The ever-abrasive, irritable, obstinate and incorrigible newspaper reporter Carl Kolchak (delightfully played with lip-smacking aplomb by Darren McGavin) once again finds himself elbow deep in trouble when he crosses the lethal path of ancient, but powerful alchemist Dr. Richard Malcom (an excellent performance by Richard Anderson), who every 21 years commits a series of vicious murders in Seattle, Washington in order to retain his immortality. Ably directed with tremendous skill and flair by Dan Curtis, with a smart and witty script by Richard Matheson, a nonstop zippy pace, a spirited funky-scary score by Bob Cobert, a nicely spooky atmosphere, slick cinematography by Robert B. Hauser, an often hilarious sense of deliciously sardonic humor, and several outbursts of pretty brutal violence (the female victims not only are drained of blood, but also have their necks broken), this hugely enjoyable made-for-TV sequel to the first-rate "The Night Stalker" delivers the goods with a winning blend of style and energy. The terrific acting from a top-drawer cast rates as a major plus: Simon Oakland as Kolchak's peppery, long-suffering editor Tony Vincenzo, Jo Ann Pflung as sweet, perky belly dancer Louise Harper, Scott Brady as the gruff Captain Schubert, John Carradine as hard-nosed newspaper owner Lewellyn Crossbinder, Wally Cox as friendly, helpful librarian Mr. Berry, Nina Wayne as vacuous, but alluring bimbo Charisma Beauty, Virginia Peters as Charisma's mannish, domineering lesbian lover Wilma Krankheimer, Margaret Hamilton as flaky anthropologist Professor Crabwell, and Al Lewis as a grubby, rundown old tramp. Moreover, Dr. Malcom makes for a nifty villain; he has a fascinating back story and he resides in a wonderfully eerie retro 19th century subterranean world. Granted, this movie certainly rehashes the basic plot from the first one, but does so with such great infectious verve and imagination that this is a forgivable minor flaw.

This was a second pilot for a television series that aired after this movie was shown. Another pilot, "The Night Stalker," a year earlier. This one actually kicked off the series, called "Kolchak: The Night Stalker," which ran only two years. It seemed to be popular so I don't know why it didn't last longer.

At 90 minutes, this was longer than the first pilot but very similar in plot. The only major change is in the cities. Here, our intrepid reporter-hero "Carl Kolchak" (Darren McGavin) is hunting down a serial-killer werewolf in Seattle instead of Las Vegas.

He has the same common opponents, meaning his newspaper boss "Tony Vincenzo (Simon Oakland) and a hostile police chief (played by Scott Brady). Along the way you get to see a bevy of beauties including Jo Ann Pflug and Nina Wayne. You also have brief appearances by somewhat-famous actors John Carradine, Margaret Hamilton, Al Lewis and Wally Cox.

The story will keep your interest and has good suspense at the end. The only annoying part - at least for me - is the overdone yelling between McGavin and Oakland, and McGavin and Brady. Every single time - every time - that pairing is on screen it is nothing but a shouting match. Can you say "abrasive?" It's just too much. Thankfully, on DVD, I can use the English subtitles and mute the sound button so I can turn off these screaming lunatics. Unfortunately, those shouting sessions take up a good chunk of the movie.

Kicked out of Vegas for uncovering the presence of a creepy vampire, Darren McGavin's Kolchak refuses to abide by the old adage "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas!" He heads to Seattle where he runs into old boss Simon Oakland, gets a new job working with him on John Carradine's newspaper, and goes undercover to discover why half a dozen women every 21 years are being murdered in the very same area. Along the way, he encounters some creepy Seattle citizens, among them a prissy library clerk (Wally Cox), a ghoulish professor of the occult (Margaret Hamilton), a drunken tramp (Al Lewis) who has seen perhaps too much, and a group of go-go dancers, one of whom (Joanna Pflug) he brings into his investigation, and another one with a very butch female lover. The mystery involves the old underground city and a nefarious civil war era doctor whose experiments are very Lugosi and Karloff like in their sinister goals.

Obviously heading towards a TV series, Kolchak continues his witty observations about all of these freaky people and puts his own life in jeopardy just so he can get a story. It's ironic to see Carradine cast as a newspaper owner rather than one of the creepy characters involved in McGavin's investigation, and in her one scene, Hamilton is deliciously over the top and given some rather risque dialog. What could in a sense be called a variation of the Jack the Ripper case and the Boston Strangler mystery gets its own unique telling where once again McGavin's narration paves the way for intrigue, subtle comedy and a fun finale where everything is wrapped up yet left open for the potential series which came McGavin's way. A well known TV character actor gets to inhabit the role of the fiendish ghoul, a far cry from their respectable film and television roles, and chewing the scenery (and a few women's throats) along the way.