Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- eerie
- witty
- sardonic
- classic horror night
- late night television
What critics said
Critics and viewers broadly regard the sequel as an effective, entertaining supernatural mystery built around Darren McGavin's charismatic investigative performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Carl Kolchak uses reporting and persistent questioning to connect current strangulations with earlier killings while authorities dismiss his conclusions.
The strangulations recur every 21 years and extend back to the late nineteenth century.
The film combines police investigation, editorial conflicts, and evidence gathering with a seemingly impossible blood-draining killer.
Seattle's contemporary streets conceal a pattern of murders reaching back through the city's past.
Films like The Night Strangler, and why
The Night Stalker
investigative journalist confronting a supernatural serial killer amid skeptical authorities and witty genre tension
The Wicker Man
stylish occult mystery centered on recurring murders, historical clues, and a determined investigator
The Sentinel
period television horror combining crime investigation, supernatural menace, and an atmospheric urban setting
Movie Details
- Director
- Dan Curtis
- Release Date
- 1973-01-16
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 6.7 / 10 (85)
Cast
- Darren McGavin
- Jo Ann Pflug
- Simon Oakland
- Scott Brady
- Wally Cox
- Margaret Hamilton
- Richard Anderson
- John Carradine
- Al Lewis
- Nina Wayne
Common questions
- What is The Night Strangler about?
- A sharp-tongued Seattle reporter battles official disbelief while tracing a recurring cycle of blood-draining strangulations to a supernatural killer.
- What is The Night Strangler like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Night Strangler as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Night Strangler violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in The Night Strangler as moderate.
- What did critics think of The Night Strangler?
- Critics and viewers broadly regard the sequel as an effective, entertaining supernatural mystery built around Darren McGavin's charismatic investigative performance.
- Which films are like The Night Strangler?
- Films with a similar feel include The Night Stalker, The Wicker Man, and The Sentinel.
- How long is The Night Strangler?
- The Night Strangler runs 90 minutes.
