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| Forums Index -> The Terror Tube -> Kolchak: The Night Stalker |
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 Posted:
Fri Sep 18, 2009 3:00 pm
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Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 3690
Location: Chicago, Illinois
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some of my earliest memories are of watching this show when it debuted on television. Thank god they put out a dvd collection of all the episodes.
great stories, great acting, admittedly stupid looking monsters and one of the most haunting theme songs of all time.
I love seeing my hometown the way it looked back in the seventies, too.
The original made-for-tv movie The Night Stalker is one of my favorite vampire movies of all time. The sequel, The Night Strangler, is a whole lot of fun as well.
Does anyone else love this series as much as I do?
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| Posted:
Mon Sep 28, 2009 7:57 pm
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Joined: 23 Jun 2006
Posts: 48
Location: Oakland, ME
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| Richard Bastard wrote: | | Does anyone else love this series as much as I do? |
I'm a fan. I watched it on the CBS late show (or something like that) one summer in the 80's. I watched it again when Sci-fi or Chiller ran a marathon of it a few years back and while I still like it it didn't age well for me.
It was nice to see Darren Mcgavin on X-Files as "the man who started the X-files". Nice tribute to Chris carter's inspiration.
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"Seekers after horror haunt strange, far places." - HP Lovecraft |
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Thu Oct 01, 2009 12:19 am
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Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 2039
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I'm glad you started this thread, because I've been watching them all week.
Kolchak rules! Every time I hear that wonderful opening theme music I'm instantly transported back in time to the early 80s. It triggers some kind of powerful sense-memory thing in me. I grew up on Kolchak. The show never fails to put a smile on my face. I've been humming the theme all day.
I watched Bad Medicine last night. That's the one with the shape-shifting Indian killing people for their jewels. Great stuff. Before that I watched The Spanish Moss Murders, which scared the crap out of me when I was a kid. And before that I watched The Zombie, which has one of the best seat-jumpers I can remember. When that zombie opens his eyes while Kolchak is sewing his mouth shut... awesome!
I love every episode, even the sucky ones. Although the monsters were cool, it's the characters I love the most. Simon Oakland as Tony Vincenzo is my all-time favorite. He's the boss I always wanted to have. I love that he's got a big heart under all that bluster. Miss Emily, Ron Updyke, Gordon Spangler in the morgue, they're all so great! Every police chief who tangles with Kolchak is a riot. They're all played by total pros. The dialog is fast and witty, filled with terrific pseudo-noir voiceovers that still sound fresh today.
It may not be the best TV show ever made, but it's my favorite. Nothing else comes close for me. Darren McGavin is so damn charming in it. He's the ultimate rumpled reporter. I love his tenacity, his sense of humor, his unexpected bravery. I love that he lives by a code. I love that he sees himself as a crusader, while everyone else sees him as a loon. That $2.00 hat of his, as one of the characters calls it, is iconic. I love that he fights off monsters with little more than a camera. He's so endearing, so crusty yet lovable. He's just great.
Kolchak forever! |
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Thu Oct 01, 2009 2:36 pm
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Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 3690
Location: Chicago, Illinois
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agreed 100%. This show was much more about the characters and the atmosphere then it was about the monsters... they took time to develop every minor character in every episode... every cop trying to stop Kolchak's investigations, for example, was a seperate and distinct and well-written and acted charactor, not just carbon-copies of each other.
My favorites are the zombie, werewolf and headless motorcyclist episodes... I lived in Cicero for awhile (the setting of Chopper), so it's a nice nod.
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mods, kindly delete my account |
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| Posted:
Fri Oct 02, 2009 3:16 am
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Joined: 28 Aug 2006
Posts: 3869
Location: New York
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Solid gold, baby.
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Zombis Nazis gobiernan!
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| Posted:
Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:50 am
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Joined: 04 Dec 2009
Posts: 44
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The best horror series.
Period.
Favorite ep is Horror in the Heights with the Riksasa. |
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| Posted:
Mon Jan 04, 2010 7:58 am
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Joined: 25 Aug 2008
Posts: 1180
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| Better than "Star Trek". Fuck you, I said it and meant it. |
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| Posted:
Mon Jan 04, 2010 8:01 am
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Joined: 04 Dec 2009
Posts: 44
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| Star Trek is a small matter to a horror fan. |
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Mon Jan 04, 2010 8:11 am
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Joined: 25 Aug 2008
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| Posted:
Mon Jan 04, 2010 8:17 am
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Joined: 04 Dec 2009
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Well, I hate to drag semantics into this cozy discussion, but Star Trek really isn't horror, though science fiction is inextricably tied to horror.
The Twilight Zone is, for example, grounded in science fiction, yet remains one of the best horror series. I do not believe the same could be said for the Trek. Too sci-fi. |
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 05, 2010 7:00 am
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Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Posts: 273
Location: Wichita, KS
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| Grim Hideous wrote: | | Star Trek is a small matter to a horror fan. |
Speak for yourself.
| Grim Hideous wrote: | | The Twilight Zone is, for example, grounded in science fiction, yet remains one of the best horror series. I do not believe the same could be said for the Trek. Too sci-fi. |
I think you're thinking of The Outer Limits. That show was a lot darker in tone. The Twilight Zone is a fantasy series which often has science-fiction or horror elements. And of horror, it shows up in The Twilight Zone considerably less often. Rod Serling's Night Gallery, on the other hand, is definitely horror.
And you're right about science-fiction and horror being linked -- they're both sub-genres of fantasy. |
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 05, 2010 8:56 pm
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Joined: 04 Dec 2009
Posts: 44
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| Desdinova wrote: | | Grim Hideous wrote: | | Star Trek is a small matter to a horror fan. |
Speak for yourself. |
I just find it funny for someone to bring up Star trek when we're talking about horror. |
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| Posted:
Tue Jan 05, 2010 10:13 pm
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Joined: 20 Jun 2006
Posts: 3690
Location: Chicago, Illinois
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you know you need one
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mods, kindly delete my account |
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| Posted:
Wed Jan 06, 2010 5:48 am
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Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Posts: 273
Location: Wichita, KS
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| Grim Hideous wrote: | | Desdinova wrote: | | Grim Hideous wrote: | | Star Trek is a small matter to a horror fan. |
Speak for yourself. |
I just find it funny for someone to bring up Star trek when we're talking about horror. |
True. Star Trek rarely ventured into the realm of true horror. And, when it did, it wasn't very successful at it. So it is odd when folks bring it up when discussing horror. |
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| Posted:
Wed Jan 06, 2010 5:51 am
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Joined: 21 Jun 2006
Posts: 273
Location: Wichita, KS
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| Richard Bastard wrote: |
you know you need one |
Yeah. I want one. . . even if the hat looks like something out of The Real McCoys instead of Kolchak's signature porkpie hat.
Something I'd want more, though, is a realistic statue or vinyl model kit. |
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