This episode sees the gang encountering a strange monster from the ocean while at a beach party. Shortly after, they meet an old sea captain who explains the monster can steal your spirit.

Not much trivia for this episode other than that we’re still waiting on a proper Season 2 release of this episode on DVD. Thus, you rarely hear anyone ever talking about this one.

The Creepy Heap from the Deep – Episode Review

The episode begins with a strange one eyed monster emerging from the depths of the ocean. We then pan to a nearby beach weather the gang are cooking hot dogs on the beach on a foggy night. Despite getting lost and ending up on the wrong beach Velma tries to make the best of it by wearing a festive chef hat.

Out in a dinghy, Shaggy and Scooby are out catching fish when Scooby reels in a big one. The fish, unfortunately turns out to be the Creepy Heap who snaps at him with his crab like pincers.

The sea monster chases after the entire gang who manage to escape by running up a steep cliff to a weird old house. Knocking on the door they meet Captain Clements who lets the gang call the police on his phone. Unfortunately the storm has downed the phone lines.

Captain Clements explains that 100 years ago an evil sailor had a curse put on him by his shipmates before being thrown overboard. And now he’s come back as this supernatural creature.

The Captain further explains that it needs human spirits to stay alive. Freddy and the gang leave with Freddy determined to contact the sheriff. As the Captain closes the door we see him surprised by something off camera.

Back at the Mystery Machine, the van is covered in seaweed. Nearby there are some footprints that lead back to the Captain’s house. Wanting to warn the Captain, the gang rush back to his house where the front door is smashed in.

On a comfy spirit sits the husk of Captain Clements. In the dust of a nearby end table he has scrawled out the words ‘Creature Spirit’.

Freddy vows to capture the Sea Monster so they can get Captain Cerement’s spirit back. Meanwhile Shaggy and Scooby stay back to guard the Captain.

The Captain wakes up in a trance and declares that he is controlled by the Creature and is after Scooby and Shaggy’s soul. Thus, we soon get a quick chase scene where our two pals do their best to evade the possessed Captain.

Finding their way into an elevator, Scooby and Shaggy descend down to the cliff’s beach where they now have run into the Creepy Heap where another chase occurs. Freddy and the girls rush in and they see the Sea Monster rush out to sea towards a blinking light. Up at the Captains house they also notice a blinking light.

Using a dinghy the gang follow the Creepy Heap out to see where they end up in a fog bank. Using their scuba gear, Shaggy and Scooby swim downward into the ocean to explore even further.

From their Dinghy above, Freddy sees Scooby and Shaggy being chased, so he and the girls also don their Scuba gear and follow Scooby, Shaggy and the Monster into an old submarine.

The old Submarine is pressurized so everyone can wander about without their oxygen tanks. Once again, they split up where Scooby and Shaggy run into the monster. While trying to escape, Shaggy opens up an outside door and water begins flooding the submarine.

The rush of water sends Scooby and Shaggy back to Freddy and the girls where they end up in a locked room where the water level begins to rise. Fortunately they have their scuba gear and are able to open up the airlock to make their way outside and back to the beach.

Velma, Shaggy and Scooby head off to look for clues and find an old Shack. It’s full of junk and a friendly hermit. The hermit has a pet shark named Walter which sends the trio off and running.

Freddy and Daphne follow more tracks and find a rubber key on the path of tracks. The Sea Monster shows up and everyone once again reunites.

Relaxing by the Mystery Machine they spot the blinking light and they once more hop in dinghy and paddle out to sea. They soon arrive at a freighter where they get onboard and see a crane loading the Sea Monster aboard.

In the chart room they see that the submarine is directly below the ship so they once more jump in the water and swim down to the submarine.

Inside the ship they find jars of hair dye and peroxide, along with a wanted sign of a burglar, and a recent polaroid of him with blonde hair instead of black.

The sea monster and the possessed Captain then show up and chase the gang into the torpedo room where Scooby sets off a torpedo by accident. The torpedo gives Freddy an idea, so he sets a trap and they soon capture the Sea Monster and the spiritless Captain Clements who are launched back to the beach by the torpedo gear.

The sheriff soon arrives at the beach and the gang explain that the Captain used the sunken ship as a laboratory to change criminals’ appearance. By dressing the prisoners up first in his cabin, he could scare off any curious onlookers. The suit had an air tank and jet motor built in allowing him to swim from the cabin to the submarine.

After the Captain dyed his hair, a crane pulled him aboard a freighter where they could then sneak the criminal out of the country.

Unmasking the Creepy Heap it does turn out to be a recent prisoner who escaped.

With another Mystery Solved, the gang head off on their next adventure.

My Thoughts

I give this episode a 7.5 out of 10.

While I enjoyed this episode, I didn’t love it.

I did feel it had a strong opening which harkened back to A Clue for Scooby Doo and Scooby’s Night with a Frozen Fright where the gang discover something sinister at a beach party.

The Captain’s house on top of a cliff was also fantastic and spooky, and I loved how it had a creepy old elevator built in. The possessed Captain was also chilling.

The submarine ship, beach and freighter also made for good set pieces, but often there was a lot of wasted opportunity as they were used for quick chase scenes. In a typical Scooby-Doo episode we might get 3 chase scenes, but I feel like this episode had at least 9, which brings down the rating for me.

And let’s talk about the creature design… I’m not a fan. While creative, I don’t find it scary at all. It just seemed rather silly to me and the possessed Sea Captain seemed like a bigger threat.

The wrap up plot as well is way too complicated. I don’t understand why the Sea Captain would go to all that trouble to use an abandoned submarine lab as a makeup studio when he has a cabin on a cliff that is probably full of caves that he could have used. Or even better, just dye the prisoner’s hair in your bathroom.

I still enjoyed this episode and highly recommend you giving it a watch if you haven’t. The opening is super spooky and overall, this is a fun episode.

Voices:

Don Messick: Scooby-Doo, Hermit
Casey Kasem: Shaggy Rogers, Sheriff
Frank Welker: Freddy Jones, Captain Clements, Walter
Heather North: Daphne Blake
Pat Stevens: Velma Dinkley
John Stephenson: Creepy Heap Monster

The post The Creepy Heap from the Deep appeared first on Planet Scooby.

Spoilers Ahoy, let’s take a ride on this Creepy Cruise!

The episode opens up with an exterior shot of a large boat docked at a harbour at night.  On board, Professor Von Klamp informs the press about his time machine invention.  Instead of accolades, our dear Professor receives laughter.  Professor Von Klamp vows that they will soon learn that he is the greatest inventor in the world.

Professor Von Klamp

While loading the the Professor’s time machine on to the S.S. Tahitian Star, the time machine bangs into the boat’s hull.  This sends the time machine controls haywire, and a monster appears in the machine.

When the few remaining reporters who remain (as many left due to the Professor’s absurd concept) ask about the Monster, the Professor claims it was nothing at all.  The Professor then hastily asks the construction workers to hurry up and get his time machine on board.

The Scooby Gang Take a Holiday

Meanwhile the Gang are headed off to the South Seas on a three-week cruise with all expenses paid.  It’s all thanks to Shaggy and Scooby winning a contest.  Shaggy’s pumped as this means no ghosts or mysteries for three whole weeks.  Poor Shaggy, when will he learn that trouble seems to follow the Gang no matter where they go.

Looking for their cabins, the Gang mistakenly end up 20 decks below sea-level in the boat’s hull.  Down there they spot some flashing lights and investigate.  Opening the door, they see the time machine.

They also find Professor Von Klamp who tells them not to be afraid.  The Professor claims he was running a test on his latest invention, the Time Machine.  With this machine, he claims, he can travel into the past or the future.  Scooby investigates a little closer and is terrified by a monster that suddenly appears in the machine.

The Gang, however, never do see the Monster and think Scooby is having one of his scaredy-cat moments.  The Professor states that he’s demonstrating the time machine to a group of wealthy investors on the ship, and invites the Gang to attend.  While he’s explaining how he could receive half a million dollars for his invention, a creepy man can be seen spying on the group.

Simon Grady

Shaggy’s impressed by the half-million dollar evaluation, as that would buy a million hamburgers.  At the demonstration, which takes place at 10 pm, the Professor explains to the wealthy investors that has to pay his current investor a half-million dollars, or the time machine becomes his.

The creepy man we saw before stands up and identifies himself as Simon Grady, the Professor’s current backer.  He states that he hopes the time machine will work by midnight as he wants to be re-payed.  Simon Grady leaves the room and Daphne is grateful as she finds his personality to be that of a creep.

For his first demonstration, the Professor attempts to return an object from the past.  There is a malfunction, and the time machine sets itself to 5,000 years into the future.Everyone is alarmed at this news, even Freddy.  The machine erupts with smoke and fire, and the Monster appears — this time outside of the Time Machine.

The Future Monster takes chase after Scooby, and Shaggy pleads with the Professor to do something.  The Professor begins hitting the time machine in order to hopefully set things back to normal.  Scooby evades the Monster in a pool table. The Professor gets the time machine working again, and the machine begins to pull the Monster back.  Unfortunately, the time machine breaks down, and the Monster grabs the Professor and whisks him away.

Naturally, the Gang split up to find the Professor.  Not only may the Professor’s life be at stake, but Freddy also explains the Professor is the only chance they have to get rid of that Monster from the future.  Shaggy and Scooby head off in the direction the Monster went, and Freddy, Daphne and Velma go the other way.

It doesn’t take long for Scooby to find the Monster, and a chase follows.  Scooby and Shaggy attempt to hide from the Monster by dressing up as a Sheep and Little Bo Peep at a costume themed dance.  The plan doesn’t work as the Monster ends up terrifying everyone at the costume ball.

Fred, Daphne and Velma enter the communications room where they find several closed-circuit screens.  Fred has the idea to monitor the screens to see if they can pinpoint where the Professor is.  Unfortunately, the screens aren’t working, and Daphne chalks this up to being a clue.

After finding a locked room on the ship, Daphne decides to break in by getting a boost through a vent.  Following a brief struggle with some life preservers, Daphne manages to unlock the door on her side.  Inside they find a high-powered laser and some strange metal discs.

After more monster chase hi-jinks, Scooby and Shaggy meet back up with the rest of the Gang.  Together, all five of them go searching for the Professor, but are surprised once again by the Future Monster.

The Gang dash off into the ship’s rope locker, and conceal themselves in some coils of ropes.  In the adjacent room, which is the Crew Quarters, the Gang hear some moaning.  Investigating, they find the Professor tied up within an entangled hammock.

Releasing the Professor, the Gang, Professor and investors meet up.  Satisfied that the Professor’s time machine works, the investors vow to fund the Professor a half a million dollars, or in Scooby\’s eyes, a million hamburgers.

The Professor thanks the investors for their investment and fires up the machine.  The machine begins pulling the Future Monster back to the future where he belongs.  The Professor demands more power and cranks the machine up to eleven.

Before being pulled into the machine, the Future Monster yanks the $500,000 with him.  With the Monster gone, Scooby and Shaggy begin to celebrate, however, the investors are not so impressed.  With the money gone, they’re out of a lot of cash.  The Professor claims that the power overload has wrecked his machine beyond repair, and he can not return the Monster.  Plus he has no new money to build a new one.

Velma smells a rat and begins putting the mystery puzzle pieces together in her head.  She whispers something quickly to Freddy, and Freddy tells everyone that he can get the money back.  Velma claims her uncle is an Electronics genius, so she contacts her uncle on the ship’s radio to get instructions on how to fix the Time Machine.

After fixing the machine, the Future Monster appears with the case of money.  Freddy snags the case of money, and Velma fires up the time machine to send the Monster back.  The Monster escapes Fred’s clutches and runs with the case of money into the Janitor’s room.

The Professor and Simon Grady claimed they’ve had enough and leave.  Little do they know Freddy is on to them as he follows them to a spot where they hid the cash.

Turns out Shaggy was in the Future Monster suit after Velma claimed to have fixed the time machine.  Shaggy had grabbed an empty case, fooling Simon and The Professor into thinking the Monster was real and had the real money.

The Professor and Simon make a dash for the lifeboats to escape.  However, Scooby replaces the Janitor Supply Closet sign with a Lifeboat directional sign, trapping the diabolical duo.

Well, that mops up this mystery – Velma

Freddy returns the money to the investors, and the boat’s security officers show up to apprehend the Professor and Simon Grady.  Freddy explains the time machine was all a ruse to get funding from the investors by fooling them with a phoney time machine and a fake monster.

The laser they found earlier, along with the strange discs, were all to generate holograms of the Monster.  Using the ship’s closed-circuit tv system, they could project the Monster anywhere in the ship.

One of the investors inquires about the Monster that grabbed the Professor, and Shaggy explains that it was just Simon Grady wearing the Future Monster Suit.  All he was doing was slipping into the back of the machine, and leaping out on cue when the machine spat out sparks and smoke.

The Professor exclaims “A perfect swindle, ruined by you meddling kids” before he is escorted into the brig.  To celebrate another mystery solved, and kick off their three-week vacation, the Gang sit down to a well-earned buffet, where Shaggy declares ‘All Hands on Food’.

My Thoughts

This episode is pretty awesome.  The Future Monster is creepy, and it was cool to see the gang in a new environment.  I also loved the horror/sci-fi overtones! Why this hasn’t been released officially on DVD seems like a true crime to me.  Hopefully, Warner Brothers gets their act together and publishes it.  Like it’s been over 40 years!

I feel like someone will invent a legit time machine before we can have a high definition copy of this fantastic episode on physical media. But I guess if that has happened, I would have went back in time and given myself a copy of this dvd….

How do you feel about this episode?  Let me know in the comments below!

Voices

Don Messick: Scooby-Doo
Casey Kasem: Shaggy Rogers
Frank Welker: Fred Jones, Simon Grady
Heather North: Daphne Blake
Pat Stevens: Velma Dinkley
John Stephenson: Professor Von Klamp, Future Monster

The post Creepy Cruise appeared first on Planet Scooby.

The Ozark Witch Switch is the sixth episode of the second season of the Scooby-Doo Show and originally aired on October 15th, 1977.

This episode sees the gang spending the night in the Hatfields cabin where the Ghost of Witch McCoy appears and is turning everyone into frogs.

The Ozark Witch Switch – Episode Review

The episode begins on a dark and stormy night in the Ozarks. On top of a mountain cliff we see a witch who exclaims she will not rest until the Hatfields are revenged upon. The witch then turns into a black cat.

In the Mystery Machine, the gang drive down some back roads where they are on vacation. Their plan is to leisurely float down the river the next day. Unfortunately, the Mystery Machine blows all four tires.

Abandoned on the road, the gang spot an old cabin with the lights on. Knocking on the door, the owner relentlessly invites the gang in at their own risk.

Inside we meet the last of the Hatfields who moved in to the old McCoy cabin a year ago. Last month the ghost of Witch McCoy showed up and threatened to turn the Hatfields into frogs and lizards.

Witch McCoy was a woman who was hung 100 years ago for witchcraft. She’s after the Hatfields due to a feud between the two families.

In the middle of the night while the gang are sleeping, Witch McCoy makes her entrance. Scooby is the first to be scared as the witch crawls into bed with Shaggy and Scooby. The rest of the gang wake up as the witch gives the gang a warning and disappears.

What Nightmares are Made Of!

In another room we hear Ma Hatfield scream where we discover that Pa Hatfield has been turned into a frog.

Scooby and Shaggy go into the town of Spooky Hollow to find a phone and call the sheriff, while Freddy and the girls decide to explore the woods for clues.

Knocking on the Door of Spooky Hollow General Store, Scooby and Shaggy spot a phone, so they break in to use the telephone. Just after they get in, the owner, Aggie Wilkins, shows up and scolds Scooby and Shaggy for breaking in.

Aggie Wilkins

After explaining their story, Shaggy calls the sheriff, but the phone is dead as the line has been cut. The store owner then tells them to stay away from the Witch’s cave in Spider Mountain. Scooby and Shaggy then run away after Witch McCoy in cat form shows up to frighten them.

In the woods, Freddy, Daphne and Velma spot a zombie-like figure digging a hole. After slipping, Daphne scares the man off.

Back at the cabin, Scooby and Shaggy explain their ordeal, warning the rest of the gang that they need to avoid Spider Mountain. Obviously, however, Fred has other ideas, so they head up toward that spot.

On the way up, Velma spots strange marks gouged into the trail, and Daphne pulls out her camera to snap a picture.

Spotting an old sawmill, Freddy realizes they are close, but when they come to a fork in the road, the gang have to split off. Velma, Shaggy and Scooby are the first to arrive at the cave, but they have to cross a deadly chasm across a log to get across.

While on the log, the Zombie pushes it so they fall into the chasm. Fortunately blind luck saves them and they land near the cliff.

Inside the cliff we spot the witch’s lair which includes a cauldron, as well as a library of spooky spells. One of the spells references nails and boards, which Velma thinks is a clue regarding the old cabin. Finally, they hear the witch who cackles loudly as she searches for intruders.

Velma has a plan, and dresses up Scooby as a witch. The scene is quite humorous, but ultimately fails and our brave trio runs off only to get caught in a net.

Putting Velma, Scooby and Shaggy into a cauldron, the witch heads off to find some lizards to put in her soup. This gives Velma, Scooby and Shaggy just enough time to escape.

The gang all then head back to the cabin, where all the Hatfields, including the dog, have been turned into frogs. Freddy also finds a mound of sawdust.

Inside the Mystery Machine’s photo lab, Daphne develops the image she took before and Velma figures out it’s Morse code. The letters read SM

Velma had also snagged a spell book from the cave which reads 15 nails from east to west where they are to follow the middle nail to a board with a knot. Knocking twice, Scooby finds a string which they pull and a board opens up.

Between all the clues, Freddy and Velma have everything figured out, so they set up a trap where they hide a fake clue.

Both the zombie and the witch head to a spot to dig and begin to argue. Meanwhile, Shaggy, Scooby and Velma wearing white powder, show up and frighten the witch with threats of spells. Daphne and Velma also appear to add to the spookiness.

The trap gets even more elaborate, frightening off the zombie who Scooby traps himself.

The zombie turns out to be Zeke Harkens who recently broke out of prison after stealing half a million dollars. Meanwhile the witch turns out to be Aggie Wilkens, Zeke’s old girlfriend.

Zeke had hidden the money with the coordinates hidden in the Hatfield wall. Both Zeke and Aggie wanted the money for themselves, so they were working against one another to find it before the other did. Meanwhile Aggie needed to find where those coordinates were, so she had to scare off the Hatfields.

Now it’s just a matter of finding the Hatfields, and the gang explain that they are in the sawmill. The marks they found had said SM which hinted at this, plus the mound of sawdust in the cabin was a dead give away.

With another mystery solved, the gang sit down to an Ozark feast before heading off on their next adventure.

My Thoughts

I give this episode a 10 out of 10.

There is lots to love about this episode and it’s so fast paced and action packed. Not a second is ever wasted as the story unfolds.

First off, the setting is perfect with how the mountains makes for a spooky backdrop.

The witch is super creepy as well, with such an evil cackle, and her ability to shapeshift into a hostile and bitter black cat. Meanwhile, the Zombie is just a regular man who looks rather creepy at night. While he looks rather plain, I feel that made him much more scarier and threatening as he did not look as cartoonish as the Zombie we got in Mamba Wamba or Which Witch is Witch.

While we didn’t get to spend much time with Freddy or Daphne in this episode, I feel the time spent on Velma hanging out with Scooby and Shaggy well made up for that lost time.

Anyway, I only have one more episode to review, and that’s The Creepy Heap from the Deep. After this, I’ll be done the original run without Scrappy.

Main Cast

Scooby-Doo: Don Messick

Shaggy Rogers: Casey Kasem

Fred Jones: Frank Welker

Daphne Blake: Heather North

Velma Dinkley: Pat Stevens

Additional Cast

Don Messick: Panther, Sheriff

Janet Waldo: Aggie Wilkins, Giant Bat

Bob Holt: Zeke Harkins, Zombie

Main Villains

Giant Bat

Culprit Name: Aggie Wilkins

Caught By: Balloon Prop Controlled by Morgan

Unmasked By: Velma

Zombie

Culprit Name: Zeke Harkins

Caught By: Scooby

Unmasked By: No Unmasking

Episode Details

Running Time: 24 minutes

Country: United States

Region: Unknown

Vehicles: Mystery Machine appears. Main Driver: Fred Jones

Catchphrases

Let’s split up: 2

Jeepers!: 1

That just about wraps up another mystery: 1

Zoinks!: 9

Scooby Dooby Doo: 1

The post The Ozark Witch Switch appeared first on Planet Scooby.

This episode sees the gang visiting a Grand Prix race only to run into a phantom racer who makes other drivers and their cars vanish!

If you’d like to own this episode on DVD, well you can’t!  Four episodes from Season 2 of the Scooby-Doo Show have never been made available which seems crazy to me!  The other three episodes are The Curse of the Viking Lake, The Creepy Heap from the Deep, and Creepy Cruise.  Warner Brothers, get on this already!!!

At the Grand Prix Time Trials

The episode opens at the Grand Prix Time Trials as Carl Conover speeds by in his race car.  He, unfortunately, doesn’t get far as the Phantom Racer appears and makes Carl, and his vehicle disappears into a mysterious fog.

At the Ice Cream Shoppe, Freddy and the gang read all about the Phantom Racer in a newspaper, and they decide to investigate.  This is one of the rare occasions where the gang do not stumble upon a mystery by accident.Heading to the race tracks, they talk to Mr. Osborne, the sponsor of the racing event.  Mr. Osborne explains that the Phantom Racer is the ghost of a racer who accidentally drove off a cliff several years back.  The ghost is now seeking revenge on all race car drivers.  Mr. Osborne also explains that cancelling the race would financially ruin him. However, the gang assures him that they will solve this mystery so the race can go on.

Just as they finish their promise, a dishevelled man stumbles in with terror, and Mr. Osborne recognizes him as Carl Conover, the driver we saw vanish at the start of the episode.  Carl somehow got away from the Phantom, but he doesn’t recall how.  This sets the gang off in search of clues where they find wide tire tracks which they suspect are from the Phantom racecar.

Racecar Driver – Carl Conover

Following the tracks, they end up at an old junkyard where they discover a jet which is missing its engine.  This is strange as the junkyard is more suited towards cars rather than airplanes.

Entering an old house, they meet the junkyard caretaker who informs the gang that the Phantom has been haunting an antique car museum nearby, so the gang head there.

Arriving at the car museum, they find it closed, so the gang sneak in.  Once inside, they split up to find the Phantom.  Obviously, it doesn’t take long for Scooby and Shaggy to run into the Phantom Racer.  Escaping his chase, they reunite with the gang where the Phantom makes another appearance.  He warns the gang that whoever enters the Grand Prix race will not escape his vengeance!  The Phantom Racer then zips off in his racecar.

Nobody in the Grand Prix race will escape my vengeance!

Rushing back to the tracks to warn the racers, the gang are too late, as racer Ken Rogers becomes the Phantom’s next victim.  Freddy then decides that the only way to trap the Phantom is to get the Phantom to chase them.  Scooby and Shaggy are then voluntold that they will pretend to be race car drivers in order to lure the Phantom Racer.

The plan works, and the Phantom Racer chases Shaggy and Scooby.  The Phantom also kidnaps Shaggy, however, Scooby is able to tell the gang that the Phantom took Shaggy to the junkyard.

At the junkyard, they split up to look for Shaggy.  Fred and Daphne search the old house, where the old man living in it is nowhere to be found.  Daphne’s clumsy luck, however, finds a hidden cavern underneath the house and junkyard.  The entire gang head into the caverns and once again split up.  Here, Daphne and Freddy find the missing race cars which have been repainted.  They also find a book about magical illusions and a tome on How to Hypnotize.

Velma and Scooby, on the other hand, find the Phantom Racer who is bricking Shaggy up behind a brick wall.  There they manage to free Shaggy, and the entire gang reunites.  The reunion is cut short as the Phantom Racer begins chasing them again in his race car.  The gang hop in the two missing race cars and through a series of lucky escapades, they capture the Phantom Racer.

The Phantom is revealed to be Ken Rogers who faked his own disappearance.  His plan was to steal all the expensive racecars, repaint them, and then sell them overseas.  The biggest clue was the airplane in the junkyard.  Ken had taken the jet engine out of the airplane and put it in his racecar so he could be the fastest.  He also rigged his suped-up racecar like a lumber car with magnets to trap the other cars beneath it.  From there he drove it to a Batcave like entrance to the cavern under his junkyard.

Finally, he hypnotized the other drivers to space out and forget what had even happened.  For his own kidnapping, Ken Rogers used a projector.  Even the creepy junkyard watchman was all part of the ruse, as it was just Ken in disguise to throw the snooping gang off track.

With the Phantom caught and arrested, the Grand Prix race goes off without a hitch the next day.

My Thoughts

This is my first time ever watching this episode, although I did hear it over the radio when I was 10.  When this originally aired, I was only 1 years old and I don\’t recall this ever being aired in re-runs.  Since we got TV by antenna, we were limited as to what stations we could get, but I figured out using my Radio, I could listen to Scooby-Doo episodes from areas far away, and I remember listening to this episode.

It’s cool to finally see the Phantom Racer in his full glory, and this is an awesome looking villain.  I love his Zombie-like head that seems swollen up inside a racecar helmet.  I also dig his torn pants and creepy laugh.

It’s fun to see the gang actively investigating a mystery, rather than have one fall in their lap.  It’s also neat to see the events of this mystery taking place during a sport, where there are hundreds of spectators all watching the racecars disappear and witnessing this creepy phantom.  The cavern under the junkyard is also a lot of fun!

It’s a cartoon crime that this isn’t on Blu-ray or DVD yet!  While you can stream it through the Boomerang app, as a collector, I want to own this masterpiece of mystery!

Voices

Don Messick: Scooby Doo, Additional Racer
Casey Kasem: Shaggy, Mr. Osborne, Additional Race
Frank Welker: Freddy, Carl Conover, Additional Racer
Heather North: Daphne Blake
Pat Stevens: Velma Dinkley
John Stephenson: Race Announcer
Vic Perrin: Phantom Racer, Ken Rogers, Junkyard Watchman

The post The Spooky Case of the Grand Prix Race appeared first on Planet Scooby.

Chiller Diller Movie Thriller is notable for having Scooby-Dum and Scooby-Dee as part of the cast.  This is also the last episode to feature Scooby-Dum (aside from Laff-A-Lympics episodes) and the first and last episode to have Scooby-Dee (unless you count the possible cameo in the What’s New Scooby-Doo? episode titled Homeward Hound.

Scooby-Dee, or not Scooby-Dee? That is the Homeward Hound question.

Scooby-Dee is Scooby-Dum and Scooby-Doo\’s cousin.  Both are enamored with her and will do anything to rescue her from trouble or to receive a kiss.

Lights, Camera, Action, let’s get on with this review!

The Phantom of Dixie

The episode opens up with a bit of mood by showing an old mansion estate during a lightning storm.  We cut to the inside of the Mansion, and we see the Phantom of Dixie confronting a knitting dog sitting on the couch named Miss Jane.

This is all just movie magic in the work, as Scooby-Doo and the Gang, plus Scooby Dum are all on set watching Scooby Dee film her next blockbuster movie called ‘The Phantom of Dixie’.  The movie itself is a remake of an old silent film that was a hit decades ago.

As filming ends for the day, Freddy explains the original silent film made a huge superstar out of Milo Booth who played the original Phantom.  Scooby-Dee excuses herself to take her makeup off, and we see a shadowy phantom approach her dressing room.

Mr. Mogul explains the legend of Milo Booth to Velma and Shaggy

The Phantom sneaks a creepy letter into Scooby-Dee’s mirror, which Scooby-Dee soon finds.

Back on set, Freddy reads the letter to everyone, including the Movie’s producer, Mr. Mogul.  As the letter is signed by Milo Booth, Mr. Mogul explains to the Gang that this is impossible, as Milo Booth died twenty years earlier.  As Milo has been dead for 20 years, Shaggy figures out pretty quickly that they are dealing with a ghost!

Mr. Mogul places Scooby-Dee under a 24-hour watch under the watchful eye of Jim Moss, the studio chief of security, and Rod Kennedy, a dog trainer, or as Mr. Mogul explains, Scooby-Dee’s Dramatic coach..=

Freddy, Rod Kennedy, Jim Moss

Scooby-Dee is heading back home, so Mr. Mogul arranges a private car aboard a train. The Gang, along with Rod Kennedy and Jim Moss guarantee they’ll keep a watchful eye on her.  Right away Rod Kennedy and Jim Moss bail, say they’ll be in their bunks in another car, so they leave the Gang to hang out with Scooby-Dee on her own car until morning. (such slackers)

Before the train trip even starts, Shaggy is already spooked as he sees a coffin being loaded in a separate rail car.  Shaggy speculates it’s the Phantom’s coffin, to which Daphne thinks he’s ridiculous.  Freddy and Scooby-Dee put his mind at ease by explaining it must be a movie prop.

Soocby, Scooby-Dee, Scooby Dum

Later on, as the train gets rolling, we see the Phantom of Dixie emerge from the coffin, and let out a sinister laugh! After hundreds of haunted mysteries, Shaggy knows when trouble is just around the bend!

As Scooby-Dee, Fred, Daphne and Velma sit down for dinner, the Phantom can be seen crawling across the train’s roof.  In the kitchen compartment below the Phantom, Shaggy, Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Dum can be found making a sandwich.

The Phantom climbs down the side of the train and peers in the window upon Shaggy adding mozzarella, whipped cream, ice cream and peanut butter to his sandwich.  Shaggy spots the Phantom and he, along with Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Dum run out of the kitchen and into the dining car.  There Scooby explains to Freddy, that they saw the Phantom.

Jim Moss struts in and tells the Gang he saw the Phantom as well so the Freddy and Daphne escort Scooby-Dee back to her private car.  Jim Moss tells the Gang he’ll check the other cars, and instructs Scooby-Doo, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby-Dum to check the baggage cars.

Shaggy’s not too impressed with checking out the Baggage Car as that’s where they loaded the coffin.  Inside the coffin they hear a groan, so they crack it open to find the Train\’s conductor. The conductor explains that he saw the Phantom, and must have passed out and was placed in the coffin.

Looking for clues, Velma finds some mud on the ground and in the coffin.  Velma decides they should all head back to Scooby-Dee’s car to tell Freddy.

While Freddy and Daphne guard Scooby-Dee, the Phantom barges in to terrify them. His entrance is ruined when Shaggy opens the door and bumps the Phantom in the rear end. Turning the lights off, the Phantom disappears.

Velma explains to Jim Moss and Rod Kennedy what just went down.  Freddy decides they should dress Scooby up as Scooby-Dee and fool the Phantom into kidnapping the wrong dog.  Jim Moss adds to the plan that they’ll hide Scooby-Dee in a sleeping bunk separate car, and they’ll have Shaggy guard her.

Shaggy falls asleep guarding Scooby-Dee, and she slips out to get a drink of water.  Freddy, Scooby-Dum and Scooby-Doo (dressed up) discover Shaggy napping and see that Scooby-Dee is missing.  All three of them go looking for her.

Searching in various bunks, Scooby-Dum and Scooby-Doo wake up several no so impressed guests.  The disruptions are so epic that Scooby-Doo ends up losing his costume.

During Scooby-Dee’s trek for water, she is nabbed by the Phantom, and an impostor is substituted for her spot.

The impostor fools Freddy and the Gang, so they return to Scooby-Dee’s car.  The Phantom the disconnects Scooby Dee’s car from the train.  The car then comes to a complete stop in ‘Boothville’ which is a town named after Milo Booth.

The Gang realize they’ve been uncoupled from the main train when they see the Phantom walking around outside the train with a bag thrown over his shoulder.  Dashing away, the Phantom runs towards the town cemetery.  The Gang still don’t know they have the wrong Scooby-Dee, but they decide to run after the Phantom anyway.

Splitting up, Shaggy and the dogs go one way, and Freddy and rest go another way to look for clues.  At the Booth Family Mausoleum, Freddy finds the door wide open and ready to enter.  Heading in they find more fresh mud on the ground.  They then open up Milo Booth\’s coffin in the crypt only to find out that it is empty.

Locked In

Meanwhile, back in the cemetery, Shaggy and the dogs are terrorized by the Phantom.  It’s at this point they realize the other dog is an impostor as she does not kiss like Scooby-Dee.  The fake Scooby-Dee runs off, and the Gang are all reunited in the crypt where they plot their next move.  Before Freddy can lay out a trap to catch the Phantom, the Phantom locks them in the Crypt.  However, Scooby-Dum’s clumsiness helps them escape the crypt in record time.

Leaving the cemetery the gang head for town.  Shaggy spots a sign for the fair which features a Milo Booth museum so the gang head there.

The gang head into the museum where they find a film projector with a film playing.  The film is an old newsreel of Milo Booth waving to his adoring fans.  The Gang realize that the real Milo wore glasses, so the Phantom Milo had to be fake.  They also spot fresh human and dog footprints, so they realize the Phantom is nearby.

Vintage Milo Booth

Running out of the museum and into the fair’s fun-house, they find the Phantom and a chase takes place.  After conquering several obstacles such as spinning tunnels, merry go rounds and log rides, the Gang finally capture the Phantom in a Ferris Wheel cart.

Under police supervision, Freddy removes the mask, and it’s revealed that chief of security, Jim Moss, is the guilty bad guy.

Jim Moss was behind it the whole time

Even the imposter was wearing a rubber mask

At the Boothville Police Station, Freddy explains that Jim Moss planed on making his own movies using the fake Scooby-Dee as she would only be able to obey him.  The Phantom identity was only a ruse to convince Rod Kennedy, the dog trainer, that Scooby-Dee was so frightened by the Phantom, that from now on she’d only obey Jim Moss.

Finally, to make the world think that Milo had been resurrected, he switched the nameplate of Milo’s coffin to an empty one.

With the mystery solved, the gang head back to Hollywood to celebrate Scooby-Dee’s movie award for best outstanding actress in a canine roll.

My Thoughts

I give this episode a10/10.  There’s a lot I like about the episode, particularly the creepy cemetery setting, the fun house and the train.  The look of the Phantom was rather cool too, and I adored the Milo Booth backstory.

The Phantom looked pretty cool, but I wish he were given more to do.  It was awesome watching him crawl on the train roof and terrify Scooby and the Gang, as well as terrify Shaggy in the cemetery.

This is an episode worth checking out as it’s epic in its storytelling. We jump from a film set to a train, to a cemetery, and then we end up at a funhouse, concluding with an awards ceremony. All in just 20 minutes!

It’s very cool that Janet Waldo voiced Scooby-Dee with a sweet and honeyed Southern Belle twang.  Janet Waldo, for those in the dark, voiced Judy Jetson, as well as Josie from the Josie & the Pussycats animated series (as well as a few witches from classic Scooby-Doo episodes).

Voices

Don Messick: Scooby-Doo, Jim Moss
Casey Kasem: Shaggy Rogers, Conductor, Passengers on train
Frank Welker: Fred Jones, Phantom of Dixie director
Heather North: Daphne Blake
Pat Stevens: Velma Dinkley
Daws Butler: Scooby-Dum
Janet Waldo: Scooby-Dee, Scooby-Dee (impostor)
John Stephenson: Rod Kennedy, Phantom of Milo Booth, Phantom of Dixie/Actor

The post Chiller Diller Movie Thriller appeared first on Planet Scooby.

In this episode we see the gang attending a hang gliding competition that Freddy was invited to participate in. Here they discover a Pterodactyl ghost that haunts the canyon caves.

Not much trivia for this one, other than we see the Pterodactyl Ghost show up in Scooby-Doo 2, Monsters Unleashed. Also, this entire run of season 2 of the Scooby-Doo show has yet to be released as a complete series on DVD or Blu-ray. Such a tragedy as these are some of the best episodes ever made.

Anyway, enough of my jibber jabber, lets get on with my review.

Hang In There, Scooby-Doo – Episode Review

The episode begins with the gang driving up Big Canyon towards a hang gliding tournament. Only the most experienced flyers are allowed to compete, and Freddy is one of those skilled athletes who was invited.

Unbeknownst to the gang, unfortunately, a half man, half pterodactyl watches from above.

The gang are spending the night at Big Canyon Dude Ranch. It’s incredibly quiet, until they hear the shout of the Pterodactyl Ghost who swoops towards them. The gang take shelter in a covered wagon and watch in fear until the ghost flies away.

Inside the dude ranch, the gang meet the manager, Mr. Bohannon. Mr. Bohannon explains that millions of years ago the canyon was filled with dinosaurs. Some people believe that the Pterodactyls evolved into man like creatures which they saw the ghost of in such an example.

The Gang and Mr. Bohannon

The gang also meet Mr. Morbley, the muscular Dude Ranch Handyman and bellhop. Mr. Morbley carries their luggage to their rooms where Mr. Bohannon nervously wishes them a good night.

Mr. Morbley

During the day, the gang line up near the canyon edge where Freddy is preparing to glide. Scooby accidentally takes flight after chasing a sandwich and glides through the canyons and into a cave. The rest of the gang wander off to find him.

Shaggy getting a sandwich from Johnny’s Catering

Inside the cave, the gang searches for Scooby. Inside they find cave carvings of the Pterodactyl humanoids, along with a fresh carving of Scooby being confronted by the ghost creatures with a clue that he’s behind a wall.

The gang swiftly find Scooby and Velma comments on how eager the monster is on scaring them away. Going deeper into the cave, the gang find Pterodactyl tracks and follow them to a stone age living room.

They find multiple tracks and assume there are several creatures, so they split up to follow the various tracks.

Freddy and the girls discover a secret passage while Shaggy and Scooby immediately run into one of the Pterodactyl monsters.

Freddy and the girls soon hear music playing and find a tape cassette on the ground. They also discover Scooby and Shaggy being chased by the creature. We also get a weird scene of a skeleton man running off. I found this scene a bit bizarre and out of place and it certainly raises a lot of questions on if Shaggy was hallucinating or this skeleton man was something real.
The gang escape the cave system, and drive off in the Mystery Machine where they pop the cassette into the tape deck. Hear they hear the modern rock beats of Elvis John (a take on Elton John).

Back at the dude ranch, Mr. Bohannon explains that the cave drawings were ancient history and the cassette was probably dropped by an exploring hiker. The gang then hear the same weird music they heard in the cave so they follow it.

The music leads them to the basement where the music stops. Hiding, they see Mr. Morbley walk out of a room so they follow him and discover a weird glow. It turns out Mr. Morbley was burning something, and when they look further it turns out to be papers. Velma salvages a scrap but there is not enough light to read it at the time.

Freddy decides that they should all head back to the cave to look for more clues. There are dozens of caves but Freddy heads for the largest one at the top of the canyon.

During their adventures, we get lots of chase scenes and Daphne discovers a secret switch and fake wall that was disguised as a cave in. Behind the wall, they find a recording studio setup.

Freddy takes the Mystery Machine down to a lower cave system and decides to set a trap by building a road block. The trap almost works and they almost trap a Pterodactyl driving Johnny’s Sandwich truck. The truck hits a bump attempting to escape and dozens of cassettes and records fall out.

Outside they watch the Pterodactyl escape on a rubber raft down the rapids. Thinking quickly Freddy loads the hang-glider up with Shaggy and Scooby where they take chase.

Catching the Pterodactyl, the local sheriff shows up and is unmasked. It turns out to be Johnny, the owner of the catering truck. He was part of a pirating ring where he was making bootleg copies of popular music on cassettes and records.

Mr. Bohannon shows up and is also placed under arrest. The gang explain he was the ringleader of the pirating operation where the engineers would bootleg the music in the cave system, then fly the music down by hang-glider to the warehouses at night. They then drove the bootlegs to the store with the catering trucks.

The plan worked fine until locals got curious about the hang gliders at night, so Mr. Bohannon dreamed up the Pterodactyl ghost to scare everyone off. Velma proves there theory with a partially burnt invoice with a request for 3,000 albums and 3,000 cassettes with a payment of $12,000.

With another mystery solved, the gang head off on their next adventure.

My Thoughts:

I give this episode a 7.5 out of 10.

I enjoyed this one a lot but I don’t think it’s as awesome as other Scooby-Doo Show episodes. One reason is that the mystery is a bit difficult to follow as we are never introduced to Johnny other than Scooby and Shaggy making a sandwich at his truck at the beginning.

The plot seems a bit muddled as well, with lots of mini-chase scenes that last for a quick minute and interrupt the pacing of the episode.

I did enjoy the Pterodactyl creature, but the episode also raises more questions than it answers, such as who drew the cave image of Scooby and the Pterodactyl on the wall. And who was the skeleton man?

Also, why would the bootleggers need a hidden inside cave system which would require hundreds of thousands of dollars to build in a remote cave as it would require electrical lines and engineers to run and operate (Especially with all those secret passages).

Still, I loved the spooky atmosphere, and the uniqueness of the monster in this one.

Well that wraps up another mystery, join me next week when I will be covering the Ozark Witch Switch. Until then, Stay Spooky!

Voices:

Don Messick: Scooby-Doo, Sheriff
Casey Kasem: Shaggy Rogers, Pterodactyl Ghost, Contest Judge #2
Frank Welker: Freddy Jones, Skeleton
Heather North: Daphne Blake
Pat Stevens: Velma Dinkley
John Stephenson: Mr. Bohannon, Contest Judge #1

The post Hang in There, Scooby-Doo appeared first on Planet Scooby.

If you haven’t watched this episode, like all my reviews, Spoilers Galore!

Journey to Great Skull Island

The episode opens up with the Gang, along with Scooby-Dum on a boat.  They are off to see Daphne’s friend Lisa, for her 18th birthday.  Lisa is about to inherit a hotel on Great Skull Island (not to be confused with Skull Cove from Go Away Ghost Ship).  Great Skull Island, according to Velma, is rumoured to be inhabited by Vampires.

Great Skull Island

Just after they dock, the ferry captain asks them to take a box to the hotel for a hotel guest named Mr. Dracul.   Fred is more than happy to oblige, however when Shaggy helps him load it into the mystery machine, they accidentally drop it, revealing a coffin.

Scooby-Dum gives his best effort to assist the Gang, and accidentally opens the coffin, releasing a bat.

The Gang arrive at the hotel and give the coffin to Mr. Dracul.  Apparently, he needed it for an undertaker’s convention.  And it is one of the many coffins on display in the Ballroom.

The Gang head up to Lisa’s room and meet her along with her Uncle Leon.  We learn that Uncle Leon is like a father to her, as he has raised her since she was a small child.  Uncle Leon cracks a joke saying that tomorrow, Lisa will become his boss.

Uncle Leon and Lisa

Uncle Leon’s wrist watch alarm goes off, and it’s time for him to get back to business.  Meanwhile the guys and girls decide to hit the hay.  Lisa shows Velma and Daphne their room and decides it’s too small for them.  So she switches rooms

As Daphne is combing her hair, and Velma is doing some sit-ups, the girls scare themselves into bed discussing vampires.  After falling asleep, it doesn’t take long for a Vampire to make his appearance!

Freddy and the boys hear Velma and Daphne’s screams of terror, and they rush into the from just after the Vampire flees.  Velma explains to Freddy that all the doors and windows were locked, so she is clueless as to how the vampire got in.

The Gang search for clues and discover a ventilation duct large enough for a human to get into.  Daphne runs to Lisa’s room to tell her about the vampire, while Shaggy, Scooby, and Scooby-Dum crawl into the duct to see what lies at the other end.

In Lisa\’s room, Daphne explains what has just gone down.  As Lisa goes to change so, they can investigate, the phone rings, and Daphne hears a bell on the other end and dismisses it as being weird and gets back to the mystery-solving at hand.

Reach out and bite someone.

At the other end of the ventilation shaft, Shaggy, Scooby and Scooby Dum find themselves in a dusty hotel bedroom.  It doesn’t take them long to run into the Vampire, and a chase ensues.  Eventually escaping, the three of them reunite with Freddy and the girls.

In the dusty hotel bedroom the Gang discover a dog whistle, which turns out to be clue #1.

Alarmed by all the noise, Uncle Leon shows up, and Lisa explains that they all just saw a vampire.  Uncle Leon then reveals to Lisa that her grandfather (who is from one of the oldest families in Europe) was actually a vampire.

Lisa’s Great Grandfather

Uncle Leon suspects that the Grandfather has returned to turn Lisa into a vampire!

The Gang decide to split up and look for clues to solve this mystery.  Freddy and girls head to the Ballroom to inspect the coffins.  Shaggy, Scooby and Scooby-Dum are given the task of guarding Lisa.

Lisa answers her phone and hears the same bell that Daphne heard earlier. Much to Scooby and Shaggy’s horror, this turns her into a vampire.  She chases Shaggy, Scooby and Scooby-Dum out of the room along with her vampire grandfather.

Shaggy and the dogs run outside, and escape on golf carts.  After a chase through the golf course, they evade the Vampire and head back to the ballroom to reunite with Freddy and the girls.

In the ballroom, Scooby-Dum discovers a piece of paper in a coffin labelled “Exo 6 Desmo”

Freddy and the girls head out to look for Lisa and tells Shaggy and the dogs to guard the room.  Shaggy hears the Vampire enter the room and hides in a coffin.  There, he witnesses the Vampire tucking Lisa into a coffin.  Shaggy runs and gets Freddy and the girls, and Velma smacks Lisa’s face silly several times to awaken her from her Vampire curse.

Lisa explains she doesn’t remember a thing after hearing the bells over the phone. Daphne tells the Gang that she also heard a bell at one point, and the wheels start spinning in Freddy and Velma\’s head.

Freddy devises a trap, that doesn’t go according to plan, but they end up catching the Vampire.

The Vampire turns out to be Uncle Leon.  In an act of madness, he wanted Lisa out of the way so he could steal her inheritance of the hotel.

The entire story about Lisa’s grandfather being a vampire was fabricated, and he used his wrist watch alarm bell to hypnotize her.  His plan was to make her think that she was a vampire, so she would be institutionalized in a mental hospital.  This way the hotel would all be his.

The dog whistle was so he could call bats at his whim. And the torn piece of paper meant:

Exotic Pet Shop – 6 Desmodontidae (Latin for Vampire Bats)

Which is evidence that he bought and planted the Vampire Bats in the hotel.  With another mystery solved, the Police escort Uncle Leon to the slammer.

My Thoughts

This episode is amazing!  I found the Vampire to have tons of personality, and the plot to be so wacky.  With the episode taking place in a hotel, on an island shaped like a skull, with an undertaker convention going on, it’s very epic, and pulled off with grace and style.

This may be one of the darkest ploys a Villain has had in a Scooby-Doo episode.  A loving uncle who tries to get his niece committed so he can own a failing hotel on an island that very few people visit.

While I’m not the biggest Scooby-Dum fan, I don’t think he detracted from this episode, and he fit right in.  If I had one issue, it’s maybe that the Vampire made a Panther noise.  I felt that was kinda weird.  But, meh, it’s not like I know what a Vampire sounds like.

Voices:

Don Messick: Scooby-Doo, Ferry Captain
Casey Kasem: Shaggy, Mr. Dracul, Police Officer
Frank Welker: Freddy, Desk Clerk
Heather North: Daphne
Pat Stevens: Velma Dinkley
Janet Waldo: Lisa Vanaugh
Daws Butler: Scooby-Dum
John Stephenson: Leon Vanaugh, Grandpa Vampire

Alternate Cut

There is a highly sought after VHS release of this episode called Scooby-Doo\’s Spookiest Tales.  This features an alternate take that isn’t exactly ready for prime time.  Here are a list of the major differences.

• No Title Card
• Character animation is not as smooth and not compliant with how characters should look.
• When Scooby-Dum takes a picture of Skull Island he just ga-faws.  In the finished version he says ‘smile’
• Different sound effects for when Scooby-Dum tries to get the coffin in the Mystery Machine.
• Mr. Dracul is voiced by Frank Welker instead of Casey Kasem
• After Velma tells Daphne that she’s locked the windows and doors, the two girls dive into bed without any explanation.  In the finished cut we see the shutters banging in the
• When Scooby-Doo and Scooby-Dum trap the Vampire in the vampire at the pool, he just sinks.  In the final version the vampire bobs up and down.

The post Vampire Bats & Scaredy Cats appeared first on Planet Scooby.

The episode sees the gang up in Newfoundland, Canada, on a Fishing Trip with Velma’s Uncle John. Well, we suspect it’s Newfoundland, as that’s where Vikings have known to land in North America centuries ago. During the trip, Uncle John goes missing, and the gang are haunted by ghost Vikings and their ship.

Velma’s Uncle John

The Curse of Viking Lake – Episode Review

The episode opens up on a lone cabin set near Viking lake. A man, (who is Velma’s Uncle John), sits at his desk writing in a journal when he hears a loud horn blow outside. Looking outside, he sees a Viking Longship row by. Distracted, the man does not see a Viking sneak up behind him.

The Viking threatens Uncle John with the fact that he needs to pay the price for disrupting the Sacred Viking Burial Ground.

We then cut to the gang in the Mystery Machine.  They are all decked out in winter clothing as Newfoundland is notoriously frigid.  Daphne is certain the lake will be frozen over.

When the gang arrives at Uncle John’s cabin, they find a warm fireplace, a pot of coffee brewing, but no Uncle John.  Daphne thinks that maybe he went out to catch some trout for breakfast.  That is until they find Uncle John’s logbook, where he writes that ghostly Vikings have been haunting the lake.

In the logbook, he also writes that he has solved the mystery, but his handwriting trails off before he can fully explain.

Also, in the book, they find drawings of Viking Runes, and Fred believes that this might be a clue.

While the gang are discussing the mystery at hand, Scooby spots a Viking outside the window.  Dashing outside, they find large footprints disappearing into the woods.  Daphne, Velma and Freddy go and follow the footprints while Shaggy and Scooby investigate the lake.

Searching at the lake, Scooby and Shaggy soon run into the ghostly Viking Ship and are snagged onboard.  Chased by three different Vikings, Scooby and Shaggy escape their clutches by jumping into the frigid lake.

Reuniting, the gang head into town where they tell Sheriff Swinson about their missing Uncle John and the Viking Ghosts.  The Sheriff also tells them that two young geologists have also gone missing.

They don’t look so young

Sheriff Swinson

Freddy shows the Sheriff Uncle John\’s journal as well as the Runes within.  Instead of, oh, I don’t know, collecting the journal as evidence and investigating for the missing Uncle John, the Sheriff passes them on to Mr. Hanson, the local Viking expert and museum curator.

Even though the Museum is closed, Mr. Hanson is available to translate the runes.  He tells the gang that the runes speak of an evil curse that was unleashed when the Viking burial ground was disturbed.

The gang with Mr. Hanson

A great evil will befall those who disturb the sacred burial ground.

Feeling as if Uncle John had found the burial ground, the gang return to the lake to see if they can discover it.  Splitting up, Fred, Daphne and Velma discover a cave with a huge painting of a Viking in it.  The cave is also incredibly hot from bursts of steam that shoot out of random holes.

Relax, It’s Just a Painting!

They are soon spotted by a Viking and Freddy, Daphne and Velma seek shelter in a cave room that has a wooden door.  Slamming the door shut and barricading it, they find themselves in an alter room, with a giant statue of Odin and a Viking praying to him.  The Viking ghost works some hocus pocus and traps the gang in a new hidden room.

Fortunately, they are accidentally rescued by Scooby and Shaggy, who open the secret entrance after Scooby is blown on to the statue head by some steam.

Daphne discovers a secret elevator, and the gang take it down where they spot the Vikings loading machinery off of the Viking longship and on to a rail cart.  The gang also discovers steam turbines that are being used to generate power.

Fortunately Uncle John is down there, hanging from a cage that is attached to the ceiling.  With some quick thinking, Scooby rescues Uncle John, but of course, they are spotted by the Vikings.  After a quick chase, Uncle John sneaks off to get the Sheriff, and the gang traps the vikings.

Gasp, it’s the missing Geologists and Viking Museum Curator – Mr. Hanson

It’s revealed that the Vikings are Mr. Hanson and the two missing geologists.  The geologists had discovered Uranium on the lake shore and devised a scheme to mine it and make millions.  Kids, do not try this at home, Uranium is incredibly radioactive, and exposure to it will cause a whole host of problems.

My Thoughts:

I give this episode a 8 out of 10 (I originally gave it a 7, but the episode has stuck with me a couple years after viewing it, so it must be pretty good).  While I like the idea of Ghost Vikings, and they have a bit of personality in this episode, they are a bit boring.  Only one of the Vikings seems to talk, while the other two chase the gang around.

On the other hand, the lead Viking does look cool and imposing.  The caves and tunnels filled with bursts of steam was also neat, and there is some good comedy in this episode.

In fact the first third of this episode is pure Scooby gold.  The creepy set up with Uncle John vanishing during a lightening storm is amazing, and the Viking museum curator explaining the curse sets a doomy mood. It’s unfortunate from here on out it just turns into repetitive chase scenes.

Maybe I was expecting more as this takes place in my home country of Canada, but I just felt they didn’t do as much with the Viking mythology as they could.  While I only give it a 8 out of 10, there are still lots of cools scenes and I will revisit this one again for sure!

Voices:

Don Messick: Scooby
Casey Kasem: Shaggy
Frank Welker: Freddy
Heather North: Daphne
Pat Stevens: Velma
John Stephenson: Uncle John, Sheriff Swinson, Mr. Hanson, Viking Ghosts

The post The Curse of Viking Lake appeared first on Planet Scooby.