Starsky and Hutch (TV Series) The Vampire (1976) User Reviews

John Saxon as the Vampire

[kevinolzak · 6/10 · 11 July 2010]

Halloween 1976 saw STARSKY AND HUTCH join the festivities with a suitably themed entry. John Saxon plays Rene Nadasy, crippled ballet coach by day, superhuman bloodsucker by night, leaving behind a trail of victims, all students of his, making him the #1 prime suspect. Phil Leeds puts in a cameo as a phony mystic, G.W. Bailey plays a cult leader using goat's blood, and Suzanne Somers only shows up for five minutes as a potential victim. It's curious that the producers of THREE'S COMPANY decided to cast her as Chrissy Snow in the third pilot after viewing this episode as she's hardly in it, and not to any great advantage. It's always a pleasure to see John Saxon, who seems to have done as many horror films as Boris Karloff, this his first stab at a vampire, but it's never truly established if he's a real one or not, since he works during the daylight hours (when the hell would he find time to sleep?). The mixture of vampire plot with police procedure was hardly new, as the original "Blacula" (1972) served up exactly that, and producer Joseph T. Naar was responsible for both BLACULA features. Director Bob Kelljan also was an old hand at vampires, having directed "Count Yorga Vampire" (1970), "The Return of Count Yorga" (1971), and Naar's own sequel, "Scream Blacula Scream" (1973), all of which have their vampire attack by running straight toward his victims in slow motion, with a low hissing sound that freezes them from escaping. This being television, Saxon's vampire attacks are staged the same way, except at top speed. Six months later, John Carradine himself starred in another oddity, "McCloud Meets Dracula," the very last episode for Dennis Weaver's Arizona lawman, including clips of Carradine as Dracula from both "House of Frankenstein" (1944) and "House of Dracula" (1945). Television in the 70's did serve up its share of nostalgia.

Sucking in the 70's

[stones78 · 25 August 2015]

I am a sucker(pun intended)for 1970's vampires, including the epic Salem's Lot, Kolchak, Blacula, Fantasy Island, McCloud, and I'll add this episode of Starsky and Hutch as well, but with caution. There are many recognizable faces including John Saxon, Suzanne Somers, G.W. Bailey, and Phil Leeds; Somers and Leeds were surprisingly boring and added little. Even though I enjoyed this for the most part, there were some things that could've used more explanation or improvements, such as Rene Nadasy's(Saxon)true motive for the killings, and the way he runs to his next victim. Seeing a running vampire lessens the effect to this reviewer, even though the slo-mo was pretty cool. By the end of the episode, you may think that Nadasy was not a vampire, BUT he did ballet dancing perfectly with a bum leg, and jumped from one building to the next, surprising Hutch(David Soul), who scoffs at Starsky(Paul Michael Glaser)for having an open mind about vampires; ironically, 3 years later, Soul would very much believe in vampires in Salem's Lot, as Ben Mears, in 1979. The best aspect was probably Saxon's portrayal, and while nothing here was that scary, it's still always cool seeing vampires from that decade.

Been Years - Fun To See Again

[Rainey-Dawn · 9/10 · 22 March 2016]

It's been many years since I've watched the Starsky and Hutch TV show but I have fond memories - recalling I enjoyed it. I had forgotten all about this particular episode but was reminded of it and watched it again after years of "no see". John Saxon is the vampire René Nadasy - he plays this part well and would have been good to see in a movie as a vamp.

When people turn up drained of blood Starsky and Hutch are put on the case. In their typical style the duo comically (at times) track down the vampire.

Good episode for fans of vampires.

9/10

Come in for a quick bite!!

[coltras35 · 10/10 · 22 April 2022]

Starsky and Hutch investigate a crime so weird that it could have come straight out of a Dracula-type horror story. Only this is for real ...

This episode stuck out for me, I remember how It scared me as a kid. Seeing the caped neck-nibbler running towards a hapless victim in a car park was quite scary. The rest of the episode is atmospheric, especially the night shots and when John Saxon - great performance - is on the scene. The chase sequences are great, the humour in the duo's rapport is good. Definitely my favourite episode.

Fun and Memorable Outing.

[peacefrog-62091 · 9/10 · 14 October 2020]

As a kid, I was a loyal viewer of S&H. Years later, when I watched them again for the first time, this was definitely an episode that I remembered. The interplay between Starsky the believer and Hutch the non-believer is hysterical, as is the bits with Phil Leeds, Supernat and Huggy's vampire kit. Saxon is great because he had such a screen presence. GW Bailey always plays a great slime ball. and while Susan Somers didn't have a lot to do, but like Saxon, she always popped off the screen. Now, I have to say that even as a kid in 1976, I knew that John Saxon's character wasn't supposed to be a real vampire. Not sure about the confusion of some over that. It was obvious that Saxon was simply using the cane as a cover to appear non-threating, like Ted Bundy with his cast. But. in any event, this was not meant to be a serious S&H episode, so I have to laugh at some of the reviews that pick apart perceived plot holes and complain about the story not being well told. S&H is about the relationship between the two partners, first and foremost, not every episode has to be a knock down, drag out endeavor.

What vampire?

[monomerd · 5/10 · 29 August 2016]

There is really nothing much to say about this Halloween episode. Another disturbed killer, this time in the guise of a vampire, is preying on pretty young women on the streets of Bay City. Starsky and Hutch must find him before he kills again.

The story is somewhat sloppy and that always hurts the final product. The vampire wants to bring his wife back to life? Does he have her body somewhere? No sign of it. How's he taking the blood out of the women he is strangling? Not with his teeth, but we never see how, or what he thinks he's going to do with the blood. There is basically only one red herring as an alternative villain; almost all roads lead back to the first suspect, so it's not too difficult for Starsky and Hutch to figure out. Hutch apparently put in a request for info on the guy, but we never hear the result of that before the guys bust him either. Incomplete premise, incomplete story points.

Starsky and Hutch don't have to work very hard or be very smart, so PMG and DS don't have much to do here either. The dialog is not very interesting; the banter is only moderately amusing. The woman all stand around, scream, and wait to get murdered. No tension, no mystery. Sorry, but, ho-hum.

The Vampire is Coming! The Vampire is Coming!

[ntj891-1 · 5/10 · 27 August 2019]

A dance instructor ( John Saxon ) thinks he is a modern day vampire, and goes about proving it by murdering several of his students, somehow draining them of their blood, which of course puts Starsky and Hutch on his trail. After demonstrating his ability to leap 25 feet between two buildings to shake his pursers, Hutch begins to think the man really may be a vampire, but is he?

Typical 70's schlock, but does have a few genuine eerie moments to it. Recommended viewing on or near Halloween, or on some dark night when a thunderstorm is raging outside.