The Forgotten '70s Horror Franchise That Inspired The X-Files

Chris Carter's "The X-Files" is widely regarded as one of the best horror shows of all time, and one could argue that it changed the landscape of television forever. Combining monster-of-the-week scenarios with overarching plots, the spooky sci-fi series provided the template for shows like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," and "Supernatural" to tell their own tales of monsters and mayhem. Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) are arguably the most famous paranormal investigators in pop culture history — but they wouldn't exist without Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin).

This brings us to the "Kolchak" saga, a forgotten '70s horror franchise that paved the way for supernatural procedural yarns on the small-screen. Based on Jeff Rice's novel "The Night Stalker," the franchise chronicles the adventures of the eponymous reporter as he investigates mysteries of the supernatural variety, bringing him into contact with vampires, immortal serial killers, androids, headless motorcyclists, and other creatures of the night.

"Kolchak" debuted in 1972 with "The Night Stalker," a TV movie that broke records for ABC at the time of its release. This was followed by 1973's "The Night Strangler" and the short-lived "Kolchak: The Night Stalker" television series, which premiered in 1974. The "Kolchak" IP has since been resurrected courtesy of reboots, comic books, and other spin-off media, but it isn't exactly mainstream. That said, it was a key influence on Carter when he was creating "The X-Files" — and he doesn't even deny it.

While shows like "The Twilight Zone" were a clear influence on "The X Files," the "Kolchak" franchise left its mark on Chris Carter — similar to the vampire villain leaving bite wounds on people's necks in the "Night Stalker" TV movie. In a 1997 interview with Rolling Stone (via Eat the Corn), the "X-Files" creator outright claimed that the one-season wonder "Kolchak" show was his chief pop culture inspiration, allowing him to create a hit supernatural procedural that aligned with the times in the '90s. In his own words:

"The show that inspired 'The X-Files' was called 'Kolchak: The Night Stalker.' He was a reporter who investigated a monster of the week. But what was nice for me is that in the 20 years between 'Kolchak' and 'The X-Files,' a lot happened in science and technology. And those things — which, you know, became the foundation for 'The X-Files' — they didn't really have at the time."

What's more, Carter paid homage to "Kolchak" by naming a recurring "X-Files" character after Richard Matheson, the best science fiction storyteller you've never heard of, as well as the writer who penned the teleplays for the "Kolchak" movies. In the show, Matheson is a politician played by actor Raymond J. Barry (who also plays Arlo on "Justified"). Elsewhere, Carter tapped Carl Kolchak himself, Darren McGavin, to play retired FBI agent Arthur Dales in two episodes of "The X-Files," bringing everything full circle.