A chilling strangler terrorizes Seattle roughly every two decades, and "The Night Strangler," directed by Dan Curtis and initially broadcast on television in early 1973, investigates a series of murders involving young women. Reporter Carl Kolchak, portrayed by Darren McGavin, uncovers that these killings follow a pattern recurring approximately every 21 years, with roots extending back to the late 1800s. Simon Oakland takes on the role of Kolchak’s loud-voiced supervisor, while Jo Ann Pflug appears as a friendly belly dancer who provides assistance to Carl. Scott Brady plays the police captain, and Wally Cox is present as a helpful writer. Richard Anderson also has an important part. "The Night Strangler" came after the successful "The Night Stalker" (1972) and resulted in a television series that lasted one season from 1974 to 1975 (comprising 20 episodes), as well as several Kolchak books. The initial two pilot movies are considered the strongest and set the standard for both the series and the subsequent books. Similar to its predecessor, this film features intrigue, action, attractive women, horror, and suspense, all accompanied by a jazzy score emphasizing percussion that is even more impressive. "The Night Strangler" incorporates some effective humor, and the villain's motivations are more complex. The underground hideout feels mysterious, and the mummified family is unsettling, but the specifics of the alchemist’s potion and plan feel somewhat forced. It was enjoyable to see Kolchak working with someone (the appealing Pflug), a dynamic that occurs infrequently in later episodes, yet it proved to be a welcome addition when it did happen (“The Energy Eater” and “Demon in Lace”). Several other attractive women appear (Regina Parton, Nina Wayne, and Francoise Birnheim), something the remainder of the series generally lacked, with the exception of the premiere episode, "The Ripper," and "The Werewolf." Given that this is a television movie from the early 1970s, viewers shouldn’t anticipate excessive gore. The film has a runtime of 90 minutes (though the original TV broadcast was edited down to 74 minutes) and was filmed in Seattle and the Bradbury Building in downtown Los Angeles, with studio work completed at 20th Century Fox Studios. Richard Matheson wrote the teleplay, while Jeffrey Grant Rice contributed the characters and overall structure. Grade: B+

Source on TMDB