The Night Stalker (1972) - TV movies are not normally this good

In film-making terms the phrase 'made for TV' always brings up images of a low-budget movie with a sub-standard script and nothing really to elevate it to the heights of its theatrically-released 'betters.' It seems that whatever you read online about 'The Night Stalker' it seems to mention how it was made for TV and never released in a cinema - probably because it's actually pretty good and at least worthy of a small commercial release - especially around horror festivals and the like.

It's about vampires.  And whether you've seen films regarding that particular fictional nasty for decades, or you're new to the genre, this one ticks every cliche going - and yet is also enormous fun at the same time.  It kind of reminded me of 'Jaws' only with a human rather than a fish.  In the same way the chief of police was running around trying to convince people of the impending shark attacks, only to be met with a wall of disbelief from the powers that be, here we have a grumpy journalist trying to warn the police of the undead threat that is currently stalking the streets of Las Vegas, picking off unsuspecting women and draining them of their blood.

Don't expect too many great special effects or action-packed set-pieces, but it comes in at a tight runtime of less than the usual ninety minutes and makes the most of every second.  The ghoul who is chewing on so many young, innocent necks is actually quite creepy and the reporter on his trail is likable in his gruffness.  It may be a little cheesy by today's standards, but it's great fun if you're into this sort of film.

7/10 if I woke up on Groundhog Day and had to watch this again, I could live with that