When the character of Carl Kolchak — created by writer Jeff Rice — was brought to the small screen, it caused something of a fascination from television audiences of the 1970s. The introduction of the devoted but tactless newspaper reporter occurred with THE NIGHT STALKER, which gained a reputation as the most-viewed TV movie up until that time. The successful mix of modern-day mystery and gothic chills justified a follow-up the following year, THE NIGHT STRANGLER, and it too also fared well in the ratings. The two telefilms (and the subsequent short-lived but exceptional series) have been precious commodities in the eyes of devoted horror fans for decades, and two different double feature DVDs were issued (first by Anchor Bay and then by MGM) which are both long out of print. Kino Lorber is now revisiting these two Kolchak chronicles individually on Blu-ray (as well as standard DVD) in splendid new HD scans.

First broadcast on ABC on January 11, 1972, THE NIGHT STALKER involves the straw-hat wearing journalist Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin, A CHRISTMAS STORY), whose undignified personality got him fired from nearly every newspaper in every city. Now in Las Vegas, Kolchak narrates a series of morbid occurrences on his hand-held recorder, recounting how a maniac is on the loose in the city, killing and draining the blood of young cocktail waitresses and ladies of the night. Kolchak's angle is that this night stalker may be a vampire, or at least someone who thinks he's one. Of course, the authorities led by Sheriff Warren Butcher (Claude Akins, BATTLE FOR THE PLANET OF THE APES), Chief Ed Masterson (Charles McGraw, THE MAD GHOUL) and District Attorney Tom Payne (Kent Smith, THE CAT PEOPLE), deem him a nut and downplay his theories, while his agitated editor Tony Vincenzo (Simon Oakland, FOLLOW THAT DREAM), is also having a difficult time keeping his wild speculations at bay. Kolchak only seems to confide in hooker girlfriend Gail Foster (Carol Lynley, THE SHUTTERED ROOM) and old pal Bernie Jenks (Ralph Meeker, FOOD OF THE GODS), an FBI man willing to reveal vital information to him. But it's short Vegas snitch Mickey Crawford (Elisha Cook, Jr., BLACULA) that leads Carl to the dwelling place of the bloodsucker, and when he confronts toothy Janos Skorzeny (Barry Atwater, PORK CHOP HILL), it's a classic showdown with Kolchak acting as an in-the-know modern-day vampire hunter.

THE NIGHT STALKER is a true genre classic, and possibly the finest TV horror movie of all time. Richard Matheson's screenplay is thoughtful, clever and humorous, and there are some nice scares as well. British director John Llewellyn Moxey (HORROR HOTEL, CIRCUS OF FEAR) delivers a neat rendering of the Matheson screenplay tightly packed into 74 minutes, and Robert Cobert's ("Dark Shadows") score fuses contemporary jazz with haunting melodies to great effect, although Kolchak creator Rice reportedly despised his soundtrack. The cast of familiar veteran and upcoming actors (including M*A*S*H series star Larry Linville) enhance the production, but it's Darren McGavin's interpretation of Kolchak that really makes it all work — you can't imagine anyone else in this role, and he IS Kolchak from the get-go. Barry Atwater's vampire, without the use of heavy make-up or dialog, is animal-like and genuinely pathetic in his desperation for blood, and the actor pulls it off with flying colors. Probably the only thing that hinders THE NIGHT STALKER to this day is the onscreen overexposure of Atwater's stuntman Dick Ziker. When Ziker's stirring stunt work is intercut with the older and less-agile Atwater, the difference in appearance is painfully obvious and the film loses a bit of credibility. Otherwise, this is a classic!

Dan Curtis ("Dark Shadows") had produced THE NIGHT STALKER, but for the sequel, he stepped into the director's chair as well, and Matheson was back with another witty script based on the characters created by Rice. First broadcast on ABC on January 16, 1973, THE NIGHT STRANGLER brings back McGavin as Kolchak and Oakland as Vincenzo, now in Seattle after both being fired in Vegas. Vincenzo (constantly drinking milk to nurse his ulcer) reluctantly hires Kolchak and their love/hate working relationship endures. Kolchak is immediately assigned to cover the murder of a strangled belly dancer, but his investigations uncover further slaughter with ties to the supernatural, and thus gets him in hot water with his job and the police. This time a phantom with super-human strength appears on the streets at night, strangling and then extracting spinal fluid from his victims with a large syringe. The mousy head of research at the newspaper, Titus Berry (wonderfully played by Wally Cox shortly before his death) tells Kolchak of a connection that these killings have to similar ones that occur every 21 years in Seattle dating back to the late 1880s, after a massive fire destroyed most of the city. With the help of quirky and pretty dancer/pre-med student Louise Harper (Jo Ann Pflug, M*A*S*H) Kolchak stumbles upon a hidden city underneath the ground that will doubtless lead him to the strangler.

A more than worthy follow-up, Curtis' direction maintains just the right amount of suspense, and although the formula is admittedly identical to the original, Matheson's story contains well thought-out characters and unique ideas such as the underground lair, complete with a banquet table full of rats and rotted corpses. Richard Anderson ("The Six Million Dollar Man") is the villain this time out (a 100+ year-old alchemist who finds the elixir of life), and although his scenes are limited, he plays it with both eccentricity and pathos, making his confrontation with Kolchak all the more tense and eerie (the horrid old-age makeup was done by the legendary William Tuttle). McGavin continues his flawless interpretation, and his shouting matches with Oakland as Vincenzo create a priceless chemistry that would no doubt be the foundation of the short-lived series to come. Fine support also comes from horror icon John Carradine, Ivor Francis (HOUSE OF THE DEAD), Margaret Hamilton (THE WIZARD OF OZ), Nina Wayne (DEAD HEAT ON A MERRY-GO-ROUND), Al Lewis ("The Munsters") and Scott Brady (SATAN’S SADISTS) as the tough police captain (naturally).

Both THE NIGHT STALKER and THE NIGHT STRANGLER have been given new HD restorations in 4K, with the 1080p transfers staying true to the original 1.33:1 full frame television aspect ratios. Both telefilms display brilliant detail and distinct color separation, with colors being rich, and skin tones and their layers of texture also impress. The high definition treatment on both titles brings out an impressive level of depth not seen in previous standard definition transfers, and grain is well maintained, light and consistent throughout. Both have English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks that are well-balanced, with clear enough dialogue, and Cobert's scores also have proper range. Like the previous two DVDs versions, THE NIGHT STRANGLER is again the longer cut of the film, running around 90 minutes. Both films have optional English subtitles.

Film historian Tim Lucas provides new audio commentary tracks for both STALKER and STRANGLER. On THE NIGHT STALKER, he relates how the film showed much more respect for the genre than other TV horror movies of the day and its important place among the numerous “modern” vampire theatrical flicks of the early 1970s. Lucas’ commentary is thorough and captivating, as he examines the characters and plot devices, the perfect casting, and the original literary source, Jeff Rice, who was delighted that Richard Matheson was handling the screenplay but whose own involvement was lessened as the project progressed. The behind-the-scenes stories and cross referencing of other modern-set vampire films of the day (such as COUNT YORGA VAMPIRE and DRACULA A.D. 1972) are always appreciated. For THE NIGHT STRANGLER, Lucas begins stating, among other facts, that director Curtis’ first cut of the film ran for two hours as he smoothly sets up a solid discussion about this immediate sequel. The brainstorming between Matheson and Curtis to come up with an intriguing “monster” is addressed, as is the extensive cast of endearing character actors, and Curtis himself is discussed at greater length here with comparisons between scenes in this film (as well as episodes of “Dark Shadows”) to the work of Mario Bava, of whom Curtis was a fan of.