The Night Stalker (1987)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Max Kleven

Writer:

John F. Goff (writer)

Release Date:

April 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror

Plot:

A tough homicide cop is assigned to track down a serial killer who is murdering prostitutes. |

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Nude Woman Murdered | Police | Black Magic | Female Nudity

Cast

Charles Napier	...	Sergeant J.J. Striker
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Leila Carlin	...	Terry
Tally Chanel	...	Brenda
Joan Chen	...	Mai Wing
Gary Crosby	...	Vic Gallegher
Lydie Denier	...	First Victim
Douglas Dunning	...	Assassin
George 'Buck' Flower	...	Tramp
Joseph Gian	...	Det. Buddy Brown
John F. Goff	...	Captain
Roy Jenson	...	Cook
Marcia Karr	...	H.J. Salters
Katherine Kelly Lang	...	Denise
Sheila Lussier
Ola Ray	...	Sable Fox
Michelle Reese	...	Rene
Diane Sommerfield	...	Lonnie Roberts
Robert Viharo	...	Charlie Garrett
Kurt Wachter	...	Desk Officer
James Watkins	...	Julius
Robert Z'Dar	...	Chuck Sommers

Also Known As:

The Man Who Could Not Be Killed (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

93 min | Brazil:89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | UK:18 (cut) | Norway:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Almi-Chrystie Productions

Somewhat pedestrian, yet commendable effort, fresh from the Ramirez case.

First, to set things straight, the film's copyright date is 1986, year of release, but video release is 1987. If you are lucky enough to find a VHS copy, there was only one release, and not on DVD yet, and you can find it for just a few dollars, and you're a genre fan, get it. This was given the go ahead right after the Richard Ramirez murder spree as the Night Stalker in Los Angeles in the summer of 1985, to capitalize on that wave of fear that ran through the city, well-fed by a hysterical news media. It actually has a seemingly unstoppable serial killer preying on mostly street-walkers late at night, whereas Ramirez slipped into homes and killed those in their sleep, a much more frightening premise. The similarity with Ramirez is in name, location, satanic style influences, and that's about it. Otherwise, the film plays very much like an episode of the TV series, Kolchak, the Night Stalker, with it's supernatural elements, invincible killer, and TV-movie style of production, plus some cheesy lines, some over-acting, and several good character actors, but without the great Kolchak himself. Charles Napier is an adequate lead, and Robert Z'Dar is a spooky serial killer, check out his photo here on IMDb and you'll see why. For genre fans who are a little forgiving of the silly moments, it won't be a waste of time.