IT CAME FROM THE BOTTOM SHELF!

The late, great Darren McGaven comes to Blu-ray in October as reporter/monster hunter Carl Kolchak in the original TV movies that led to the Kolchak: The Night Stalker TV series.  Both films are great fun and demonstrate what a really talented character actor can do when handed a meaty role.

Kino Lorber Studio Classics has detailed the individual Blu-rays for The Night Stalker (1972) and The Night Strangler (1973).  Both titles are scheduled to ship on October 2nd, and I plan to own them “day one.”

Here are the release announcements:

Coming October 2nd on DVD and Blu-ray!

Just in Time for Halloween!

The Night Stalker (1972) with optional English subtitles

An investigative journalist takes a stab at the supernatural – This unforgettable first entry in the Night Stalker series introduced the world to the quirky reporter with a penchant for the paranormal and became one of the top-rated TV movies of all time. Investigating a series of Las Vegas murders, Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin, The Night Strangler) discovers that each victim has been bitten in the neck and drained of blood. Though Kolchak’s outlandish theory about the murders gets him nowhere with the police, his initiative to apprehend the killer himself gets him into hot water… with a modern-day vampire. The great John Llewellyn Moxey (Nightmare in Badham County) directed this Dan Curtis (Burnt Offerings) production featuring Carol Lynley (The Poseidon Adventure), Simon Oakland (The Hunting Party), Ralph Meeker (Big House, U.S.A.), Claude Akins (A Man Called Sledge), Charles McGraw (The Narrow Margin), Kent Smith (The Spiral Staircase), Elisha Cook Jr. (I Wake Up Screaming) and Larry Linville (TV’s M*A*S*H). Teleplay by legendary sci-fi/horror writer Richard Matheson (The Incredible Shrinking Man).

• Brand New 4K Restoration!
• NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim Lucas
• NEW Interview with Director John Llewellyn Moxey
• NEW Interview with Composer Bob Cobert
• “The Night Stalker: Dan Curtis Interview” featurette
• Limited Edition Booklet essay by Film critic and author Simon Abrams (Blu-ray only)
• Newly Commissioned Art by Sean Phillips
• Limited Edition O-Card Slipcase (Blu-ray only)

Color 74 Minutes 1.33:1 Not Rated

The Night Strangler (1973) with optional English subtitles

Supernatural phenomena, baffling murders and offbeat humor mark this second Night Stalker offering with a great cast and suspense so palpable, it’ll feel like a presence right there in the room with you. Surfacing in Seattle, Kolchak (Darren McGavin, The Night Stalker) uncovers another maddening mystery: Ever 21 years – for the past century – a serial killer commits a spree of murders, drains his victims’ blood and then quietly disappears. But Kolchak is on to this monster and is about to discover a shocking underground lair… an army of rotting corpses… and the ageless madman behind it all. The great Dan Curtis (Burnt Offerings) produced and directed this highly-rated TV movie written by legendary sci-fi/horror writer Richard Matheson (I Am Legend). The stellar cast includes Jo Ann Pflug (Scream of the Wolf), Simon Oakland (Bullitt), Scott Brady (He Walked by Night), Wally Cox (TV’s Mister Peepers), Margaret Hamilton (The Wizard of Oz), John Carradine (House of the Long Shadows) and Al Lewis (TV’s The Munsters).

• Brand New 4K Restoration!
• NEW Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim Lucas
• NEW Interview with Composer Bob Cobert
• “Directing ‘The Night Strangler'” Featurette
• Limited Edition Booklet essay by film critic and author Simon Abrams (Blu-ray only)
• Newly Commissioned Art by Sean Phillips
• Limited Edition O-Card Slipcase (Blu-ray only)

Color 90 Minutes 1.33:1 Not Rated