Norliss!

 

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THE NORLISS TAPES-1973-Author David Norliss (Roy Thinnes) is hired by his publisher Sanford Evans (Don Porter) to write a book debunking the supernatural. However, 6 months later Norliss calls Evans to tell him he can't write the book, then disappears. Evans goes to Norliss’ home and finds some cassette tapes (remember them?) which he listens to. 

Norliss gets involved with widow Ellen Court (Angie Dickinson) who encountered some kind of ghoul one night that she claims was her dead husband, Paul. She tells Norliss the story of her husband's debilitating disease and this lead him to the occult, a mysterious ring and some Egyptian gods. After talking to Ellen's sister, Marsha (Michele Carey), he relates the story of a young woman in a car crash who was strangled and had all the blood drained from her body. The local hick sheriff (Claude Akins) wants to cover it up. Norliss tells gallery owner Mr. Langton (Hurd Hatfield) about the ring and that it was placed in the coffin with Mr. Court. When Langton tries to get the ring, he's killed. Then Norliss and Ellen are attacked by her dead husband but the redneck sheriff doesn't believe their story. Next victim is Marsha who's killed in a motel. Madame Jeckiel (Vonetta McGee) appears and tells Ellen how she turned Paul on to the ring that could cure his disease and bring him back to life. He's making a statue of the evil Sargoth, using clay mixed with blood. When the statue is completed Sargoth will be free and Paul gets immortality. She and Ellen go looking for Paul to try and remove the ring. But of course they go like 2 minutes before sundown. Paul kills Jackiel and chases Ellen. After Norliss rescues her they find the completed statue. Paul seems to bring it to life but Norliss uses a fire ring of blood to destroy it. He seems ok at the end of his story (despite Sargoth grabbing his arm for a moment) and Evans puts in another cassette tape. Stanley Adams is a truck driver. 

This pilot for an unsold series was written by William F. Nolan and directed by Dan Curtis, obviously in an attempt to create a new “Kolchak” like series (although it is based on a story by Fred Mustard Smith). Curtis directed “The Night Stalker” sequel, THE NIGHT STRANGLER the same year.

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Kolchak Returns

 

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THE NIGHT STRANGLER-1973-Once again the brash eclectic reporter Karl Kolchak (Darren McGavin) takes tape recorder in hand to investigate the murder of a belly dancer, this time in Seattle, Washington. He meets his former boss Vincenzo (Simon Oakland) in bar and is hired on but is first read the riot act by the publisher Crossbinder (John Carradine). Police Capt. Shubert (Scott Brady) and coroner Webb (Ivor Francis) hold a press conference after a second killing. Another coroner tells Kolchak there was rotted flesh on the victims' necks. Some blood is also missing. They seem to have been killed by a dead man. When Kolchak learns about the abandoned underground city of Seattle, he goes to Titus Berry (Wally Cox), in charge of the city's archives. It seems the same type of murders have happened every 21 years since 1889. 

He befriends another belly dancer (Jo Ann Pflug) and they take a tour of the underground city. But they take a detour and meet a derelict (Al Lewis). He also consults Prof. Crabwell (Margaret Hamilton), an anthropologist who clues him in on a secret "elixir of life" to stay young. After another dancer (Nina Wayne) is strangled, Kolchak tries to convince Shubert what's happening but the captain puts a few holes in Kolchak's theory. Later when a 6th woman is murdered (there was always 6 victims), Kolchak identifies the killer as a 144-year-old Civil War doctor (Richard Anderson). Kolchak destroys the decrepit doctor but loses his job, so does Vincenzo. This ends on a lighter note than its predecessor. 

Producer Dan Curtis also was the director of this great follow up, written once again by Richard Matheson. The short-lived TV series “Kolchak:The Night Stalker” ran in 1974. Curtis produced and directed another “Kolchak” like TV film the same year for another network called THE NORLISS TAPES.

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Jackula

 

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DRACULA-1974-Jonathan Harker (Murray Brown; also in VAMPYRES the same year) goes to Transylvania and meets Dracula (Jack Palance) who's looking to relocate to Carthax Abbey in England. In due course Harker learns his employer is a vampire and becomes a victim of Drac's wives. 5 weeks later The Count is in England. Mina (Penelope Horner), Harker's fiancée, visits her best friend Lucy (Fiona Lewis; she was in LISZTOMANIA the next year), who Dracula took a fancy to when Harker showed him a picture. Lucy is sick in bed with a wound on her throat. Her boyfriend Arthur (Simon Ward) brings in Dr. Van Helsing (Nigel Davenport; PHASE lV the same year) who has his suspicions. Of course, Lucy is a victim of vampirism. Despite their best efforts, Lucy dies and she comes back to try and put the bite on Arthur. Fortunately, Van Helsing intercedes and later puts a stake in her. The Count goes crazy when he finds Lucy dead (apparently, she looked like his long dead love). When he sets his sights on Mina, Arthur and Van Helsing move into action. 

This is a not bad adaptation of the Bram Stoker classic, in fact very good for a TV movie, with Palance putting his own personal touch on his interpretation of the character. Virginia Whetherell, Sarah Douglas and Barbara Lindley play the count's undead wives. Director Dan Curtis and screenwriter Richard Matheson also made the not as good SCREAM OF THE WOLF the same year.

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Curtis Threesome

 

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DEAD OF NIGHT-1977-TV movie trilogy by director Dan Curtis and screenwriter Richard Matheson, narrated by John Dehner. 

 In "Second Chance"-A guy named Frank (Ed Begley Jr.) restores an old car that had been in a car crash (killing two people) in 1926. While driving it on a back road, he's transported to 1926. His car is stolen and he's stranded but the next day he's back in his own time. He meets Helen (Christina Hart) and her father (EJ Andre) & mother (Ann Doran) who have the exact same car. It seems Frank may have changed the past. From a story by Jack Finney.

In the second story "No Such Thing As A Vampire"-Prof. Gheria (Patrick Macnee) calls on his friend Michael (Horst Bucholtz) to help his daughter Alexis (Anjanette Comer) who he says has been attacked by a vampire. Elisha Cook Jr. is his butler. This has a good twist ending. From a story by Matheson.

"Bobby"-A woman (Joan Hackett) uses witchcraft to try and bring back her dead son. He (Lee Montgomery) comes back but wants to murder mom. His "friend" shows up in the finale. Based on the WW Jacobs classic short story "The Monkey's Paw". 

Director Dan Curtis made this a year after the feature film BURNT OFFERINGS. It's very good (especially for TV) but is usually pushed aside in favor of his earlier anthology TRILOGY OF TERROR (1975). 

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3 By Curtis

 

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TRILOGY OF TERROR-1975-Very good TV horror anthology directed by Dan Curtis. In the first story “Julie” (written by William F. Nolan & Richard Matheson), Chad (Robert Burton), a college jerk becomes obsessed with nerdy teacher Julie (Karen Black). He drugs her, takes her to a hotel, takes pictures of her and rapes her. Then he blackmails her and he and his friends use her (not shown, only implied). But in the twist ending he finds out she's not what he thinks she is....

In the second “Millicent & Therese” (written by Nolan), Millicent (Black) complains about her sister Therese (also Black), being evil, practicing witchcraft and seducing men. She warns Therese's boyfriend (John Karlen) about her but he ignores it. Then Therese tries to seduce their doctor (George Gaynes). Millicent decides to do away with her sister using her own witchcraft. This story is ok but the ending is fairly guessable.

In the third and most famous episode “Amelia” (written by Matheson), Amelia, a woman with mother problems buys a weird Zuni fetish doll for her anthropologist boyfriend. After a fight with her mother, she breaks her date and is then terrorized by the evil looking doll that has big teeth and makes strange noises. 

Once again director Curtis shows that just because it's made for TV, horror stories can still be good.

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Scream of The Wolf; Yawn of The Viewer...

SCREAM OF THE WOLF-1974-There were a lot of TV movies in the '70's. ABC even had it's own "MOVIE OF THE WEEK". and produced a lot of movies in all different genres. Several of them were of the horror variety. SCREAM OF THE WOLF is one of them. It was written by sci-fi/horror veteran scribe Richard Matheson (who's story DUEL was directed by the then unknown Steven Speilberg three years earlier and would become one of the most famous made for TV movies of all time....) and produced and directed by Dan Curtis, who's most famous creation, TV's first horror soap opera DARK SHADOWS had expired in 1971 after a 5 year run. Curtis and Matheson had worked together before on TV horror, most notably on THE NIGHT STALKER and it's sequel THE NIGHT STRANGLER and a version of DRACULA with Jack Palance in the lead.



Sounds like SCREAM should be a winner, right?



Well...actually...ummm...NO!



SCREAM is a typically disapointing TV movie that presents itself as a horror film then blows it by trying to offer a "normal explanation" for all the violent goings on....



Peter Graves (who's long running gig on MISSION:IMPOSSIBLE had ended one year earlier) plays an ex-hunter (now a writer) investigating the murders of some local residents by something that seems to be a werewolf. Clint Walker (who had his own long running TV show CHEYENNE in the '50's) plays Graves' ex-partner who seems determined not to hunt down the mysterious "monster". He also seems like a nut but the local sheriff (Phillip Carey) doesn't suspect him.



It's all kind of boring and the climax kind of rips off THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME! Jo Ann Pflug (who was also in Curtis' THE NIGHT STRANGLER) plays Graves' love interest. Walker's limping manservant (lover?) is played by Don Megowan, the husky western actor who starred in the 1956 horror film THE WEREWOLF!


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