The LA Beat

“Kolchak: The Night Stalker  (The Complete Series)” (1974-75, Kino Lorber) Having survived a vampire in Las Vegas and an undead strangler beneath the city of Seattle, reporter Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin, still decades away from playing the Old Man from “A Christmas Story”) discovers that all of his assignments have some kind of supernatural or monstrous element. Heavy nostalgia for ’70s-era monster kids, who recall this short-lived series fondly – chief among them Chris Carter, who cited “Kolchak” as the inspiration for “The X-Files.” Admittedly, none of the episodes rise to the same level of chills and drama as the two TV-features that preceded it, and a combination of budgetary issues, standards and practices, and the challenges of creating scary TV content on a weekly basis neuter some of the creatures (most notably the headless motorcyclist in “Chopper”). Others are exceptionally well-rendered and depicted: the voracious female vampire – a victim of Kolchak’s first monster run-in – in “Vampire” (one of eight episodes penned by “Sopranos” creator David Chase), a Hindu demon with the ability to transform into someone its victims trust in “Horror in the Heights” (written by Hammer scripter Jimmy Sangster), and Lara Parker of “Dark Shadows” as a haute couture/high camp witch in “The Trevi Collection.” These high points weren’t enough to save the show, which was already struggling with conflict between McGavin, the network, and producers, but its 20 episodes remain well-loved, despite their flaws, by fans of ’70s-era small screen horror. Kino’s Blu-ray offers 2K masters for the entire series and bundles them with commentaries for each episode from, among others, Kim Newman, David J. Schow, Tim Lucas, Gary Gerani, Amanda Reyes, and “Kolchak” historian Mark Dawidziak, who also pens informative liner notes. New interviews with Chase and Dana Gould and original TV spots round out this terrific set. Continue reading →