Select delivery location
See All Buying Options

The Night Stalker

Special, Special Edition

John Llewellyn Moxey (Director), Darren McGavin (Actor), Carol Lynley (Actor) Rated:
NR
Format: DVD
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 1,540 ratings
Additional DVD options Edition Discs
Price
New from Used from
DVD
October 2, 2018
Special
1
—
— $35.00

From the manufacturer

KLSC logo vert 300 sq

Kino Lorber Studio Classics is dedicated to bringing you the best of Hollywood’s successes, critical and commercial. All from best available sources, many on DVD or Blu-ray for the very first time.

Product Description

BRAND NEW HD RESTORATION IN 4K! An investigative journalist takes a stab at the supernatural. This unforgettable first entry in the Night Stalker series introduced the world to the quirky reporter with a penchant for the paranormal and became one of the top-rated TV movies of all time. Investigating a series of Las Vegas murders, Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin, The Night Strangler) discovers that each victim has been bitten in the neck and drained of blood. Though Kolchak's outlandish theory about the murders gets him nowhere with the police, his initiative to apprehend the killer himself gets him into hot water... with a modern-day vampire. The great John Llewellyn Moxey (Nightmare in Badham County) directed this Dan Curtis (Burnt Offerings) production featuring Carol Lynley (The Poseidon Adventure), Simon Oakland (The Hunting Party), Ralph Meeker (Big House, U.S.A.), Claude Akins (A Man Called Sledge), Charles McGraw (The Narrow Margin), Kent Smith (The Spiral Staircase), Elisha Cook Jr. (I Wake Up Screaming) and Larry Linville (TV’s M*A*S*H). Teleplay by legendary sci-fi/horror writer Richard Matheson (The Incredible Shrinking Man).

Special Features:
-Brand New 4K Restoration
-NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim Lucas
-NEW Interview with Director John Llewellyn Moxey
-NEW Interview with Composer Bob Cobert
-"The Night Stalker: Dan Curtis Interview" featurette
-Newly Commissioned Art by Sean Phillips

Product details

  • MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.7 x 7.5 x 5.4 inches; 2.72 ounces
  • Director ‏ : ‎ John Llewellyn Moxey
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Anamorphic, Subtitled, NTSC
  • Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 14 minutes
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ October 2, 2018
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Darren McGavin, Carol Lynley
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ KL Studio Classics
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07FYFYN8L
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 1,540 ratings

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
4.8 out of 5
1,540 global ratings
OUTSTANDING, Night Stalker was the highest rated tv movie ever aired in terms of viewing audiences
4 out of 5 stars
OUTSTANDING, Night Stalker was the highest rated tv movie ever aired in terms of viewing audiences
Journalist Carl Kolchak sits in a hotel room, narrating his story into a tape recorder. He was working on Las Vegas’s Daily News newspaper. His editor gave him the routine assignment of covering the death of a waitress from one of the casinos. Kolchak thought it odd that her body had been drained of all blood. Things became even stranger when other girls began turning up dead, also drained of all their blood. When the coroner stated that it seemed like an animal attack, Kolchak leapt on this and began calling it a series of vampire killings. He was ridiculed by the police department and city hall who demanded that he kill the story. However, as more murders and a series of blood bank robberies began occurring, Kolchak was left with no other conclusion that it was a real-life vampire in action. Believing the vampire to be a Janos Skorzeny, Kolchak determined to track him down at the same time as the authorities did everything they could to silence him.Darren McGavin (Carl Kolchak), Carol Lynley (Gail Foster), Simon Oakland (Anthony Vincenzo), Ralph Meeker (Bernie Jenks), Kent Smith (D.A. Thomas Paine), Claude Akins (Sheriff Warren Butcher), Barry Atwater (Janos Skorzeny), Charles McGraw (Chief Edward Masterson), Larry Linville (Dr Robert Makurji), Elisha Cook, Jr. (Mickey Crawford), Jordan Rhodes (Dr O’Brien)
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

H. M. Knudsen
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Early 1970s TV Films.
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2021
Verified Purchase
This DVD exceeded my expectations. Enhanced in 2018, this movie is now very sharp, vibrant, and has great sound. The description said a 4K transfer, whatever that is. All I can say, is it is superb. Probably better than what I saw on the TV when I saw this 1972 film at age 7. The DVD has some great bonus features as well: an interview with the director, a separate run down by a film historian that spans the entire length of the film, and some other discussion.

The Night Stalker is the first of the physical vampires played by Barry Atwater that actually uses his tremendous strength to fights squads of police and is shot multiple times by them, but overpowers them each time. He has no dialog, which is much different than the Hammer film vampires with Christopher Lee or Bela Lugosi in the 1930's, both of which were centuries old European nobility with plenty to say. This vampire is purely driven by blood, and he kills constantly to get it. He even walks into a hospital and steals it, which also requires him to throw half the staff around the halls and out the windows.

This is another great story by Richard Matheson who wrote I am Legend, some of the Star Trek scripts, and other great TV and movies. Daren McGavin is perfectly cast as Carl Kolchak, the journalist that gives his all to figure out the truth no matter how bizarre, and no matter what people will think or say of him. McGavin really made this film work, and it apparently had the highest viewership of any TV film at the time, which was over 30 million. This resulted in a follow-up 1973 movie and TV series 1974-1975. Well worth the price for such quality in a remastered TV movie of great writing, acting, and directing.
9 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Moonjumper
5.0 out of 5 stars Five stars! But only because I can’t give it ten!
Reviewed in the United States on June 30, 2021
Verified Purchase
I don’t give a lot of five stars, because I reserve those for releases that are particularly outstanding. This Kino Lorber Blu-Ray of the original Kolchak 1972 TV movie, “The Night Stalker,” is one of those rare releases. First of all, Kino Lorber has outdone itself with the pristine quality of this 4K remastering of a fifty year old TV film. It looks incredible. Not only that, but they have gone the extra mile of presenting brand new (2018) interviews of the original director, producer, and composer, all in their 80s and 90s. KL has created a true historical document with this rare release (which is NOT included in the syndication package for the “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” TV series which later followed, and now airs in reruns on MeTV).

Let me say that again: Neither this film nor its sequel, “The Night Strangler,” air in syndication with the short lived series based upon it. It is NOT included in the “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” Complete Series DVD box set. In short, this movie has not been seen in fifty years. I never saw it before buying this Blu-ray, even though I’ve seen the TV series reruns many times over the years. This new Blu-Ray from Kino Lorber is one of the few means of viewing it.

Furthermore, it’s easily the very best Kolchak episode I’ve seen—and it’s his rarely seen origin story! If you like Kolchak and you’ve never seen this movie, you MUST buy this Blu-ray.
9 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
K. McQueen
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Transfer of One of the Best Made-For-TV Movies
Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2020
Verified Purchase
1972's "The Night Stalker", starring Darren McGavin and Simon Oakland respectively as the protagonist reporter and his editor (mainstay characters in the sequel and subsequent television series), is an absolute classic. It boasts the one of the largest viewing audiences on its premier during the TV era before cable. "The Night Stalker" was also considered too intense for prime time. Yet, a sequel, “The Night Strangler”, was spawned the following year, “Kolchak: The Night Stalker” ran as an after-prime time series the year after that, and the third part of “Trilogy of Terror”, starring Karen Black, would frighten and shock TV viewers the year after that. The movie isn’t gory by today’s standards. Viewers born in the mid-1980s will likely find “The Night Stalker” somewhat dated, but novel. Those who remember the movie from its release period will find it nostalgic. The writing is solid and focused on the uncompromising reporter, Carl Kolchak, who tracks the vampire and liberates Las Vegas from the reign of terror while law enforcement leadership flounders over politics and media perception. Thereby, the production fulfills its objective to frighten rather than be a typical horror film or monster movie.
The transfer to blu-ray is better than expected for video and audio from analog source media that’s nearly a half-century old. The picture looks outstanding on my 82” 4K monitor. The sound is very good for being mono. It stands well in comparison to a previous DVD edition that I own and worth the upgrade in my opinion.
This movie was the first to really turn me on to scary movies as a child. Thusly, I may be biased in my enthusiasm for this release. I can’t praise it enough. I haven’t presented it or lent to anyone who was not entertained by this lost gem of a flick.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Hunter Magnus
5.0 out of 5 stars 70's Inspiration to the X Files.
Reviewed in Canada on July 3, 2022
Verified Purchase
Back when the X Files began, Chris Carter was often asked where that show came from. He was very open about it: he said he wanted to create a series that gave him the same feeling he had as a child watching Kolchak the Night Stalker. This film (from the mind of Dan Curtis one of the creators of the soap operatic Dark Shadows) started with this TV film about a reporter who stumbles across evidence of the supernatural: in this case a vampire. Though perhaps lacking violence by modern standards, this TV move was a monster in the rating and inspired both a sequel film: The Night Strangler and a television run (Kolchak: the night Stalker.). I highly recommend this film! I only need to get the night Strangler to complete my collection....
Report
peter faulds
5.0 out of 5 stars He was the best vampire I have ever seen...
Reviewed in Australia on December 20, 2022
Verified Purchase
Great movie a little short but a great movie ...
Report
Mr. Robert Lismore
5.0 out of 5 stars I just love these Night Stalker films
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 30, 2014
Verified Purchase
I can only say "GET THIS FILM" as it is the real film but it is just posted under as different name , I have both of the Night Stalker films and you just go to the film's area and just click on English with or with out subtitles then you will see the film when it was released . I just have to tell you to get this film .
5 people found this helpful
 Report
Fco. José de Pablo
5.0 out of 5 stars Kolchak en apuros.
Reviewed in Spain on March 7, 2014
Verified Purchase
Producto televisivo de los 70 con un Darren McGavin, creo yo en su mejor momento, interpretando a un periodista un tanto díscolo al que le asignan un reportaje en un principio rutinario y que a medida que se van esclareciendo los hechos, el asunto va tornándose en algo siniestro y sin una explicación lógica. Una serie de asesinatos en el que las víctimas son encontradas sin sangre en su cuerpo y todo apunta a que el asesino es un vampiro, cosa que descartan las autoridades, hasta su propio jefe, el genial Simon Oakland y eso es lo fascina a nuestro protagonista. Entretenida y divertida Recomendable
2 people found this helpful
 Report
Brett Thomson
5.0 out of 5 stars A very good vampire flick.
Reviewed in Canada on October 8, 2022
Verified Purchase
This is the 50th anniversary of this TV movie from Dan Curtis. I saw it as a little boy and it has always stayed with me. Still spooky!
Report