Reviewing 'THE NIGHT STALKER' (1972) - The TV Movie That Started It All! (*contains spoilers)

I love the series "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" but I had never seen the telemovie that started it all. On the 50th anniversary of its release, let's take a deep dive into this groundbreaking movie and see why it was the highest rated TV movie of its time, and what it was about Carl Kolchak and his world that left audiences demanding more!

*Because of the age of this telemovie, this review will contain spoilers.

"The Night Stalker" (1972)
Written by Richard Matheson (teleplay)
Jeff Rice (novel)
Directed by John Llewellyn Moxey
Produced by Dan Curtis
Cast:
Darren McGavin as Carl Kolchak
Carol Lynley as Gail Foster
Simon Oakland as Tony Vincenzo
Ralph Meeker as Bernie Jenks
Claude Akins as Sheriff Warren A. Butcher
Charles McGraw as Police Chief Ed Masterson
Kent Smith as District Attorney Tom Paine
Elisha Cook Jr. as Mickey Crawford
Stanley Adams as Fred Hurley
Larry Linville as Dr. Robert Makurji
Jordan Rhodes as Dr. John O'Brien
Barry Atwater as Janos Skorzeny

I don't own any of the images featured here. Any material included in this video is intended for the purposes of review, criticism and commentary.

Stunt coordinator: Stephen Bates