Kolchak: The Night Stalker: Horror in the Heights

'Horror in the Heights" is the eleventh episode of the supernatural mystery series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. It was directed by Michael T. Caffey with a script written by Jimmy Sangster. It first aired on ABC on Friday, December 20th, 1974 at 8:00 pm. In this episode, Carl Kolchak investigates a new string of murders being committed in Roosevelt Heights. Various people are being killed by a hulking hairy demon monster that has the ability to make their prey seem them as someone they trust.

Notes & Trivia

 * Kolchak: The Night Stalker was created by Jeff Rice.


 * "Horror in the Heights" and "Kolchak: Horror in the Heights" both redirect to this page.


 * Director Michael Caffey is credited s Michael T. Caffey in this episode.


 * There are a total of seventeen credited cast members in this episode. Fifteen are male cast members two are female cast members.


 * According to the full cast page for this episode at IMDB, actors Peter Paul Eastman, Duke Fishman, Leoda Richards, and Paul Sorensen all make appearances in this episode in uncredited roles.


 * This is the only episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker directed by Michael T. Caffey. It is his only work in the horror genre.


 * This is the only episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker written by Jimmmy Sangster. Sangster is considered an icon of British horror films, and is most noted for his work for Hammer Film Productions. He has written scrips for films such as Curse of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, Brides of Dracula, Paranoic, and Lust for a Vampire.


 * This is the tenth appearance of Jack Grinnage as Ron Updyke. He appeared last in "The Energy Eater". He appears next in "Mr. R.I.N.G.".


 * This is the seventh appearance of Ruth McDevitt as Emily Cowles. She appeared last in "The Energy Eater". She appears next in "Mr. R.I.N.G.".

Allusions

 * The central setting for this episode is Roosevelt Heights, which is a fictional location. It might serve as an analog to the real-world neighborhood, Chicago Heights.


 * The creature featured in this episode is called a Rakshasa. It is a monster of Hindu legend. They appeared in ancient Sanskrit hymans called the Rigveda. They are characterized as having been created by Brahma and are ravenous flesh-eaters. In English myths, such creatures would be akin to ghouls, or as modern pop culture would define them, zombies.


 * The swastika an ancient religious symbol originating from the Indian subcontinent, that generally takes the form of an equilateral cross with four legs each bent at 90 degrees. In the past century however, the swastika has been appropriated by the former members of the German Socialist Workers Party, or Nazi party, and is considered symbolic of Nazism.

Quotes

 * Carl Kolchak: There are sections of Chicago the guidebooks don't refer to. You can't blame them, really. The guidebooks' function is to sell the glamour and excitement of our Windy City, and whichever way you dress it up, old age is neither glamorous, nor exciting. Roosevelt Heights used to be a plush neighborhood, but the plush neighbors moved uptown, leaving the old people. And old people don't move easily; they become set in their surroundings. Their friends live next door, they've been going to the same store for twenty-five years, and probably most important of all, they can't afford to relocate even if they wanted to. The battle of fixed income versus galloping inflation never ends. But even inflation took a backseat here in Roosevelt Heights, as a far greater fear overtook the residents, a terror which effectively dwarfed everything else.

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 * Carl Kolchak: The rakshasa have magical powers. They seduce the victim to death by taking on the image of someone the victim trusts.
 * Tony Vincenzo: : And poor Harry Starman... he trusted you? Obviously he never had to depend on you to come up with a cogent story – something that'll turn a profit!

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 * Waiter: It's crazy. But he's like that. Lemme tell you something. I saw him talking to one of these old neighborhood guys, right? You know what he asks? He asks, does the old guy ever see any of his friends or relatives, hanging around…at night? The old guy tells him all his friends and relatives are dead. So you know what the boss says? The boss says it doesn't make any difference if they're dead or not…does he see them? Now that's crazy, right?

....
 * Carl Kolchak: We all have rats, sir. You should see the one I work for.

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 * Carl Kolchak: Son, I've seen more dead bodies than you've had TV dinners.

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 * Tony Vincenzo: Indians, swastikas, Norman Conquest. Am I supposed to see God's design in all this?