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Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers
Warner Bros. // Unrated // June 4, 2002
List Price: $19.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Warner Home Video has received much criticism from DVD fans concerning its treatment of TV product. Popular shows such as "South Park" and (the initial releases of) "Friends" have been subjected to "Best of" and "common-theme" releases, as opposed to the shows being released on DVD in chronological order. The same treatment has befallen "Scooy-Doo". The famous canine's DVD debut "Scooy-Doo's Original Mysteries" appeared to be a step in the right direction, as it contained the first five episodes of "Scooy-Doo, Where Are You?". However, the second volume, "Scooby-Doo's Spookiest Tales", revealed that Warner was up to their old tricks, as it combined shows from "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" and its follow-up "The Scooby-Doo Show". Now, a new set, "Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers" has arrived on DVD. How will it fare when compared to the other releases in this series?
At first glance, "Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers" isn't very promising, as it offers only four episodes, whereas the first two DVDs offered five. All four shows are from "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?", although, one appears to be from the shows second season, as the opening is slightly different.
In "Go Away Ghost Ship", the gang, that is, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo, volunteer to help shipping magnate C.L. Magnus when a ghost ship threatens his business. The ghost of Redbeard the pirate is behind these ghoulish shenanigans and he proves to be a wiley opponent for our young sleuthers. This is a fairly standard "Scooby-Doo" episode, but the inclusion of a historically plausible ghost and the nautical location, make it watchable.
The second episode, "The Haunted House Hang Up" has Scooby and the kids going to a rock music festival. On their way there, they get lost and then have car trouble (what kind of warranty do you get on a "Mystery Machine"?) The gang heads for a nearby mansion, which, as it turns out, is haunted by The Headless Spectre. After being pursued by the Spectre, the group then comes across another ghost, which is simply a man wearing a pillowcase. (This has to be the worst villain in the "Doo" universe.) The Headless Spectre is creepy, but the unbridled silliness in this episode, most notably the balloon chase, keep it from being a classic.
With "Hassle in the Castle", the gang gets beached on Haunted Isle. Why would you even go near a placed called Haunted Isle? They then find a map which leads them to a semmingly abandoned castle. Strange occurrences, such as a mysterious floating candle, appear to be the work of a ghostly apparition, but the group soons learns the truth behind the haunting. This show has atmosphere, but the ghost effects are simply too cheesy. To make matters worse, "Hassle in the Castle" appeared previously on the "Scooby-Doo's Original Mysteries" DVD, making this a waste for "Scooby" collectors.
The shows are rounded out by a true classic, "A Night of Fright is No Delight". In this episode, Scooby stands to inherit a fortune from Colonel Beauregard Sanders, and must travel to the late Colonel's island home to collect the ransom. In order to get the money, Scooby and Sander's four relatives must spend the night in his mansion, which is reputedly haunted. As they gang settles in for the night, they are attack by green apparitions who call themsevles the Phantom Shadows. Of all the Scooby villains, the Phantom Shadows may be the scariest, for their red glowing eyes and maniacal laughter make them hard to forget. While most "Scooby-Doo" shows go for laughs over scraes, "A Night of Fright is No Delight" displays a macabre wit, making it a must-have for Scooby fans.
The episodes offered on "Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers" are all presented in their original full-frame format. The image here is sharp and clear, but the digital transfer has revealed many defects in the source material, mainly black dots and scratches. (One can assume that many of these blemishes were on the original cels.) The colors are good, although slightly blanched at times. Overall, the shows presented here rival digital broadcast quality in their look.
The audio on this DVD is a Dobly digital mono track. While it is certainly lackluster and will be a disappointment to audiphiles, the track delivers clear and audible dialogue, music, and sound effects. The mono track will add to the nostalgia effect for long-time Doo fans. The disc also contains French and Spanish tracks, but, oddly enough, those who listen to these tracks don't get the famous "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" theme song.
The special features on the "Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers" DVD are insignificant and feel like filler for the most part. "The Mystery! Game" is a set-top game in which the viewer must use clues from the episodes to solve mysteries. There are two "Get the Picture" segments, which demonstrate how to draw Scooby and the gang. Of course, this demo makes it look incredibly easy. The "Mystery, Inc." music video offers a menagerie of clips from the more recent "Scooby-Doo" movies set to a pretty bad song. Finally, we have the "Mystery, Inc. Yearbook", which gives an overview of the Scooby-Doo charcter. Through interviews with co-creatros Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, we learn the origin of the characters and how the idea came about. The DVD also contains bonus trailers for other Warner family products.
While many characters have come and gone over the past 30 years, Scooby-Doo remains as popular as ever. The shows presented on this DVD vary in overall quality, but they all exemplify what makes Scooby-Doo great. Each episode is like a mini-horror film, and the Scooby-Doo character will always be charming.
This could have been a classic DVD, if it hadn't been for those meddling kids and their dog!
At first glance, "Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers" isn't very promising, as it offers only four episodes, whereas the first two DVDs offered five. All four shows are from "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?", although, one appears to be from the shows second season, as the opening is slightly different.
In "Go Away Ghost Ship", the gang, that is, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo, volunteer to help shipping magnate C.L. Magnus when a ghost ship threatens his business. The ghost of Redbeard the pirate is behind these ghoulish shenanigans and he proves to be a wiley opponent for our young sleuthers. This is a fairly standard "Scooby-Doo" episode, but the inclusion of a historically plausible ghost and the nautical location, make it watchable.
The second episode, "The Haunted House Hang Up" has Scooby and the kids going to a rock music festival. On their way there, they get lost and then have car trouble (what kind of warranty do you get on a "Mystery Machine"?) The gang heads for a nearby mansion, which, as it turns out, is haunted by The Headless Spectre. After being pursued by the Spectre, the group then comes across another ghost, which is simply a man wearing a pillowcase. (This has to be the worst villain in the "Doo" universe.) The Headless Spectre is creepy, but the unbridled silliness in this episode, most notably the balloon chase, keep it from being a classic.
With "Hassle in the Castle", the gang gets beached on Haunted Isle. Why would you even go near a placed called Haunted Isle? They then find a map which leads them to a semmingly abandoned castle. Strange occurrences, such as a mysterious floating candle, appear to be the work of a ghostly apparition, but the group soons learns the truth behind the haunting. This show has atmosphere, but the ghost effects are simply too cheesy. To make matters worse, "Hassle in the Castle" appeared previously on the "Scooby-Doo's Original Mysteries" DVD, making this a waste for "Scooby" collectors.
The shows are rounded out by a true classic, "A Night of Fright is No Delight". In this episode, Scooby stands to inherit a fortune from Colonel Beauregard Sanders, and must travel to the late Colonel's island home to collect the ransom. In order to get the money, Scooby and Sander's four relatives must spend the night in his mansion, which is reputedly haunted. As they gang settles in for the night, they are attack by green apparitions who call themsevles the Phantom Shadows. Of all the Scooby villains, the Phantom Shadows may be the scariest, for their red glowing eyes and maniacal laughter make them hard to forget. While most "Scooby-Doo" shows go for laughs over scraes, "A Night of Fright is No Delight" displays a macabre wit, making it a must-have for Scooby fans.
The episodes offered on "Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers" are all presented in their original full-frame format. The image here is sharp and clear, but the digital transfer has revealed many defects in the source material, mainly black dots and scratches. (One can assume that many of these blemishes were on the original cels.) The colors are good, although slightly blanched at times. Overall, the shows presented here rival digital broadcast quality in their look.
The audio on this DVD is a Dobly digital mono track. While it is certainly lackluster and will be a disappointment to audiphiles, the track delivers clear and audible dialogue, music, and sound effects. The mono track will add to the nostalgia effect for long-time Doo fans. The disc also contains French and Spanish tracks, but, oddly enough, those who listen to these tracks don't get the famous "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?" theme song.
The special features on the "Scooby-Doo's Creepiest Capers" DVD are insignificant and feel like filler for the most part. "The Mystery! Game" is a set-top game in which the viewer must use clues from the episodes to solve mysteries. There are two "Get the Picture" segments, which demonstrate how to draw Scooby and the gang. Of course, this demo makes it look incredibly easy. The "Mystery, Inc." music video offers a menagerie of clips from the more recent "Scooby-Doo" movies set to a pretty bad song. Finally, we have the "Mystery, Inc. Yearbook", which gives an overview of the Scooby-Doo charcter. Through interviews with co-creatros Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera, we learn the origin of the characters and how the idea came about. The DVD also contains bonus trailers for other Warner family products.
While many characters have come and gone over the past 30 years, Scooby-Doo remains as popular as ever. The shows presented on this DVD vary in overall quality, but they all exemplify what makes Scooby-Doo great. Each episode is like a mini-horror film, and the Scooby-Doo character will always be charming.
This could have been a classic DVD, if it hadn't been for those meddling kids and their dog!
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