuring human monsters fared better, such as former 1961 AFL Rookie of the Year O. William Faison as the Zombie.
Working best were villains who just had to be play their characters with no special effects. This includes Tom Skerritt as a politician who has sold his soul to the devil in "The Devil's Platform." It's one of the best shows of the series because much of the face-off between Kolchak and Skerritt is mental and there is no police coverup involved. There are also excellent supporting characters played by Jeanne Cooper and Robert DoQui.
Other excellent work comes from Cathy Lee Crosby in "The Youth Killer," Nina Foch in "The Trevi Collection," Mickey Gilbert in "The Ripper" and Williams Daniels (St. Elsewhere, Knight Rider) in "The Vampire." For trivia buffs, "The Vampire" was originally meant to be the first episode of the show, because the female vampire was one of Janos Skorzny's unknown victims in the original movie. However, to appease CBS executives, who wanted a lot of action in the pilot, they switched it with "The Ripper."
The worst episode is, by far, "The Sentry." A man-sized lizard, who looks like a man inside a cheap lizard suit, is killing workers at a new underground information storage facility (a concept which is bewildering today with flash drives and hard drives). The monster is shown up close and personal from the start.
Almost as bad is the Ape-Man from "Primal Scream." It's clearly an actor in a monkey suit. Both the Ape-Man and the Lizard Man would have benefited more from staying in the shadows. The silly special effects overwhelmed the plot.
Coming in a close third is the ridiculous Headless Biker from "Chopper." In a modern riff of Sleepy Hollow, a deceased biker comes back for vengeance and rides around on a motorcycle, chopping off heads with a sword. Stuntman Steve Boyum plays the Chopper but you can see he's got prosthetics as his shoulders are far higher than his arms. And none of the attacks are believable. Even worse, Larry Linville as the police captain Jonas is next to useless, walking around wishing he was back on the set of "M*A*S*H."
For those keeping score, in my opinion, these are the better shows of the series: The Ripper, The Zombie, The Devil's Platform, The Vampire, The Youth Killer, The Trevi Collection.
Ones to avoid: The Werewolf; Chopper; Primal Scream, and The Sentry.
The remaining ten episodes can be left up to the discriminating tastes of viewers.
If you have a Kindle, the choice is easy -- pick the ones you like. As for the DVD collection, you'll have to take the good with the bad. The quality is high, though. And even the bad shows can elicit some hilarity.
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The quality of this DVD set is somewhat lacking since, on different episodes, the image quality varies from faded to overexposed and oversaturated. Overall video quality is okay - but not particularly clear or sharp. This may be down to the 1970s filming, poor quality of prints used for scanning ... or maybe I've just gotten too used to the superb bluray restorations that the nice folks at Network have done for the old ITV programs that I'm currently watching. Nonetheless (despite lacklustre video) its the quality of the stories and acting that stands out and makes this still such a joy to watch.
Darren McGavin is perfectly cast as Carl Kolchak - a snooping, conniving, and dishevelled reporter who cons and bluffs his way past a succession of obstructive police captains and uncooperative witnesses - always getting to the bottom of some new supernatural mystery each week. Despite his bumbling nature and lack of any obvious bravery, he somehow manages to dispatch a wide range of fiends including: vampires, zombies, demons, a werewolf, jack the ripper, indian spirits, a headless motorcyclist, and a swamp monster (to name just a few). None of it is taken too seriously, and its all fun to watch. The makeup and special effects are less than brilliant - but it just adds to the fun.
Heated exchanges between Kolchak and his permanently angry and frustrated editor, brilliantly played by Simon Oakland, add to the mixture. Among Kolchak's other regular newsroom cohorts we encounter include Emily (a nice, elderly but dithering agony aunt column writer), and Ron Updyke (the paper's incompetent and uptight financial and social reporter) . The exasperated police captains include Keenan Wynn and Larry Linville, better known as M*A*S*H's Frank Burns. Several other well-known guest stars also occasionally pop up in minor roles - plus there's an episode written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, both from Back to the Future fame, in one of their early gigs. Another of the episodes is written by Jimmy Sangster - the writer behind many of Hammer's best works, plus a few of their other not-so-great works.
All in all, this is a brilliant classic of 1970s television. Somewhat cheesy - but fun and highly recommended ... especially for fans of old B-Grade monster movies. Although it might have influenced the later X-Files, I honestly find this more fun and more creative. It's a shame that it only lasted one season, but inventing a 20 supernatural creatures to go roaming unnoticed around the streets of Chicago was probably too tough an ask. Buy it. Enjoy it for what it is. Encourage Universal to do a proper scan and digital restoration effort so that future generations can appreciate it on bluray and in HD.
Way back in the early 1990s I used to watch this on TV about 03:30 in the morning.
Now a days I can watch this with my young son (who is only 8).
The rating on the dvd is 12 but I would say it's more like pg rating.
The nostalgia of this dvd has plenty of my friends talking.
I would recommend this to all who remember the series but low budget effects and dated story lines are not enough for kolchac newbies.







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