November 08, 1974 Season 1 Episode 6
If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.
This episode brought to mind the Twilight Zone episode, Mirror Image. A much more deadly version, though. The noir type of narration helps in this one because of the unusual story. Kolchak gets more involved in this one than most… he is in the center of it.
This one has a very different storyline from the others so far. By the time Kolchak: The Night Stalker aired this episode, the series had already established itself as a mix of noir and dark humor. This episode presents one of the show’s more psychologically complex stories. Instead of a vampire, werewolf, or zombie, this one focuses on a ghost-like “doppelganger,” a mysterious double that stalks its victim until it kills him. The result is a haunting-filled hour that shows just how flexible the Kolchak format could be.
The story begins when Kolchak investigates a series of spontaneous combustions connected to a famous symphony conductor, Ryder Bond. People around Bond are dying in fiery, unexplained accidents, and Kolchak quickly suspects something supernatural. But this isn’t your standard ghost story. What sets this one apart is its odd concept: a ghostly twin, born out of a near-death experience, who appears whenever the conductor falls asleep, a sleeping phantom trying to take his place in the world.
Director Don Weis uses shadows, flickering lights, and slow zooms to heighten the tension. Also, he makes the Chicago nights look especially moody here. Darren McGavin’s performance is typically sharp; his Kolchak is funny yet genuinely frightened. He balances humor with desperation as he realizes he’s chasing something that can’t be photographed or fought. The episode also benefits from a solid supporting cast, including Fred Beir as Bond and Madlyn Rhue as his wife.
It stands out more than the Alien episode because it dives heavily into psychological horror rather than pure monster-of-the-week thrills. It’s about the fear of losing yourself and being replaced by something that looks like you but isn’t. For a 1970s network TV show, that’s surprisingly territory. While it doesn’t have the flashy monster effects of “The Werewolf” or “The Zombie,” it lingers in your mind long after it’s over.
The COMPLETE EPISODE
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I want to see this show…so I’m avoiding reading these. Ha ha?
LOL… man just fit them in when you can. I’m just glad that most are viewable without buying it.
I don’t recall all the episode details so this is a great setup for me to go back and watch them again!
Randy…it’s worth it! I’m liking it better this time than the first time I watched them….I never caught them real time though. I watched them first on bootleg VHS tapes in the 80s or 90s.
Ah, the benefit of old age to have seen them first time around!
I’ll check it out. I just recently saw the twilight zone your mentioned, it was a good one!
Thanks Dana! Yes it is a good TZ… it’s the same thought…but completely different lol.
Sounds interesting at least. A bit more complex than say a typical episode of ‘Happy Days’ or ‘Sanford & Son’ from that era. I haven’t seen that Twilight Zone episode but might look it up. There aren’t a ton of those left that I haven’t seen and I enjoy looking over your reviews when I do watch/rewatch them. Won’t be tonight though…think there’s some sporting event going on the TV’s booked for!
Yea it was more complex…than the others so far…that is why that noir narration works in these.
Yea I might have to save some time for that sporting event lol. I’ve been rewatching Star Trek…the reason I’m not rating these with stars…is because I would love to go back and change a lot of my ratings. Some were much better than I gave them credit for…many 4’s would be 5s…now the 2 really bad ones…are still really bad.
Another one for me to watch. I enjoyed the last one, they have that ‘fun but not schlocky’ feel.
Yes…they stop right before they venture into that. This one…is totally different and even Kolchak is scared.
I was going to watch this last night and be prepared, but by the time I decided to, the computer had been turned off and I could remember which episode was going to be reviewed today. Sounds danged creepy!
It’s completely different! There is no monster in this one.
Sometimes that is even scarier. I just finished a post for Halloween *afternoon* that you might find chilling (hoping so!)
Cool! you know I love those and I loved that big one you did.
🙂
just great! The show was so underrated. I swear.
I think the same! It was ahead of it’s time and the X-Files carried it from there.