It’s strange for me to sit here and type out a short post about Jeff Rice and the effect he had on me. You see, I have never read one of his books.

However, his unpublished novel became one of the best horror TV movies of all time, THE NIGHT STALKER. If the sequel and the TV series never quite reached the heights of that first movie, it still set a precedent that horror TV shows follow today. We wouldn’t have The X-Files without Carl Kolchak, and although Richard Matheson wrote the script, Jeff Rice created the story.

From reports, he had a troubled life, and that successful movie and show never translated into other kinds of success. He died just over a month ago, and few covered it.

Still, he created a character I love.

If you’ve never seen any Kolchak–or you’ve only seen the TV series–get your hands on the original movie. It’s beautifully structured and incredibly effective, considering the constraints it was made under.

Rest in Peace, Jeff Rice. thanks.