The Night Strangler is an American made-for-television horror film that first aired on ABC on January 16, 1973, as a sequel to The Night Stalker.[1] In the film, Carl Kolchak (played by Darren McGavin), an investigative reporter assigned to series of killings, comes to suspect the murderer is an immortal with superhuman strength.
The Night Strangler, though not as popular as its predecessor, garnered both strong ratings and positive reviews, eventually prompting ABC to order a TV series Kolchak: The Night Stalker.[2] Neither writer Richard Matheson nor producer/director Dan Curtis was involved in the TV series. In the United States, the TV movie ran (without commercials) approximately 74 minutes. ABC planned to release the film overseas as a theatrical release and had additional footage shot, rounding out the movie to 90 minutes.
