“He’s out there, and I’ll bet he’s high on pot or the hard stuff and he’s gonna kill again”
Mickey Spillane has nothing on Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin). Intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak is on the case. Having been fired from 10 newspapers he finds himself in Las Vegas reporting for a small paper, the only one that would hire him, when an enticing story gets his attention.
A series of murders in Las Vegas have Kolchak snooping where the police don’t want him. It seems that all the victims have been drained of blood. Then a blood bank gets robbed. What is taken? Just blood. The coroner finds two puncture wounds on the victims’ throats and saliva in the wounds. Kolchak brings up the theory of a killer who thinks he’s a vampire. The coroner is not ready to rule anything out; however, the police and the D.A.’s office refuse to discuss the theory. His boss, Anthony "Tony" Vincenzo (Simon Oakland), refuses to publish anything that refers to vampires. After all Las Vegas has tourists. We can’t upset them. But Kolchak refuses to give in. He keeps digging.
Someone breaks into the hospital blood bank causing a riot. Orderlies and police try to apprehend the perpetrator. He has incredible strength. The police shoot him. Bullets don’t stop him. He still runs away. Identification is finally made. Janos Skorzeny (Barry Atwater). A 70 year old Romanian millionaire. How can a 70 year old accomplish so much mayhem and just run away?
Kolchak’s girlfriend Gail (Carol Lynley) gives him a book on vampires and makes him read it. It intrigues him. He is starting to believe. Is there really a vampire on the loose in Las Vegas? Can Kolchak convince the police of it? Or is he the only one who can stop this maniac?
Told in a no nonsense snarky tone “The Night Stalker” was a made for TV movie released in 1972 and directed by John Llewellyn Moxey. Supporting actors Simon Oakland, Claude Akins and Elisha Cook round out the cast nicely. Barry Atwater as the vampire has no lines, but his dark menacing demeanor says it all. Once you see him. You know there is a vampire in Vegas. Darren McGavin gives a fabulous performance as the tenacious yet slightly bumbling reporter. This is a refreshing take on the standard vampire fare. You can’t help but love it.
While filming in Las Vegas, producer Dan Curtis was amazed at how oblivious the casino gamblers were to any events going on around them other than gambling. So as a joke one day, actor Barry Atwater (Janos Skorzeny) was asked to walk through the Sahara's casino in full costume and makeup to see if anyone noticed him. He did this for over 40 minutes, and didn't even get a second glance.