Crackle of Death

"Crackle of Death" (retitled for IMDB "Kolchak: Crackle of Death") was the first of two compilation features culled from the regrettably short lived yet beloved cult series KOLCHAK: THE NIGHT STALKER, in which Darren McGavin repeated his role on a weekly basis as intrepid reporter Carl Kolchak from the TV movies "The Night Stalker" and "The Night Strangler." While those previous titles boasted such 19th century menaces as a vampire and a 144 year old alchemist, both in search of human blood to survive, this third volume touches upon more obscure horrors, the deadly poltergeist of "Firefall" and the Native American 'bear god' identified as Matchemanedo of "The Energy Eater." The entirety of the superior "Firefall" comes first, only interrupted at the 18 minute mark by a short sequence establishing a troubled lakefront hospital, occasional new voiceovers by McGavin smoothing over any rough patches. It must be said that the terrifying ordeal of spontaneous combustion caused by supernatural forces is far more gripping than a series of unexplainable deaths by electrical means, and the invisible god Matchemonedo cannot produce a finale worth waiting for, definitely one of the show's weakest episodes. The second telefilm that emerged, "Demon and the Mummy," was comprised of later entries "Demon in Lace" and "Legacy of Terror," an interesting match considering the youthful victims involved (the new material was completed in two days, March 27-28, 1976).

Hail Carl Kolchak! You are truly one of the most affable, interesting, fun characters from television. I salute you. And although I love the character of Kolchak and all the Night Stalker characters, that does not mean that everything they appear in is good. Such, unfortunately, is the case with Crackle of Death. Crackle of Death was the result of the fusing of two Night Stalker episodes together and then having Darren McGavin, Simon Oakland, and Jack Grinnage add additional dialogue vis-a-vis voice-over. The result is a film that looks choppy, sounds choppy, and is choppy. What do I mean? Well, the stories are obviously not told in a manner of continuity nor was any real attempt at continuity tried. The whole film looks like it was pieced together in a slapdash method. The stories come from the episodes "The Energy Eater" about a hospital built over an Indian burial ground and haunted by an evil bear spirit and "Fire Fall" about a gangster that becomes a doppleganger for an orchestra conductor. Originally each episode was shot by a different director. Don Weis directed "The Energy Eater" and Alex Grasshoff directed the other. This lack of consistency in directorial vision is one reason for the ultimate uneveness of the project. McGavin, however, is very good as always. I watched him with the keenest of interest. He truly has captured a marvelous characterization in Kolchak. Oakland and the gang are fine too. I wish I could see the two episodes NOT as a unit of one but separately. They are available by Columbia House. This film, and another one which fused two other episodes called The Demon and the Mummy, can be seen at times on the sci-fi channel. If you are a fan of Kolchak the character this film is a must see, but if you are looking more for a good horror story...better look elswhere. I like both and found a compromise with Crackle of Death.

I have this movie which someone in my family taped in the early 80s off of TV. I just saw it again on TV and went on an all out search for the tape. I found it and viewed the whole thing.

SUMMARY: Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin- "The Night Stalker", "The Night Strangler") is a INS news reporter who stumbles upon first a ghost known as the "Doppleganger" who mysteriously is a ghost who starts people on fire in their sleep. Then Kolchak comes to a Monawhatzit (not the real name) a ancient being that feeds off peoples energy after killing them.

Great movie, I wish this was released on VHS or DVD.