Kolchak: The Night Stalker [DVD]

Kolchak The Nightstalker is an excellent show, if you can get past the sometimes cheesy aesthetics and the overly formulaic plots. Remember, this was the 1970s, when nobody binged episodes, and the picture quality on even the best TVs was not great, to put it mildly. Then, there were commercials. You could only watch one episode a week and there was no syndication until much later. So, shows could be more formulaic, because you could only watch one episode a week, and you had suffer through the commercial brakes on top of that. Therefore, I don't recommend binging too many episodes at once, because it will get boring if you do. HOWEVER, the show is magical. The opening is wonderfully creepy, without showing anything creepy, including Kolchak's whistling (it does not take a genius to see how this show inspired The X-Files). Each episode is pretty tightly constructed. The writing is good, if not great, and Kolchak is a down-and-out reporter working at the low end of the journalistic pay scale. David Chase, who would go on to work on The Rockford Files and also created The Sopranos worked on Kolchak, too. The characters are not well-rounded, including Kolchak himself, but the plots are great fun, even if the special effects and costumes don't do a good job of helping you suspend disbelief. Look, it's not a masterpiece of TV greatness, but it has an important place in the history of science fiction television. Also, make sure you watch the two Kolchak movies, even thought they are not exactly in-line with the show (there is no "canon" here to worry over). The two movies are excellent, better than the series, in my opinion, but they have many of the same characters and the same tone.

Incredible bargain for $20! A must for any Kolchak fan. The CD's are great quality. There are 5 CD's in this collection. A joy to rewatch all these episodes and spend a little time in the 70's. Definitely glad I bought it!

If you remember this as a kid, you may find this a fun trip down memory lane. However, like some have said, sometimes, people wonder if they should've left their memories in the past and not revisited what scared them at age 5, since those films will appear stupid and bad as an adult. That's the nostalgic's dilemma, always. But if you enjoy regressing to 70s badness, this will appeal to you. It's also proof that the old rule of what you don't see is scarier than what you do- there are some dumb effects here that are laughable. Also, it is very dark, literally; I don't know if that's due to a poor transfer, as others have complained, or partly due to the fact that it was likely photographed in very dark lighting for a spooky effect and the limitations of the times, and the budgets, produced a flat effect visually. You can see how dark photography also influenced its thematic offspring, "The X Files", where the photography technology was miles above technically and you get much more depth of field and complexity of imagery. This is probably of interest to fans of this particular genre, but not to horror fans in general. If you want a good scare, you won't find much here, especially if you are accustomed to CGI, and Blue-Ray/hi-def etc etc. you will likely be frustrated by the poor quality. But if you're like me and you grew up watching low-fi stuff, you might have some fun with this. Also, Darren McGavin's cliched yet fun gumshoe act saves the day; his personality really carries this show. Post-script: I have re-watched more of this and how could I have only given it 3 stars? This is the bomb. Sure, it's not quite scary but so entertaining and it has that weird early 70s feel to it; my inner child squeals with glee watching stuff that was so hard to get permission to watch when I was little. It was also pretty risque for its time- lots of hookers, massage parlors, etc. This is sort of like "Streets of San francisco meets Night Gallery.". TV has not been this great since; the era just had its own feel that can't be replicated. Also, I find the lack of gore a relief from the gross-outs on TV now. What would've been an R movie in the 70s is on Criminal Minds (which I like) and CSI all the time. It just gets disgusting, stressful, and a little too close to the sickness of the real world to be entertaining. This show is so removed from reality that it's pure joy. The snappy dialogue is also very fun; and again, Darren McGavin is perfect, even if they never gave him more than one suit to wear. It's also interesting that McGavin was a noir actor, and his boss was the Dr. in "Psycho", so they bring pedigree to what could've been a really bad show had it been handled wrong. I am loving and cherishing this!

Ok 1st I want to put the negative reviews to rest. I have read many stating the special effects are bad. Well, this highly original series came out in the 1970's, I'm sure many of the negative reviews were written by people not even born when this came out on T.V.! Keep in mind this was a time when many people only got 3 or 4 channels! People in the country picked up the phone to make a call & Myrtle & Vera were gossiping away on the party line. I'm sure this is all Greek to the younger folks out there. When this series aired it was cutting edge stuff. You think the special effects were bad? Watch " The Gargoyles" from the same area & keep in mind it won awards for its special effects. Trust me, you would laugh at them based on today's standards. So, you may want to consider the age of this series before bashing it. For many it will bring back great memories of our youth. For the young it is a good study in what paved the way for shows like " The X-Files" & " Destination Truth". Plus's I like the fact that they have put the series in chronological order to its original release dates. They also did a great job cleaning up the stock footage & sound...and this is just the D.V.D. option! I would have popped for the Blu-Rays but hey in this economy, which is even worse than the 70's, an unfortunate parallel. to when this series came out. My older friends will know what I'm talking about & my younger friends are hearing references to the 70's. Young or old if you're into Cryptids, you'll probably enjoy this series. Back in the day this was cutting edge stuff. Go on & laugh at the old fart writing this. But some may find wisdom in my words. I don't think you will be disappointed, if you keep an open mind youngster. Oldsters, take a wonderful trip down memory lane. I know it's been fun for me! It appears there may be conflicting reviews. what I received was not double-sided disc's please read product description carefully before purchase. Apparently, there must be conflicting products available. What I got was A+ & I'm sorry if someone got an inferior product. Again, read carefully before purchasing. The number of discs will help identify, the one-sided product from the double-sided product. I read multiple product descriptions before purchasing... Had I been wealthy I would have gone Blu-Ray. but who knows maybe I would have had complaints had I gone that route?

Note: I got many of the episodes on my Kindle Fire, meaning I could skip the ones I didn't like. For horror buffs, "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" brought great anticipation to television viewers in 1974. The first two television movies about Jeff Rice's intrepid, if slightly weird reporter were ratings smashes. The same was expected of the show, but the end result wasn't quite what CBS executives envisioned, but it was their own fault. Personally, I loved the show. Then again, I was only seven years old and didn't get to stay up late enough to catch most of the episodes. Later, in the 70's, CBS late night brought the show back in syndication and I got to see what I missed. All of the important characters (main and secondary) are here. Darren McGavin as Kolchak. Simon Oakland as beleaguered editor Tony Vincenzo, who always seemed more concerned with the image of the Independent News Service than with serious journalism. Jack Grinnage as Ron Uptight, eh, I mean Ron Updike. Ruth McDevitt as loveable columnist Miss Emily. McGavin carries the show, always making the story lines believable. Oakland helps but Grinnage and Miss Emily never grew beyond their two-dimensional character portraits. What helped and hurt the show the most was CBS Television's insistence on a "monster-of-the-week" format. Such formats can often turn a good show into a cheesy one and "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" often had plenty of that. Good guest stars helped and it was fun to see the likes of Larry Linville, Antonio Fargas, Jamie Farr, Raymond Bieri, Keenan Wynn, John Fielder, Shelly Novack, Cathy Lee Crosby and even veteran stalwarts like John Dehner, Phil Silvers, Carmen Zapata, Scatman Crothers, Marvin Kaplan and Nina Foch. As with most TV shows of the time, we got to see some stars before they were stars, such as Erik Estrada (CHiPs), Margaret Avery (The Color Purple), Tom Skerritt (Alien) and Robert DoQui (Robocop). That said, a detraction from the show had to be the constant run-ins between Kolchak and the police captain-of-the-week. Linville, Wynn, Bieri, James Gregory, William Daniels, Henry Jones and even McGavin's real-life wife Kathie Browne all did the same tired thing -- tried to cover up the incidents in question. It got annoying after the fourth or fifth episode. And, as you would expect with a TV show culled from a movie, the budget showed in every episode. Plots featuring human monsters fared better, such as former 1961 AFL Rookie of the Year O. William Faison as the Zombie. Working best were villains who just had to be play their characters with no special effects. This includes Tom Skerritt as a politician who has sold his soul to the devil in "The Devil's Platform." It's one of the best shows of the series because much of the face-off between Kolchak and Skerritt is mental and there is no police coverup involved. There are also excellent supporting characters played by Jeanne Cooper and Robert DoQui. Other excellent work comes from Cathy Lee Crosby in "The Youth Killer," Nina Foch in "The Trevi Collection," Mickey Gilbert in "The Ripper" and Williams Daniels (St. Elsewhere, Knight Rider) in "The Vampire." For trivia buffs, "The Vampire" was originally meant to be the first episode of the show, because the female vampire was one of Janos Skorzny's unknown victims in the original movie. However, to appease CBS executives, who wanted a lot of action in the pilot, they switched it with "The Ripper." The worst episode is, by far, "The Sentry." A man-sized lizard, who looks like a man inside a cheap lizard suit, is killing workers at a new underground information storage facility (a concept which is bewildering today with flash drives and hard drives). The monster is shown up close and personal from the start. Almost as bad is the Ape-Man from "Primal Scream." It's clearly an actor in a monkey suit. Both the Ape-Man and the Lizard Man would have benefited more from staying in the shadows. The silly special effects overwhelmed the plot. Coming in a close third is the ridiculous Headless Biker from "Chopper." In a modern riff of Sleepy Hollow, a deceased biker comes back for vengeance and rides around on a motorcycle, chopping off heads with a sword. Stuntman Steve Boyum plays the Chopper but you can see he's got prosthetics as his shoulders are far higher than his arms. And none of the attacks are believable. Even worse, Larry Linville as the police captain Jonas is next to useless, walking around wishing he was back on the set of "M*A*S*H." For those keeping score, in my opinion, these are the better shows of the series: The Ripper, The Zombie, The Devil's Platform, The Vampire, The Youth Killer, The Trevi Collection. Ones to avoid: The Werewolf; Chopper; Primal Scream, and The Sentry. The remaining ten episodes can be left up to the discriminating tastes of viewers. If you have a Kindle, the choice is easy -- pick the ones you like. As for the DVD collection, you'll have to take the good with the bad. The quality is high, though. And even the bad shows can elicit some hilarity.

There is a good reason why "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" is a cult classic. It has an offbeat character--Kolchak the washed up reporter whose bliss calls him to places where angels fear to tread, and devils often do. Then there is the offbeat premise--the world is not as it seems, filled with witches, warlocks, and werewolves--and no one seems to care or wants to believe. Then the offbeat setting--be the INS office or the odd locals where mystery becomes Kolchak. This is the series strength--the world is almost 1974, with a persistent undercurrent of Macbeth. Yes, all of the elements are there. As a character, Kolchak's charm is beyond measure. Aside from his quirky wardrobe, we first notice that he is a trickster. That is, he is a fast talking Anasi, Hare, Br'er Rabbit, and Bugs Bunny rolled into one. Second, unlike Superman, Kolchak is, in G. K Chesterton's words, quite "eatable" (Orthodoxy, Ch. 8). "In a thrilling novel (that purely Christian product) the hero is not eaten by cannibals; but it is essential to the existence of the thrill that he *might* be eaten by cannibals." Lastly, Kolchak is the essential underdog. He is straightjacketed between editor Vincenzo, and the flux of police detectives, both who never let him win. In this respect we are all Kolchak, and we follow his example of "Rage against the machine" and "Illegitimi non carborundum." However, the technical aspects of the DVD do not live up to the series' standards. Although the menus are nice, the Universal logo and fanfare keep popping up--OK, we just need to see it once, and we get the idea. On a scale of 5, the transfer is about a 2. This was a jolt, since the TV movie DVD was a 5+. Lastly, like the TV movie disc, these DVDs are the double-sided ABOMINATION! No! No! No! Since they are so awkward to handle, I would much prefer more discs at a higher price than the accursed double sided discs at a cheaper price. Kolchak is a series we will watch every October, so the discs must be built to last. The series does have its has flaws. It focuses on characterization and setting (Kolchak in a weird world), but not on theme. There is no cohesion to the episodes, just a steady stream of odd events. The "Twilight Zone" was a consistent exploration of cosmic justice. In this area, the revival series NuKolchak, was better with the wrist tattoos; we had a sense that the series was going somewhere. With the original series, we get into a rut of Kolchak's glib Cassandra caterwauling and random acts of malevolence. So when the series finally ended, we were a bit relieved. Favorite episodes: "The Zombie" The premise is similar to "Live and Let Die," but the conflict between the pimp, the Mafiosi, and Kolchak, and the dialogue during the phone call leave you laughing. "The Vampire." This episode builds upon the events in the first TV movie, so it is a deeper, and does answer some of the questions we had from the first film. "The Werewolf." Placing this episode on a swinging singles cruise was a stroke of genius, the actor who played the werewolf was perfectly cast, and when Kolchak's cabin mate dies, you knew that this episode was serious. Love the 1970's fashions. "Horror in the Heights." Guest starring Phil Silvers. The mysterious set up--swastikas in a Jewish neighborhood--gets you from the first gammadion. This episode should be the baptism of fire of Kolchak uninitiates. "The Trevi Collection." Newbies should see this after "Horror in the Heights." If Ghostbusters was darker, I imagine that it would feel like this episode. It is a nice mixture of everyday 1974 and the undercurrent of Macbeth. It has nice plot-twists, a well-cast warlock, and the ending cosmic justice are all refreshing. "Mr. RING" has the best set-up. The opening narration leaves you wondering, and you see a taproot to the X-files. "They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be." You see an early reference to the MIB in a black limo. "Legacy of Terror" is notable for two cameos--Eric Estrada and Boss Hogg. And watching the dangling recorder in the stairwell is vintage Kolchak. "The Knightly Murders". Being the first episode where Vincenzo questions Kolchak's sanity, this does not jibe with the events in "The Night Strangler," where Kolchak persuades Vincenzo to "Believe." "The Sentry" The plot is too close to Star Trek's "Devil in the Dark" (the Horta) for my taste. But the skeptical female cop grinding against Kolchak changed the dynamics (and chemistry) of the series. In this sense, this episode is the last of Kolchak, and the first of X-files. "The Chopper." This is generally considered the worst of the series. I see two flaws. Fist, although the funeral scene is vintage Robert Zemeckis, it goes on too long. Second, the special effects leave much to be desired. Being filmed 3 years before Star Wars, we see why Lucas could not film episodes I-III at that point in time. Guest stars include Larry Linvel (Frank Burns) who played the surgeon in the first TV Movie, and a comb-over Jim Backus.

Kolchak--The Night Stalker is one of life's guilty pleasures. Sure, the series lasted only one season and was high camp at times, but it was Darren McGavin's strong acting who brought the character of fearless and intrepid reporter Karl Kolchak to life. McGavin also co-produced this exciting series. Although it deals with man-killing monsters and creatures in each episode, the emphasis here is on titillating the audience--not to terrify them. "Kolchak" works because the writers (ex-Twilight Zone alumnus Richard Matheson)and directors like David Chase who chose to keep the monsters in the shadows, and preferred suggestive horror to the explicit stuff we have grown accustomed to with today's typical slice-and-dice horror films. Added to this was McGavin as a completely credible, eccentric, and down-at-the-heels newshawk with his tape recorder and Kodak Instamatic at the ready, narrating events as they occur while lending a feel of authenticity as his story unfolds. Light humor also took some of the edge off the scarier bits in this highly entertaining series. Supporting roles featured veteran actor, Simon Oakland, as Kolchak's annoying and demanding boss in a role well-suited to his character. The pilot for the series, "The Night Stalker" is a tour de force about a vampire running loose in Las Vegas--a most appropriate setting for a vampire film when you think about it--a city that lives by night. The episodes that would follow featured Jack the Ripper, zombies, werewolves, rampaging robots, and a headless "horseman" who rides a motorcycle rather than a horse! This DVD set is nicely packaged and the transfers are adequate; despite these being Universal double sided discs, I experienced no skipping or freezing with my purchase. Sadly, the series went unnoticed without a review in TV Guide, and once ABC's new programming boss, Fred Silverman (who disliked sci-fi and fantasy shows) took over the reins of the network, Kolchak was pulled from his beat permanently.

I remember watching this back in the day and absolutely loving the stories, it's why I've always loved Darren McGavin who plays the character kolchak. Forgot about this series for years until I saw one of the early movies based on this character that ended up leading to the series, and then I had to buy the series after that. No regrets so happy! Just wish it were in Blu-ray- five stars Plus

Great TV series still stands up today.

Kolchak The Night Stalker ist eine 70er Mystery-Serie, deren Thematik an Akte X erinnert. Carl Kolchak, gespielt vom zumindest in den USA einigermaßen bekannten Schauspieler Darren McGavin, arbeitet für ein kleines Nachrichtenbüro in Chicago. Eigentlich soll er Routine-Nachrichten bringen, Berichte über Ereignisse von lokalem Interesse verfassen, doch hat Kolchak eine gute Nase für außergewöhnliche Phänomene. In den 20 Folgen der Serie hat der Reporter mit den Klassikern des Grusels zu tun - Werwölfe, Vampire, zombies, aber er muss sich auch mit solch unangenehmen Dingen wie kopflosen Motorradrockern oder Robotern, die ein Eigenleben entwickeln, herumschlagen. Kolchak gerät hierbei auch immer in selbstverschuldete Gefahr, möchte er doch die Hintergründe der eigenartigen Ereignisse und Wesen ergründen und der Welt glaubhaft machen. Auch der Humor kommt nicht zu kurz, einerseits zeigt Kolchak selbst einen Hang zu Ironie und Sarkasmus, zugleich ergeben sich aus dem Gegensatz von Kolchaks Sturheit zu dem cholerischen Charakter seines Bosses David Vinzenzo immer wieder witzige Szenen. Die Monstren sind zum Teil recht gut gemacht (mit Ausnahme eines Reptilienmonsters, das dann doch eher lächerlich wirkt), wirklich schockierend sind sie aber nicht. Die Serie hat vor allem in den USA eine kleien Fangemeinde und wird nach wie vor in Spartenkanälen wiederholt, obwohl nach der Erstausstrahlung in den Vereinigten Staaten in der Fernseh-Saison 1974/75 keine zweite Staffel mehr gedreht wurde. Die DVD Qualität ist nicht so toll, gelegentliche Farbwechsel und Rot- wie Blaustiche kommen schon vor. Ich habe dann doch einen Hang zur Nostalgie, also störten mich diese kleinen Mängel nicht. Der Ton ist hingegen recht gut, kein Rauschen zu bemerken. Jedoch sei darauf hingewiesen, dass keine deutsche Synchro vorhanden ist. Passable Englischkenntnisse sind daher Voraussetzung. Kolchak the Nightstalker ist Freunden von Sci Fi und Horror uneingeschränkt zu empfehlen. Die insgesamt 20 Folgen bieten gute Mystery-Unterhaltung mit viel 1970er Flair. Zudem sind die Dialoge gut formuliert und die schauspielerischen Leistung auf hohem Niveau.

This is a classic series - which is really deserving of a rescanned bluray release. The quality of this DVD set is somewhat lacking since, on different episodes, the image quality varies from faded to overexposed and oversaturated. Overall video quality is okay - but not particularly clear or sharp. This may be down to the 1970s filming, poor quality of prints used for scanning ... or maybe I've just gotten too used to the superb bluray restorations that the nice folks at Network have done for the old ITV programs that I'm currently watching. Nonetheless (despite lacklustre video) its the quality of the stories and acting that stands out and makes this still such a joy to watch. Darren McGavin is perfectly cast as Carl Kolchak - a snooping, conniving, and dishevelled reporter who cons and bluffs his way past a succession of obstructive police captains and uncooperative witnesses - always getting to the bottom of some new supernatural mystery each week. Despite his bumbling nature and lack of any obvious bravery, he somehow manages to dispatch a wide range of fiends including: vampires, zombies, demons, a werewolf, jack the ripper, indian spirits, a headless motorcyclist, and a swamp monster (to name just a few). None of it is taken too seriously, and its all fun to watch. The makeup and special effects are less than brilliant - but it just adds to the fun. Heated exchanges between Kolchak and his permanently angry and frustrated editor, brilliantly played by Simon Oakland, add to the mixture. Among Kolchak's other regular newsroom cohorts we encounter include Emily (a nice, elderly but dithering agony aunt column writer), and Ron Updyke (the paper's incompetent and uptight financial and social reporter) . The exasperated police captains include Keenan Wynn and Larry Linville, better known as M*A*S*H's Frank Burns. Several other well-known guest stars also occasionally pop up in minor roles - plus there's an episode written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale, both from Back to the Future fame, in one of their early gigs. Another of the episodes is written by Jimmy Sangster - the writer behind many of Hammer's best works, plus a few of their other not-so-great works. All in all, this is a brilliant classic of 1970s television. Somewhat cheesy - but fun and highly recommended ... especially for fans of old B-Grade monster movies. Although it might have influenced the later X-Files, I honestly find this more fun and more creative. It's a shame that it only lasted one season, but inventing a 20 supernatural creatures to go roaming unnoticed around the streets of Chicago was probably too tough an ask. Buy it. Enjoy it for what it is. Encourage Universal to do a proper scan and digital restoration effort so that future generations can appreciate it on bluray and in HD.

This set is well done with nice artwork and individual slim cases for the DVD's, but completely lacking in bonus material. Sadly Mr. McGavin passed away in Feb/2006, so why didn't the studio interview him for the DVD release of this classic show when they had the chance. Any commentary from Darren McGavin or a look back interview from him would have been a welcomed addition to this set. Universal Studios just doesn't get it, including bonus material is another reason to buy these classic shows on DVD. My only other gripe is that the two Kolchak movies should have been included in the set as well, to complete the entire series. This is the original Night Stalker and it definitely shouldn't be passed up at any price. Rumors about reviving this show have once again emerged, but like all classics they're often imitated and seldom duplicated. Thanks to Universal Studios, the complete Kolchak "The Night Stalker" television series has finally been released on DVD. The video transfer is really decent and the 2.0 sound is pretty consistent and definitely better than I expected. All 20 episodes of this classic 70's TV series are spread out over 3 double sided discs and that's my only major complaint with this set. Universal Studios should abandon the double sided discs and go with single sided discs even if it means adding a few more dollars to the price of the set. In a few of the episodes, some of the night scenes are very dark and sometimes it's hard to make out the images. I give this classic show five stars all the way for pure entertainment value. Darren McGavin in my opinion was the perfect choice to play the Kolchak character and he played it to perfection. DVD Features Include: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Studio: Universal Studios Available Subtitles: English, Spanish Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 2.1 Mono) All 20 original episodes on three double sided discs Episodes Include: Episode 1: The Ripper Episode 2: The Zombie Episode 3: They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be. Episode 4: The Vampire Episode 5: The Werewolf Episode 6: Firefall Episode 7: The Devil's Platform Episode 8: Bad Medicine Episode 9: The Spanish Moss Murders Episode 10: The Energy Eater Episode 11: Horror in the Heights Episode 12: Mr. R.I.N.G. Episode 13: Primal Scream Episode 14: The Trevi Collection Episode 15: Chopper Episode 16: Demon in Lace Episode 17: Legacy of Terror Episode 18: The Knightly Murders Episode 19: The Youth Killer Episode 20: The Sentry

中学生の頃、リアルタイムでテレビで見ていましたが、大好きなドラマで50年経った今でも覚えていました。最終回は熱を出して学校を休んだ時で、親がテレビを見せてくれずずっと心残りでした。ネットで検索しアマゾンに辿り着きました。buy Americaで買うのは初めてで少々不安でしたが予定通り商品も届き値段もリーゾナブルだったので大変満足しています。 リージョンコードはアメリカ、カナダですがパソコンでリージョンコードを選択出来るソフトであれば視聴出来ます。字幕は英語しかありません。 50年前に見逃した最終回を観るのがこれから楽しみです。