A dangerous vampire is terrorizing Las Vegas. Premiering on television in early 1972 and helmed by John Llewellyn Moxey, "The Night Stalker" details happenings in Las Vegas when the bodies of several young women are discovered with their blood missing. Determined reporter Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) grows increasingly convinced that something otherworldly is involved, a notion his loud-voiced supervisor (Simon Oakland) dismisses, as do local officials (Ralph Meeker, Claude Akins & Kent Smith). Elisha Cook Jr appears as an informant while Barry Atwater portrays Janos Skorzeny. "The Night Stalker" proved to be a very popular television film, which understandably resulted in a follow-up, "The Night Strangler" (1973), and a series that lasted one season from 1974-1975 (20 episodes), plus several Kolchak books. This initial movie stands out as the strongest entry, with “The Night Strangler” coming close in quality and even surpassing it in certain aspects. Both films set the pattern for everything that came afterward. What distinguishes this film as "the best of the batch"? The narrative is tight and full of mystery, action, attractive women, horror, and suspense; and the music adds to the atmosphere. Carol Lynley appears as Kolchak’s romantic interest, though her character isn't fully utilized. Still, there are several other visually appealing actresses present. The subsequent film and the initial episode "The Ripper" mirrored this pilot’s approach regarding female characters, but the remainder of the series lacked in that area. Given that it is a television movie from the early 1970s, viewers shouldn't anticipate excessive violence. THE MOVIE HAS A RUNNING TIME of 1 hour and 14 minutes and was filmed on location in Las Vegas with studio work completed at Universal Studios & Samuel Goldwyn Studios, CA. WRITERS: Richard Matheson (teleplay) & Jeffrey Grant Rice (story). GRADE: A-

Source on TMDB