The series critique portion of this review was written by my colleague Martin Sexton as a part of his ongoing “Opinions of a Traditionalist” series.
I have mentioned in the past my fondness for the late-night Horror film fest that was Shock Theater. Because of this predilection for such films, I was also enthralled with the idea of a newspaper reporter who spent his time chasing down similar monsters as vampires or werewolves. In other words: Kolchak: The Night Stalker.
Beginning on ABC September 13, 1974, and running through March 28, 1975, The Night Stalker starred Darren McGavin as intrepid reporter Karl Kolchak. Kolchak found himself investigating various homicides in the city of Chicago. Most of which involved supernatural bends to them. Much to the chagrin of both his boss, editor Tony Vicenzo (Simon Oakley), and the Chicago Police.
The television series was preceded by two made for TV movies. 1972’s The Night Stalker, which also starred McGavin as Kolchak but in Las Vegas. In that film, he was pursuing a Vampire. The popularity of that film prompted a sequel in 1973’s The Night Strangler. This time in Seattle. Kolchak wears out his welcome in cities fast.
During the single season of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, he took on such creatures as Zombies, Werewolves, Vampires, Demons, Spirits, Androids, Witches and Primates. Kolchak was an equal opportunity homicide reporter.
Various guest stars included, William Daniels (the voice of K.I.T.T. on Knight Rider), Larry Storch, Eric Braeden (Victor Newman for you Young and the Restless fans), Dick Gautier, Richard Kiel (JAWS from James Bond’s Moonraker), Jamie Farr (Klinger from MASH), Pat Harrington, Jr., Bernie Kopell, and Jim Backus (Mr. McGoo and Mr. Howell from Gilligan’s Island).
As I think about the show, it seemed like it lasted longer than the 20 episodes that were made. Of course, syndication might have had something to do with that. So, while you youngsters might think of Darren McGavin only as “The Old Man” in A Christmas Story, to me, he is Karl Kolchak: The Night Stalker.
Video Quality
Kolchak: The Night Stalker comes to Blu-Ray from Kino Classics with a strong 1080p transfer sourced from 2K remasters supplied by Universal Studios. As someone who has suffered through the old Universal DVD collection, this new Blu-Ray is quite the upgrade from start to finish. It should be pointed out early on that this show was often produced very cheaply and some of the limitations of the source material are apparent. The level of clarity and detail on this release gives the series a whole new life. The black levels are fairly deep and allow for quite a bit more detail to come through. The series still struggles to reveal an immense amount of detail in the shadows due to lighting limitations, but there is way less crush.
Skin tones are mostly natural with a slight push towards red at times, but it lends itself to showcasing an amazing amount of minute facial features, unlike the undefined DVD release. There are very subtle details in the production design that are visible here for the first time from text on certain newspaper articles to subtle makeup effects. Even a few dated special effects look a little smoother in this presentation. Colors are nice and vibrant as certain moments really pop off the screen. For the most part, the presentation preserves its filmic look, but there is possibly a touch of DNR and some of the stock footage looks rougher than the standard footage. Kino Classics has done an excellent job with this release, as almost all print damage has been cleaned up with very few nicks and scratches along the way. Those who have been waiting for this one to be faithfully preserved on Blu-Ray should be thrilled by this standout set.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono mix which sounds pretty incredible. The activity in the series is not as bombastic as most modern thrillers, but the activity that is present is quite engaging. The series music helps ground the tone of the story, but it never overpowers the dialogue or other important information. Conversations come through clearly and never fall victim to any digital anomalies. Environmental sounds likewise are delineated nicely in a way that is appreciated. The track packs a decent punch when it comes to the more action-packed moments, such as certain attacks. There are no noticeable instances of age related wear-and-tear. Optional English subtitles are included on the disc. You really cannot complain about this nicely rendered track that does everything it needs to do well.
Special Features
The Kino Lorber Blu-Ray of Kolchak: The Night Stalker – The Complete Series includes a booklet featuring the essay “The Truth Is In Here” by Mark Dawidziak, the Author of The Night Stalker Companion and Kolchak Novel, Grave Secrets. In this booklet he provides a great amount of context and insight into the show that helps you understand on a deeper level some of the behind the scenes drama and why the series only lasted a single season. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- Audio Commentary: Various noted individuals provide very insightful commentary tracks for selected episodes from throughout the series.
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- The Ripper: Mark Dawidziak, the Author of The Night Stalker Companion and Kolchak Novel, Grave Secrets
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- The Zombie: Author/Historian David J. Schow
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- They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be…: Novelist/Critic Kim Newman and Writer/Journalist Barry Forshaw
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- The Vampire: Film Historian Tim Lucas
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- The Werewolf: Filmmaker/Film Historian Constantine Nasr
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- Firefall: Author/Historian David J. Schow
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- The Devil’s Platform: Filmmaker/Film Historian Constantine Nasr and Screenwriter/Producer Rodney Barnes
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- Bad Medicine: Film Historian/Screenwriter Gary Gerani
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- The Spanish Moss Murders: Film Historian/Screenwriter Steve Haberman
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- The Spanish Moss Murders: Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Screenwriter/Producer Cyrus Voris
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- The Energy Eater: Mike White and Chris Stachiw of The Kolchak Tapes Podcast
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- Horror In The Heights: Film Historian/Screenwriter Gary Gerani
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- Mr. R.I.N.G.: Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Screenwriter/Producer Cyrus Voris
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- Primal Scream: Filmmaker/Historian Steve Mitchell and Screenwriter/Producer Cyrus Voris
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- The Trevi Collection: Film Historian/Author Amanda Reyes
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- Chopper: Novelist/Critic Kim Newman and Writer/Journalist Barry Forshaw
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- Demon In Lace: Novelist/Critic Kim Newman and Writer/Journalist Barry Forshaw
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- Legacy Of Terror: Film Historian/Author Amanda Reyes
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- The Knightly Murders: Filmmaker/Historian Michael Schlesinger
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- The Youth Killer: Novelist/Critic Kim Newman and Writer/Journalist Barry Forshaw
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- The Sentry: Film Historian/Screenwriter Gary Gerani
- Interviews
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- David Chase: A nine-minute interview with the Creator of The Sopranos and Co-Writer of eight Kolchak: The Night Stalker episodes. This is a brief but incredibly fun new piece in which he discusses his experience writing for this series without the fear of pointing out some of the more ridiculous aspects of the series.
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- Dana Gould: An eleven-minute interview with the Creator of Stan Against Evil in which he discusses his personal connection to Kolchak: The Night Stalker, how he was relatable to a young audience , different facets of the narrative, favorite episodes and more that makes for a good listen.
- TV Spots: There are 30-ish seconds of TV Spots for the following episodes: The Devil’s Platform, Bad Medicine, The Spanish Moss Murders, The Energy Eater, Horror In The Heights, Mr. R.I.N.G., Primal Scream, The Trevi Collection, Chopper, Demon In Lace, Legacy Of Terror, The Knightly Murders, The Youth Killer and The Sentry
Final Thoughts
Kolchak: The Night Stalker does not have the cultural cache of something like The X-Files, but it rightfully holds a very special place in the hearts of many. The series has a real oddball charm that just pulls you in episode after episode. Kino Classics has done a real service to genre fans with this new Blu-Ray collection which brings together every episode of the series in glorious high definition. To make the package even sweeter, there is a really knockout assortment of special features that are a lot of fun to sort through. This set proves to be an easy upgrade from the old DVD collection that should more than please fans. Recommended
Kolchak: The Night Stalker – The Complete Series is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Kino Classics has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
