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Scooby-Doo Gave Fans Some of the Best Animated Movies of All Time
Camp Scare Brought '80s Slashers to Mystery Inc.
How Camp Scare Embraces the Slasher Genre
Since 1969, Hanna-Barbera's Scooby-Doo has earned the love of countless fans across multiple generations for its ability to deliver kid-friendly horror stories through mystery. Blending aspects of Universal Monsters, Sherlock Holmes-inspired detective stories, and a buddy dynamic between its characters, the franchise has plenty of great films. It also has its share of underrated projects that fly under the radar for mainstream audiences, despite being excellent.
Beginning in 1969, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? captivated an entire generation of kids through its use of mysteries, which forced young viewers to try and figure out the answer before an episode ended. Praised by many for delivering thoughtful stories for children, rather than the same old slapstick of Looney Tunes, the series soon spawned countless imitations as animation studios tried to capitalize on the genre. As the franchise soared to success, the company started to release a long list of animated films, which number close to fifty as of 2024. The quality of these films ranges from forgettable to brilliant, and it's hard to deny that, in the sea of content, some great stories have gone overlooked. In 2010, Warner Bros. released one of the best films in the franchise -- and it embraced the '80s slasher craze.
Scooby-Doo Gave Fans Some of the Best Animated Movies of All Time
The Mook movies remain iconic
Mook Movies | Year of Release | IMDb Rating |
---|---|---|
Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island | 1998 | 7.7 |
Scooby-Doo: The Witch's Ghost | 1999 | 7.3 |
Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders | 2000 | 6.8 |
Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase | 2001 | 7.1 |
While the earlier attempts at giving Scooby and the gang good animated films were very hit or miss, as the franchise continued writers and directors were able to replicate success through film. The series had been known for serialized, self-contained short mysteries, which typically turned to classic Universal Monsters for inspiration. In the 1990s, the brand rose to its peak in terms of quality, with the iconic "Mook movies" revitalizing mainstream interest in the young detectives. Beginning with Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island, the quadrilogy explored a more mature take on the characters, one that better fleshed out their lives outside of mystery solving.
From the introduction of the Hex Girls to great voice talents joining the cast, such as Tim Curry, these movies immediately won over a new generation, while also appealing to older fans. In the age of thriving animation, thanks to films like Toy Story, The Lion King, and the impending success of Pixar, there couldn't have been a better time for a franchise comeback. This followed a notable slump for the gang, with mediocre to divisive projects like the inclusion of Scrappy and the gang's young makeover in A Pup Named Scooby-Doo. Heading into the 2000s, the gang had more to them, with notable improvements including Daphne being changed from damsel in distress to investigative reporter.
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The excellence of the Mook movies was great for the franchise, but with them becoming the benchmark for the franchise, many subsequent films have felt mediocre by comparison. From team-ups with the WWE to revisiting the Loch Ness Monster, these newer films have been decent mysteries for the gang, but they can feel hit or miss for fans. While tough to live up to this standard, some films have shown it isn't impossible, and fans have a long list of solid films to look to. One of the best Scooby movies of all time combining just about everything that made the franchise work by turning to classic slashers for inspiration.
Camp Scare Brought '80s Slashers to Mystery Inc.
The 2010 gem broke new ground for the franchise
The Best Scooby-Doo Movies | Rotten Tomatoes |
---|---|
Big Top Scooby-Doo | 79% |
Mask of the Blue Falcon | 80% |
Zombie Island | 80% |
In 2010, Warner Bros. released arguably the greatest Scooby-Doo project since the '90s in Camp Scare. Set in Camp Little Moose, an old rustic group of cabins that lives in the shadow of the affluent Camp Big Moose, Fred takes a job as a counselor, and he brings the gang along. With fond memories of attending the camp as a child, Fred tries to bring the same adventure to a new generation of kids that he had himself. However, the gang arrives in the immediate aftermath of an attack on the camp by the Woodsman, a mysterious, axe-wielding figure in a trench coat and dark hat. Reminiscent of horror villains like Victor Crowley, Jason Voorhees, the Creeper, and Freddy Krueger, he terrorizes the kids and counselors.
As the gang deals with the Woodsman, they also learn of a couple of other local horror legends, particularly the Fishman and the Specter of Shadow Canyon -- both of which they encounter during their stay. Despite the chaos, the gang still tries to make the most out of their stay, with Shaggy and Scooby spending time with the kids as the others investigate. However, when they learn of a lost town at the bottom of a nearby lake, sealed off by a dam, they realize that the monsters chasing them are after something -- a lost treasure being pursued by a notorious gangster.
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The film culminates in the destruction of the dam, revealing the lost town, and allowing the real criminals to begin their search for lost loot. As the gang realizes there's a traitor among them, they try and find the Woodsman before he can get away, allowing them their classic unmasking -- and giving the film a true return to form after prior movies toyed with the supernatural. With the gang having solved their latest mystery and the camp kids all the better for it, Scooby and his friends celebrate their victory and prepare for their next adventure.
How Camp Scare Embraces the Slasher Genre
The film channels Friday the 13th and Hatchet
The Best Kids Cartoons (CBR) |
---|
#1 - Looney Tunes |
#2 - Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? |
#3 - Batman: the Animated Series |
Scooby-Doo: Camp Scare makes no secret of its slasher inspiration, from casting the gang as camp counselors to the eerie villain, who terrorizes them with his axe. However, the film also borrows from classic Scooby-Doo, ensuring the gang has a cavalcade of monsters, including the Fishman and Specter of Shadow Canyon, giving the film its urban legends. Along the way, they find a variety of clues that hint at a greater plot at work, from mysterious newspaper clippings to an upgraded RV disguised as part of the canyon wall. The film plays on classic horror tropes, from the gang being divided into rustic cabins and crept up on one at a time to their passing through a "harbinger" character at the beginning. After receiving a due warning in classic slasher style, they try and enjoy their vacation, but the monster has other plans.
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Camp Scare doubles as both a love letter to slashers as well as '70s and '80s vacation comedies, with the "Big Moose vs Little Moose" rivalry mirroring classic summer camp comedies. In that sense, the film is as perfect for retro horror buffs as it is for fans of old-school comedies. Embracing all the trappings of classic '80s youth pop culture cinema, the film is one big callback to its iconic decade. From showing the gang in swimsuits to pitting them against their very own slasher and throwing in a gangster sub-plot,
Camp Scare Got the Franchise Back to Basics
The movie showed Scooby didn't have to be supernatural to be scary
Best '90s Family Movies (CBR) |
---|
1 - Toy Story |
2 - Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island |
3 - Back to the Future Part III |
While the Scooby-Doo franchise had seen something of a resurgence in the late 1990s, it also deviated from the original series format in key ways. Where the films embraced the supernatural, TV series like What's New, Scooby-Doo? Opted for a more comedic tone, one that was more interested in the marvels of 21st-century technology than anything else. Camp Scare managed to take everything about the franchise at that time and incorporate it into one great film, blending the high-tech with a darker tone without relying on the supernatural. Giving the gang a solid mystery, as well as doing a great job of concealing the culprit's identity, ensured one of the franchise's greatest stories to date.
Unfortunately, the late 2000s and early 2010s are something of a void for mainstream Scooby fans, with even great shows like Mystery Incorporated taking a while to gain steam. As a result, while hardcore fans know about Camp Scare, it flew completely under the radar for the typical viewer, failing to find broad appeal the way Zombie Island did. TV series aside, few of the movies have come close to topping this 2010 gem, and the move to 3D animation as the new norm didn't help. In animation, the 2010s belonged to franchises like Toy Story, Shrek, Frozen, and Ice Age, leaving little room for straight-to-video 2D movies, like Camp Scare, to make a strong impression.
Scooby-Doo
Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and the talking dog Scooby-Doo band together to solve supernatural mysteries.
- Created by
- Joe Ruby , Ken Spears
- First Film
- Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island
- First TV Show
- Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
- Latest TV Show
- Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? (2019)
- Where to watch
- HBO Max
Summary
Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and the talking dog Scooby-Doo band together to solve supernatural mysteries.
- Movies
- Scooby-Doo
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