Released a little over a year after its predecessor, Scooby-Doo! and the Witch’s Ghost proved that its resurgence was not a one-off success. Taking place in the same timeline, with the Scooby Gang still young adults, Witch’s Ghost dialed back the scares a bit – but not by much. As always, Scooby-Doo is a children’s franchise first, even when the threats are real, magical, and include the likes of horror royalty.
This time, the group is drawn to the town of Oakhaven, a fictional locale in New England inspired by Salem, Massachusetts, at the invitation of Ben Ravencroft (Tim Curry) to take in the fall color. But where Shaggy (Scott Innes), Scooby (Scott Innes), Fred (Frank Welker), Daphne (Mary Kay Berman), and Velma (B.J. Ward) go, trouble usually already is.
Oakhaven is a popular tourist destination, attracting people from all over to watch the leaves change color, participate in a festival, and cash in on the legend of a historic witch named Sarah Ravencroft (Tress MacNeille). Long since accused of being a witch during and after her lifetime, her descendant Ben has been desperate to find her medical diary to prove her innocence. Things take a complicated turn in Oakhaven when it becomes apparent that a Witch has been haunting the town, scaring people with her magic nightly for the past several weeks. Having recently confronted real Zombies, the gang is far more receptive to the possibility that Sarah Ravencroft is not only real but potentially haunting the town of Oakhaven. Still, they aren’t ones to rest on their laurels when a mystery needs to be solved.
With the threat of an evil witch hanging over Oakhaven’s Autumn Fest, the gang decides to investigate, primarily to prove whether the witch is real, but also to help exonerate Ben Ravencroft’s ancestor. At no point do they treat the threat of the Witch’s Ghost as anything other than a clear and present danger, like every other baddie the group has investigated throughout their lengthy career.
What makes her so interesting as a mystery is that the history of Sarah Ravencroft, the town, and Wicca (however erroneously it’s portrayed here) are tightly woven together. Her potential motive – revenge – seems to fly in the face of who she was as a person during her lifetime. This presents a dual mystery for the gang: is Sarah Ravencroft a threat from beyond brought back to strike back at the town, or is she a wounded victim who is crying out for help? To figure out how to deal with her, the gang decides that it’s best if they understand her more.
Partway through the film, it appears as if Scooby-Doo is falling back onto its old formula, as the Witch’s Ghost is neither Witch nor Ghost, but a man in a mask. Coming a little over halfway through the film, the story builds off of what made Zombie Island so entertaining – and reveals that there is a Witch to contend with. One who is far more terrifying than the Witch’s Ghost because her power is very real. The true scope of her agenda, however, is what makes this entry a dark Scooby-Doo story, on par with the villains of Zombie Island. Murder does tend to bring that out in a genre story.
In Oakhaven, the locals make up the bulk of the supporting cast – with Mayor Corey (Neil Ross), Mr. McKnight (Peter Renaday), and local restaurant owner Jack (Bob Joles) offering colorful background material to the world. The true standouts in this entry, however, are the Hex Girls, an all-female eco-goth rock band based out of Oakhaven, comprised of Thorn (Jennifer Hale), Luna (Kimberly Brooks), and Dusk (Jane Wiedlin). Unlike most characters introduced in these direct-to-DVD films, the Hex Girls proved to be popular enough to become recurring characters across the franchise. While Thorn, whose real name is revealed to be Sally McKnight during the film, is the one with the most characterization in this film, by virtue of continually appearing, Dusk and Luna grow with each appearance. Still, Luna explains during this film that the group’s fangs were designed by her father, a dentist.
Their music serves as an in-universe act, giving this film something that Zombie Island set the stage for with its opening montage. Where Zombie Island used pop music that was clearly Scooby-Doo themed, the Hex Girls’ discography was treated as personal music to tell a story about the women singing it. Of the three songs credited to the Hex Girls for the movie, only two were performed by the character’s voice actresses – ‘Hex Girl’ and ‘Earth, Wind, Fire and Air,’ while ‘The Witch’s Ghost,’ the closest the film has to a title song, is performed by Terry Wood, Angie Jaree, and Gigi Worth. There was a fourth song, ‘It’s a Mystery,’ credited to them on the soundtrack, but it was never included in the film.
This is one of those movies that, although clearly designed for children, has the ability to appeal to the child in everyone. Scooby-Doo! and the Witch’s Ghost continued to remind us what makes Scooby-Doo a fun, entertaining character. It would continue the next year with Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders, which would be the final one to use cel animation. Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase would turn to digital ink and paint in 2001. As a quartet, they are the ones I remember the most fondly. This is despite the fact that every year from 1998 to 2023, there has been a direct-to-DVD film to fall back on. Of them all, Witch’s Ghost and Zombie Island have always remained my favorites.
There’s just something about that music…
Lloydd Marshall Books 