The Night Stalker is an American made-for-television horror film which aired on ABC on January 11, 1972, as their ABC Movie of the Week. In the film, Carl Kolchak, an investigative reporter, comes to suspect that a serial killer in the Las Vegas area is actually a vampire. The Night Stalker set a record for the most viewed made-for-TV film. It was followed by a sequel, The Night Strangler, and a television series, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, both of which had McGavin reprise his role as Carl Kolchak.