February 13, 2016

THE K FILES:

Before 'The X-Files,' There Was 'Kolchak: The Night Stalker'  (Liel Leibovitz, February 12, 2016, The Tablet)

Called "Horror in the Heights," the masterpiece in question is the 11th episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Only 20 episodes were ever aired, but the show's influence far surpassed its nasty, brutish, and short life on network TV: Among its writers were Robert Zemeckis and The Sopranos creator David Chase, both new to the craft, and generations of rabid fans went on to create their own tributes to Kolchak's grimy and spooky universe. The most enthusiastic among them was a former editor of Surfing Magazine named Chris Carter, who, after securing a TV show of his own, delivered a strong homage to Kolchak and called it The X-Files. On last week's episode--the show is currently on week four of a six-week miniseries revival--a character walked around dressed in a porkpie hat and a seersucker blazer, the iconic uniform of Kolchak's eponymous hero and one of many tributes Carter has paid to his inspiration over the years.

What is it, then, about Kolchak that moved so many? And what is it that continues to rattle even today, when good frights abound in movies and on TV? For answers, turn off the lights and indulge in the aforementioned episode. 

Serendipitously, I'd just found the complete series at the Thrift Store (for $1.75).  Let's be honest, it was never really about the plots.  The show is essentially Darren McGavin chewing up the scenery--very nearly playing The Old Man, from A Christmas Story--and it is at its best when he's going toe-to-toe with Simon Oakland, as his editor, who was seemingly the explosive-tempered Lieutenant in every 70s cop show. 


Posted by at February 13, 2016 7:49 AM

  

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