We first stumbled into rabid newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak in 1971’s “The Night Stalker”. Kolchak sniffed out a marauding vampire in fun town Las Vegas. His dogged pursuit of the truth and the dire implications it posed to the town’s populace were Kolchak’s undoing as the Powers That Be were decidedly opposed to his efforts. A coverup thus remains as such and Kolchak ends up ruined as a result. Kolchak is forced out of town but eventually blows into Seattle, Washington, trying to peddle his “bizarre” tale of vampirism existing in the modern age. He has no takers until he runs into old managing editor Tony Vincenzo who also got the boot from Vegas. Inexplicably, Vincenzo takes a gamble on Carl again and gets him hired to his Seattle paper. It isn’t long before a beast emerges from the dark, engaging in diabolical activities that Kolchak tracks down. It appears this time that an ancient alchemist is regaining his lost vigor and youth through the murder of young women in order to extract bodily fluids to combine with other ingredients to cook up an “elixir of youth”. Leave it to Kolchak to uncover these creeps or do they (un)naturally gravitate toward him?

Entertaining TV movie which continues the exploits of Carl Kolchak. Not as dread inducing as “The Night Stalker” but definitely engaging. Darren McGavin plays the character more for laughs this time out but his is a very endearing portrayal of the pesky reporter. Simon Oakland returns as harried editor Vincenzo and horror vet John Carridine plays the Seattle paper’s owner. Remember Carridine’s own turn as the undead vampire Dracula in the 1940’s? Haha! Dan Curtis of “Dark Shadows” fame directs.