Wednesday, July 9, 2014

Zombie-A-Thon #5 - Kolchak: The Night Stalker - The Zombie (Aired: September 20, 1974) - With Voodoo Spoilers

I love Kolchak: The Night Stalker. I first saw the series as kid and immediately identified with Darren McGavin's acerbic, stubborn, tough-minded but not very likeable reporter, Carl Kolchak. Introduced in 1972 in the TV movie The Night Stalker (followed by The Night Strangler in 1973) the series followed his adventures as he discovered the horrors that lurk in the shadows of modern America. Add to that a collection of quirky supporting characters, creative (if not always successful) takes on classic monsters and some clever scripts and you had a pretty neat show.

Of course, you also had some shoddy looking effects and you had to believe that Kolchak managed to find a new monster every week, one that he would have to stop, because the authorities were all either bumbling fools or dedicated to keeping the public from knowing just how strange the world really was.

Synopsis

Mob members are being killed in Chicago by having their spines snapped. Kolchak discovers a link between the dead men and a recently killed Haitian criminal. Turns out, the dead man's grandmother is a Voodoo priestess. She revived him to take revenge on the men who had a hand in his death. Kolchak becomes a target after he gets too close to the truth and has to fight the undead killing machine in an auto graveyard. Will our intrepid reporter prevail?

Analysis

This is one of the best Kolchak episodes. It features clever writing, good acting from the leads, as well as from the supporting cast (including Antonio Fargas and Scatman Crothers) and some creepy visuals. The makeup for the zombie is effective, particularly a scene during the climax, in which the zombie sits up, his full body make-up glistening wetly. The episode also features some of the show, with authorities who are willfully ignorant, a gritty urban vibe and a monster that is an interesting twist on a legendary creature.

Verdict

While not all episodes of Kolchak were great, this one is. Check it out.

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