The Night Stalker (1972), The Night Strangler (1973)

Based on the unpublished novel The Kolchak Papers by Jeff Rice, The Night Stalker was a TV movie made for ABC in the early 70's, its was popular enough that a second tele-film was made for the network a year later The Night Strangler, which was itself followed by a full television series that ran from 1974-1975 (a series reboot, tie-in novels and comics would follow later). The films and series are acknowledged for runners to the later, and more successful X-Files Franchise. In fact the latter shows creator Chris Carter wanted to have Kolchack star Darren McGavin reprise his role as  on his series, McGavin declined to play Kolchack again but did appear as another character (agent Arthur Dales) on the program in the late 1990's.

Carl Kolchack is an investigative reporter, tenacious, but with a habit of getting himself fired. Now in middle age Kolchack is working for a paper in Las Vegas, he is investigating a series of murders of young women that start to look more and more like they may be the work of a vampire, which of course they are. Kolchack tries to get somebody, anybody to listen to him, but of course he is rebuffed by the police, his editor, his colleges, ect. This in turn gives birth to what will turn out to be Kolchacks standard formula, he is right about a supernatural element in a recent crime spree, but no one, or  almost no one, will believe him, and in the end he defats the bad guy and gets the story, but no one will publish it and he is forced out of town (in Night Stalker it's Las Vegas and a vampire, in Night Strangler is Seattle and a 144-year old alchemist). Kolchack also tends to end up with beautiful young girlfriends, which is the wish fulfillment part of the show.

The first film was really fun, it felt clever and original, the 2nd film though the plot is arguable more interesting and better constructed still  feels mostly like a re-tread of the first film. Doubtless this how the TV series will largely feel, but these movies are still good enough, and McGavin likable enough that I am interested in watching the TV show. Kolchack in short has the makings of a guilty pleasure.

The Night Stalker ***
The Night Strangler **1/2