There's also the climactic encounter in which, once again, it's Kolchak who tracks the killer to his lair. Other basic conventions carried over from the original include an action-packed sequence in which police attempting to capture the strangler discover that, like the vampire, this killer is too powerful to subdue with the use of conventional methods. Only then does he remove a small amount of blood, but drawing it through a syringe rather than with the use of fangs. In "The Night Strangler", while victims are being murdered by yet another mysterious killer, the variation here is that he doesn't bite their necks but rather crushes them in his grip. The approach of "The Night Strangler" pretty much follows the formula of the original tale in which reporter Carl Kolchak searched for a killer who turned out to be a modern day vampire. The original network thriller "The Night Stalker" was such a mammoth ratings hit that the following year ABC broadcast this highly successful sequel that proved the character of Carl Kolchak had the potential for still more adventures.
Washington post reporter darran simon series#
This film and the first one were pilots for a TV series and obviously they did the trick because Kolchak was solving more mysteries in his own TV series a year after this film was released. It's always obvious where it's all going, and the ending doesn't come as a surprise but it's a fun time getting there. Since the film is really about the detective on the trail of the vampire, there's not a great deal of actual bloodshed or bloodsucking in the film, although that isn't much of a hindrance because as a thriller it works very well and director Dan Curtis does manage to create several moments of suspense that kick the action up a level. These scenes are fairly clichéd, although they are fun to watch and again it's mostly because of McGavin's excellent impersonation of the central character. A lot of the film consists of our unlikely hero trying to convince the relevant authorities that his suspicions are fact and them disbelieving them. His portrayal of the stubborn reporter is great to watch and always ensures that the film is entertaining.
The thing that stands out most about this film is most definitely the central performance from Darren McGavin. Coincidence strikes and pretty soon he's on the trail of yet another vampire! He discovers that every 21 years for over a hundred years, a group of people have been killed within a small time period and thinks the murders are connected. Darren McGavin once again plays Kolchak a maverick reporter who this time finds himself in Seattle after being ran out of Las Vegas (probably for annoying everyone with his constant persistence!).
Washington post reporter darran simon movie#
This film isn't a big improvement over the first one, although I would say it's an improvement with a longer running time and a more well thought-out plot, this one delves into it's subject matter more and feels more like a proper movie than a made for TV movie.
I won't profess to be a big fan of the first film in the series, although I found it to be a more than decent TV movie and I did enjoy it. Aside from featuring similar titles, the films also share similar plot lines, and it could be said that this is something of a remake of the first film with a slightly more in depth story. The Night Strangler is the follow up to the successful 1972 TV movie 'The Night Stalker'.
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