Vincent, Elvira and more Elvira
The spooky, kooky Scooby-Doo trilogy that’s just what the sheriff ordered …
If you’re looking for some Halloween viewing that’s more on the kooky side than the spooky side, Scooby-Doo has a trio of recent, direct-to-video animated movies that are just what the sheriff ordered …
Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost
In 2019’s Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost, the Mystery Inc. gang gets in trouble with the law when a seemingly simple bad-guy bust goes bad, and they’re ordered by the square-jawed sheriff to give up their mystery-solving ways or else. This forces Freddie Jones to sell his beloved Mystery Machine (jinkies!) when the gang holds a yard sale in which they uncover a crystal ball, used by Shaggy Rogers, Scooby-Doo, Daphne Blake (and some shyster called Flim-Flam but definitely not anyone named “Scrappy” …) to commune in their mid-80s adventures with warlock Vincent Van Ghoul — adventures apparently dealing with a chest of “real” demons depicted on TV by the 12-episode series The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo but totally concealed from Velma Dinkley and Fred (they were “at camp for the summer”).
The talented voice artist Maurice LaMarche stands in here for the late horror icon Vincent Price, who actually did lend his vocal talents to portray Van Ghoul in the short-lived series … when he was alive (mwahaha!) …
Scooby-Doo! Return to Zombie Island
This loose Scooby-Doo trilogy continues in the next DTV Scooby movie, Return to Zombie Island, which is also itself a sequel to 1998’s grandfather of DTV Scoob releases Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. Still trying to break their mystery teen lifestyle despite a successful resurgence at the end of 13th Ghost, the gang heads off on a vacation when Shaggy wins a contest sponsored by his favorite real-life horror-host, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. (More on her shortly.)
Where they end up vacationing is eerily familiar, and, despite their best efforts, the gang just can’t leave it alone, uncovering a conspiracy centered around what they once thought was a real supernatural event …
Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!
Elvira herself is back (along with Science Guy Bill Nye, for some reason, and Batman’s Scarecrow) in the conclusion of this sheriff saga. In Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! she helps the teen sleuths uncover the truth about the so-called sheriff who abruptly ended their mystery shtick.
Things get weird. Very weird. But in the end of this Scooby-Doo trilogy, the team gets its Mystery mojo back — naturally.
Why this Halloween-themed Scooby-Doo trilogy of sorts isn’t sold together in a bundle isn’t clear, although Amazon certainly has the right idea with its product recommendations. Would you do it for two Scooby Snacks?
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