Another top release of the year from Kino, this presentation looks better than I have ever seen it. As with the previous movie, I was there when this premiered on TV back in 1973 and just ate it up.
The story opens with a murder and then we are introduced to Anthony Vincenzo (Simone Oakland) who has been fired from Las Vegas and now works in Seattle. At a local bar after work he hears a familiar voice taking about vampires and runs into his old friend Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin), who happens to need a job.
Kolchak goes to work for the Seattle Chronicle and soon stumbles on a series of bizarre killings in the Pioneer Square district. After doing some research with the help of Mr. Barry (Wally Cox), Kolchak discovers that the murders happen during a certain period every 21 years dating back to 1889.
So once again it's Kolchak against an unbelieving newspaper and authorities. Kolchak enlists the help of a young grad student working as a belly dancer named Louise Harper (Jo Ann Pflug). Harper wants to help more than ever after two of her co-workers are killed by the strangler.
Director Dan Curtis imbues this with his usual flair for handling the supernatural as he demonstrated in "Dark Shadows". Richard Anderson is simply great as Dr. Malcolm Richards, a man who is trying to gain eternal life at any cost, and his interplay with Kolchak in the final minutes of the film is priceless.
The rest of the top notch cast includes John Carradine as the editor of the paper that hires Kolchak, Scott Brady as Capt. Schubert who has some priceless lines when he and Kolchak go at it, Margaret Hamilton, Al Lewis, beautiful Nina Wayne, Kate Murtagh and Ivor Francis.
Since my old disc was wearing out this is a revelation and I am happy to have it. Just like the "Night Stalker", this is an essential Blu-ray to own. One of the top releases of the year.
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