if you are a fan The X-Filesit is very likely that you are also a fan of the following Kolchak: Nightcrawler.Although the show only aired two television movies and one 20-episode season between 1972 and 1975, A revered beacon of weird pop culture It has been an oft-cited inspiration ever since The X-Files Founder Chris Carter.
Darren McGavin stars as a scruffy reporter who keeps stumbling upon supernatural news stories –always To the consternation of his newspaper boss and local police——Kolchak: Nightcrawler Sees its titular hero face vampires, undead serial killers, zombies, aliens, werewolves (on a cruise ship!), ghosts, Satanists, witches, rampaging robots, demons, and an increasingly vague array of monsters from folklore. …..etc.You can stream the one and only season on Peacock (You have to dig deeper to find the TV movie, Night Walker and Night Stranglerbut they’re there), but if you’re craving more of Karl Kolchak’s adventures, publisher Moonstone Books has been keeping his spirit alive with a series of novels and stories.
This brings us back to The X-Files CONNECTION: This spring, Moonstone Books will launch Kolchak: Night Stalker: Haunted and Manhunteda collection of five-story stories by Paul Terry, who The X-Files: The Official Archives Books covered by io9 in the past.
In addition to the reveal of these exclusive covers (art by Jay Piscopo), io9 had the chance to ask Terry all about his new release. First, here’s a complete look at the entire cover, including spine and back, followed by our email interview.
Cheryl Eddy, io9: Kolchak: Nightcrawler As we all know, one of the effects is The X-Files— We have Kolchak himself, Darren McGavin guest-starred in seasons five and six as Mulder’s prototype FBI agent Arthur Dales, and The Lizard Man, played by Rhys Darby in Season 10, wore that unmistakable hat and seersucker suit. Aside from these obvious nods, what do you see as the main connection between the two shows, thematically?
Paul Terry: I absolutely loved Darren’s portrayal of Arthur Dales, and Reese’s Guy Mann costume, modeled after Karl Kolchak’s. Two sublime connections. I think, in terms of subject matter, Kolchak: Nightcrawler and The X-Files Both revolve around a passionate, courageous and unapologetic search for answers. Although the protagonists of both shows faced career obstacles, cynicism, and doubt, they both relentlessly sought the public to learn the truth. Kolchak and Mulder also consistently turned in their respective news reports or case files late, leading to disputes with their bosses.
io9: Along those same lines, what are the main differences between the two shows?
Terry: In many ways, Karl Kolchak often found himself in supernatural situations. Fox Mulder, on the other hand, is always looking, always looking for the next supernatural clue. Darren McGavin’s Kolchak also has a very different energy than Mulder or Scully. Kolchak’s reporting/voiceover and speaking style is very smart and highly visual, but also extremely lean and efficient. It feels like a classic dogged reporter or private eye character from the pulp detective novel era of the 1930s to 1950s. Fox Mulder, on the other hand, has a more long-winded, verbose, low-energy talking/reporting style. It’s not that Mulder doesn’t have his outbursts of passion – he has plenty of them! But when it comes to how audiences receive the theories and information he imparts to Scully on the case, it’s definitely below Kolchak on the sleazy/whip-smart scale. And then there’s Dana Scully, who is extremely tight and efficient in her choice of words, both in dialogue and reporting. This is a far cry from the Karl Kolchak vibe.
The stakes also vary from show to show.Although there is a little crossover between Kolchak In the series, the stakes are fairly focused on Carl’s city (Chicago, Los Angeles, etc.) in terms of character development and callbacks. The X-Files Often upping its stakes, suggesting that even a monster-of-the-week incident in a small town has implications for the United States or the world at large is often stated and used to amplify the threat posed by the antagonist. Relatedly, I also think that while cases are often frightening, Kolchak: Nightcrawler There’s more of a consistent air of wit, mostly due to Darren McGavin’s excellent characterization and interesting acting choices. The X-Files Often funny, but always keeping a witty pulse isn’t the main focus The X-Files. Mainly nervousness and fear.
io9: Which comes first, yours? The X-Files fandom or your Kolchak: Nightcrawler fan? What do you think it is about these types of stories that attracts you to them?
Terry: If I remember correctly, I think Kolchak Actually it comes first.In the UK we didn’t get season 1 The X-Files Until September 1994.But around 1991 (and repeated again in the following years I believe), there was an anthology show on BBC2 called mystery train. The meeting was chaired by Richard O’Brien. crystal maze and The Rocky Horror Show fame), including surreal animation, classic monster movies and series Kolchak: Nightcrawler.My friends and I would use audio tapes mystery train (because it lasted until the wee hours of the morning) and then watched the next day’s feature and talked about it endlessly. This is an amazing portal of discovery.Also, because programmers will add related weird stuff like this later mystery train broadcast.For example, this is how I watched David Lynch’s 1970 horror short grandmother.
I’ve always been attracted to strange stories because of the mysterious aspect of it, rather than the scary or scary aspect. I do love horror stories, but if there’s a compelling mystery that’s the strongest component of the horror, I’m all for it.i always like colombo Yes, I recently reviewed it again. Still brilliant.
io9: What are your top three favorites? Kolchak Episode?
Terry: This is a difficult task. Probably: The UFO episode “They Have Been, They Are, They Will Be…” because it’s filled with inventive scenes and some great twists; “The Terror in the Heights” because it’s probably the scariest episode yet It’s also very provocative and poignant; and “The Trevi Collection” because I love the mannequin sequence. They use very simple filmmaking techniques to create tremendous tension. I also wanted to give the second feature film some love, Night Stranglerbecause I think it doesn’t get enough praise.
io9: What can you laugh at about short stories? Kolchak: Night Stalker: Haunted and Manhunted?
Terry: I’m absolutely excited to be working on these five new Karl Kolchak stories for Moonstone Books.I watched two more Kolchak movie and the series as a whole, and make note of the following: types of cases/monsters, situations Kolchak himself got himself into, unusual character moments, and throwaway lines that felt funny. My mind then wandered through a series of scenarios I had never seen Kolchak in before. I hope these include: a terrifying haunting at an airport during a blackout; a shocking kidnapping on Catalina Island; a provocative story mired in Lake Tahoe’s forgotten past; a car breaking down in the middle of the night; and everything One of the most historic visuals in gothic horror: the gargoyles of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France.
The biggest spark with these five ideas was bringing up situations that fans loved because they were somehow new places/predicaments for Carl to deal with while also feeling like these were the Kolchaks they knew and enjoyed dealing with . I’ve always loved horror and suspense novels, the feeling that there’s no escape or resolution for the hero. That’s a big driving force behind these stories. The further I progressed into the story, this theme emerged that thematically tied the five stories together: “haunted and hunted.”
io9: What’s the most fun part about writing a new adventure for Karl Kolchak?
Terry: It was definitely written in his voice. I spent a lot of time working on the way he spoke, and I hope fans feel like I captured that essence in these new stories. I also like the balance between supporting characters from TV shows/movies and completely new characters created for these stories.Because it’s something else Kolchak: Nightcrawler A good balance with: Great recurring characters and guest stars.
It’s funny because now that I think about it, I’ve been making these real-world The X-Files The books required me to study the voice patterns of several characters that are very familiar to fans.So, for my first anthology/novella, I was asked to write a book from Kolchak: Nightcrawler——One of the “spiritual ancestors” The X-Files— feels like a perfectly appropriate synchronicity.
Kolchak: Night Stalker: Haunted and Manhunted Will be released later this month or early May; you can Reserve a copy now.
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