User reviews

Being a huge Scooby Doo fan for goodness knows how long, any new show, special or film would be watched with great anticipation. While 'Scooby Doo Where Are You' is still the jewel of the crown of the franchise, one where most of the shows and films are watchable and more, a vast majority of the Scooby Doo films have a huge amount to like and are worth watching at least once.

Harkening back to, or spun off, the short-lived left incomplete mid-80s incarnation 'The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo', 'Scooby Doo and the Curse of the 13th Ghost' is not one of the best of the Scooby Doo films. Do prefer 'Zombie Island', 'Witch's Ghost', 'Big Top', 'Goblin King' (am aware that this is not going to be a popular opinion) and 'Mask of the Blue Falcon' (also really enjoyed 'Frankencreepy', 'Abracadabra Doo', 'Camp Scare' and 'Stage Fright', despite the last having an overstuffed and convoluted ending). Of the Scooby Doo films, the only one that didn't do much for me are 'Monster of Mexico', despite Scooby and Shaggy appearing in 'Arabian Nights' from 1994 not only does it not really count as a Scooby Doo film and also try to pretend that doesn't exist. 'Scooby Doo and the Curse of the 13th Ghost' is enjoyable on its own, it is a nice change of pace from the formula with the right amount of spookiness, endearingly goofy humour and attempts to be true to both the classic Scooby Doo and 'The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo'. Just to say, am aware that that show is not one of the most popular incarnations of Scooby Doo and is considered by some to be one of the worst. Personally have a soft spot for it myself and actually consider it underrated despite some take or leave elements, if mainly for the character of Vincent Van Ghoul and Vincent Price and liked that it tried to do something different.

'Scooby Doo and the Curse of the 13th Ghost' has a lot to like, much of it in common with many of the previous Scooby Doo films, and certainly do not think respectfully it is anywhere near as terrible as the negative reviewers have made out, talking about the continuity issues and how Fred is written without mentioning much of anything else. It's not what is being pointed out that is being objected to as actually a couple of the criticisms are valid, it's the rather mountain-out-a-molehill way it's being said. Enough of that, let's talk about the film. The animation is great, colourful, suitably spooky and sometimes imaginative. Everything is beautifully drawn and meticulously detailed, with rich, atmospheric colours and a lot of care and time clearly went into how the characters were drawn and move, Vincent Van Ghoul (like 'The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo', if not as much as that show as this Vincent Van Ghoul is leaner, he is uncannily based on Vincent Price who voiced the character originally and one he was made for) and Asmodeus in particular.

Music is both dynamic and groovy, with a lot of energy and a haunting undercurrent. The writing is smart and clever, as well as very funny. There are some endearingly goofy jokes (in classic Scooby Doo fashion, while also feeling current) and witty quirkiness, and loved the nods to 'The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo', including briefly mentioning the previous ghosts in the series, basing itself in the very first location of its first episode, the van and re-introducing Flim Flam who is a little (emphasis on little) less annoying here even when true to character (he does talk a little too much though and too fast) that helped make the film a change of pace.

Humour is quirky and upbeat but there are a fair share of thrills and macabre elements that stays true to 'The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo', which is what makes Scooby Doo so charming in the first place. Yes the creators were definitely having a ball with this. The story is mostly very compelling, with the right amount of upbeat goofiness and creepiness without being too cheesy or too scary. Asmodeus is suitably intimidating and absolutely loved the strong and resourceful characterisation for Daphne, at her most interesting in a while and another thing true to 'The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo'. Shaggy and Scooby are dead on as usual, but the standout is Van Ghoul, who fits in like a glove and recognisable if not as quite in command perhaps. The voice acting is nothing to complain about really, Maurice LaMarche being especially good and made me nostalgic for Vincent Price without impersonating him too much. Matthew Lillard is endearing and amusing as Shaggy, as usual, and Grey Griffin does a great job as Daphne, some of her best voice acting as her actually. Frank Welker shows no signs of being long in the tooth and Nolan North is suitably sinister with a voice that reminded me of the voices of Maldor and Zimbulu.

The film is not without its issues though. Can totally understand why people dislike how Fred is written here, though actually this is not the first film or incarnation to portray him in an out of character way. Was not very fond of him being written idiotically and being constantly negative in thinking, that 'Scooby Doo and the Curse of the 13th Ghost' remained true to the writing for Shaggy, Scooby and Daphne and their roles in 'The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo' was admirable and appreciated but it did feel like the writers/creators did not know what to do with Fred once the role reversals were in place. Do agree to some extent that Velma's scepticism was overdone.

Likewise with the beginning crisis not being resolved enough and the second half started losing energy and became less imaginative.

Where 'Scooby Doo and the Curse of the 13th Ghost' falls down most is the ending. Found it very rushed and with a far too easy defeat, but what mainly doomed it was that after doing so well with the change of formula the ending went into conventional territory reminiscent of a denouement of an episode of 'Mystery Incorporated'. Don't know about anybody else, but everything about the outcome for me was obvious (or at least guessed it) very early on and nothing about it surprised me at all.

On the whole, very enjoyable but had room for improvement. 7/10

With the overwhelming amount of animated Scooby-Doo movies being essentially copy-paste products, then it is progressive getting more and more difficult to find the will to invest time and money into sitting down to watching them.

But alas, my son wanted to watch this 2019 addition to the Scooby-Doo franchise, so of course I indulged him and went along with him to watch it. And I must say that it was actually one of the better and more interesting of animated Scooby-Doo movies I have seen in a while.

Sure, it still follows the traditional run-of-the-mill blueprint of how to make a proper Scooby-Doo movie, which it should also do, by all means. After all, it is part of the charm and what we love about the Scooby-Doo franchise, isn't it? But at the same time, the people at Hanna-Barberra managed to keep it fresh and adding just that addition twist and spice to it, to make it outstanding and interesting.

For me it was the wonderful nod towards Vincent Price in the character named Vincent van Ghoul. Not only did it look like the late Vincent Price, but also sounded much like him, and the dialogue of this particular character was just loaded with nods and references to the old horror movies that Vincent Price was in.

The animation style and the art style was loveable and wonderful, as it always is in these animated Scooby-Doo movies, and that is also one of the things that I love about the franchise. No matter how many years have passed, it remains the same. Sure they have opted for some questionable movies and such, but I always find comfort in returning to the cartoons and animated movies that look and feel like they did when I was a child watching Scooby-Doo every Saturday and Sunday morning.

For an animated movie, then a proper cast for the voice acting is a must. And as always, then they nailed it right on the head with "Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost". They always do. You, of course, have the wonderful talents of returning voice actors Frank Welker, Grey Griffin, Matthew Lillard and Kate Micucci, which pretty much sums up the entire thing that is the Mystery Gang. But then you throw a voice like Maurice LaMarche into the soup and he nails it spot on with his impression of Vincent Price.

"Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost" is a much needed and much welcomed addition to the Scooby-Doo franchise, and hopefully it will set a new standard of what to expect from forthcoming movies in the franchise. This is definitely well worth a watch for old-time fans of Scooby-Doo as well as newcoming fans.

Firstly, there is so many continuity problems starting with claiming 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo started it all which it was defiantly was not the first incarnation, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You, and a few more after that leading up ti The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo. Secondly, Velma acts like she has never faced a real ghost, Scooby-Doo and the Witches Ghost. I could have looked past those continuity inconsistency due to the move being so hilarious, but what me go NO, NO, NO, YOU CAN'T DO THAT! was:

Thirdly, Velma claims the ghost from The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo where hallucinations brought upon from being in the Himalayan Mountains. the show says the ghost where real the this movie comes along and slaps, no, punches to pulp. the fans that this movie should have been made for proving that Warner Bothers would rather beat to within an inch of there lives, and run away before they get caught because clearly do not care about the, the fan base.

If this movie is any indication the next movie, Scooby-Doo Return to Zombie Island, will go out of it's way to claim that the monster don't exist when the movie that it will be a sequel to, Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island, went out it's way to prove the monsters where real on the island.

Bottom Line, if you are a fan of Schooby-Doo, stay far away from this and contact Warner Brothers, if their is a way, that they need to back to the drawing board and give us a proper conclusion to the 13 Ghost's of Scooby-Doo because will not except this farce of a 2 month early April Fools joke as cannon.

I've seen this a few day's ago and I still have not gotten over the ending, no movie has ever done that to me before, so you know that this movie is all kinds of wrong.

Mortifer and Vincent trap 13 evil spirits in a magical chest. Mortifer sacrifices himself in order for Vincent to escape. In present day, the kids screw up a case and they have to stop solving mysteries. Fred even sells off the Mystery Machine. While selling the rest of their gear, they uncover a crystal ball and are contacted by Vincent. It was a case without Velma and Fred. The others and Scrappy-Doo vanquished 12 ghosts. With a new vehicle, the gang heads off to help Vincent defeat the final ghost.

This follows The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (1985) which I never saw. I don't think that it's necessary to understand this movie. It is notable that Vincent Price voiced Vincent VanGhoul in the TV series. So, it's not so macabre to have a rando voicing an obvious Vincent Price character. The bigger issue is that Mortifer is too obvious. It's obvious right from the beginning. As for the gang, I get the forced retirement but I do not abide with selling the Mystery Machine. They can refurbish it. They can add to it. They cannot get rid of it. I do not like the new van and I hope that they do not keep it. It's only good comedically for Fred not being able to drive it. The next mystery should be tracking down the Mystery Machine. The actual mystery is a bit messy but whatever. It does go back to the standard mystery which is helpful. This is not that good but it's enough. They better get the Mystery Machine back.

Belated sequel to the short-lived TV show The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo (1985), made for the franchise's fiftieth anniversary. That show, although not hugely popular at the time (it was cancelled early), later acquired a cult following as an early example of Scooby-Doo encountering the genuine supernatural. No sequel so long afterwards was going to please everybody, and when it was announced fan reactions ranged from 'OMG! I've waited so long for this!' to 'I won't hold my breath for this to be decent, let alone good'.

The 13 Ghosts TV show focused on Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby (no Fred or Velma), assisted by Scrappy (Scooby's nephew), Flim-Flam (a young con artist), and a warlock named Vincent Van Ghoul (voiced by the legendary Vincent Price), and the first thing most people wanted to know was whether this would do the same. It doesn't. Fred, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy, and Scooby ALL feature - plus Vincent Van Ghoul and Flim-Flam, but no Scrappy. The second thing people wanted to know was whether the ghosts would again be real - I won't spoil that one.

The first half of the movie is very good. It quickly recaps the original show, reintroduces Vincent (now voiced by the excellent Maurice LaMarche) and has some very funny moments (not least Shaggy and Scooby's response when they realise they've got to go back and capture the 13th ghost that slipped through their grasp last time). There are also a whole load of visual nods to Scooby's adventures back to Scooby-Doo, Where Are You in 1969. But by the half-way point the initial quick-fire pace starts to ease off, with fewer callbacks to the original. It's not that it's bad from then on, but it feels less of a continuation and more like its own thing. The conclusion (again, I won't spoil) has fans divided, with some loving it, and some not so much.

At the end of the day it's as wacky as you'd expect. The regular voice cast (Frank Welker, Grey DeLisle, Matthew Lillard, and Kate Micucci) are on top form. The character interplay is as strong as ever, and there are some laugh-out-loud moments. It's not quite what I'd hoped it would be, but it's still enjoyable. 7/10.

Who's seriously giving this anywhere near a ONE out of ten? LOL pathetic.

Anyway, thanks to the always-winning combo of the modern day Scooby-Doo animation style + quality, the incredible (possibly franchise greatest) voice acting cast, and the infinitely enjoyable fourth wall-breaking comedy writing, this very easily ends up being yet another top quality WB Animation Scooby film.

Finally, the Daphne we deserve, and a wrap up to a series that maintains the integrity of the team, and also satisfies the narrative. Those who gave this low ratings are nuts.

This has to be one of the best sequels to any Scooby Doo series. Maurice played Van Ghoul to a T. Rest in peace, Vincent Price. && Flim Flam was enjoyable. This is a must see. A perfect way to end the series. It's been years since we all questioned the 13th ghost. 10 out of 10.

The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo was one of my favorite incarnations of the show as a kid. So I was excited when I heard about this movie. Sad to say, it doesn't live up to my expectations. What I thought was going to be a reunion of the gang with Van Ghoul and Flim Flam turned out to be a series of overly long, unfunny gags, mostly centering around Fred's insecurities (and cheerleading because they thought that was funny, I guess) that strained even my tolerance for lame 80s Hannah Barbera comedy. I often felt the writers were more concerned with poking fun at the concept of Scooby-Doo more than the advertised plot. Which is all well and good but it's been done (Zombie Island) and done better (Mystery Inc.)

The reunion of the 13 Ghosts cast, which you actually came here to see, didn't come until late into the movie, essentially being treated as an afterthought. Likewise, the absence of Scrappy-Doo was reduced to one throwaway joke.

The most grating part of this movie for me was that 13 Ghosts centered around the gang trying to trap 13 actual ghosts in a magic chest, eventually catching all but the 13th. This is back during a time when the series was less mystery and more goofy comedy that didn't care to shy away from the supernatural. But this movie was trying to fit that plot into their usual and current "guy in a mask" theme. This not only ended up being a major letdown but kind of insulting. The 13th ghost was a great big nothing, Van Ghoul was portrayed as a powerless whimp and they invalidated the entire 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo series by implying it never happened. Why couldn't they have just set this in the 13 Ghosts universe as a stand alone? It's not like these movies have a continuing narrative you have to follow.

This movie didn't know what it wanted to be. Kids today don't remember 13 Ghosts so they'll probably like it but as someone who grew up with it, and obviously was the target of their nostalgia, I feel like they took something dear from my childhood and dumped all over it. Why even bother making this a series finale of a 30 year old show to begin with?

I just loved this movie, really. I remember myself back when I was like 8 years old and I was watching the 13 ghosts of scooby doo, God I was crazy about this gang, it was something different. When I watched that movie I felt nostalgic, that van ghoul and flim flam comeback was adorable. The only thing that's bothering me is the absence of scooby's nephew and Fred's cheerleading thing, otherwise, I like it very much.

This movie is awesome. It's great to get Vincent Van Ghoul and Flim Flam back, even for just this movie.

In the 1985 series, Fred and Velma were absent from Mystery Inc, so when this adventure starts, Daphne takes charge and Fred feels lost. This is an interesting character arch for the movie. Several of the characters have their own journeys to go through in this movie. There is also the fun of the mystery and adventure.

This movie has the feel and tone of the recent string of Scooby Doo animated films., and as such, Weerd & Bogel, the comedic relief ghosts of the 13 Ghosts series, as well as Scrappy Doo, don't really fit, and were not added. But they did work in the Rubber Duckie.

Beyond existing, this movie isn't as audacious as Tom & Jerry: Spy Quest, Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery or Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold. They played it a bit safe, coloring within the lines. But if you have enjoyed Moon Monster Madness, Shaggy's Showdown, Gourmet Ghost and other recent Scooby Doo animated movies, you will easily love this one.

My only disappointment is that the way Universal DVD/Blu Ray releases for theatrical films generally come with animated shorts, like Minions or whatever, I wish this DVD came with a Weerd and Bogel short, so we could see what they are up to, without changing the tone of the feature. Also it would have been nice to get a trailer, teaser or even a title card with a vague release date for at least one rumored upcoming Scooby Doo release. Seeing the Spy Quest trailer on Rabbit's Run was awesome!

They absolutely ruined Fred in this. It all began with Shaggy's Showdown(2017) and here they absolutely murdered his character. For these new pseudo liberal writers, writing a strong woman means destroying a male character. FRED WENT CHEERLEADING?? REALLY!!?? As for the movie, it's garbage. Loved Shaggy & Scooby hence the 2 stars.

Yes, I really did enjoy this movie because I love me some Scooby Doo and the gang! Was glad to see some of the "Old Characters" from the "Thirteen Ghost of SD", but Flim Flam was the only one who brought up Scrappy. Then Velma was like, "Who is a Scrappy?" First of all, if the writers would of look at all of the Scooby Doo shows, they would have known that Scrappy had first join the Scooby Gang back doing "The Scooby and Scrappy Show." It was some other stuff that didn't make sense to me in this movie, but I'm not going to discuss it. Smh I think that they should bring Scrappy back because he was Scooby's nephew for goodness sake!!!!

Now I do think that nostalgia was a factor in how much I liked this movie but I do understand that some people won't find this as great as it could be. It was nice to see old characters like Vincent van ghoul and Flim-Flam. I could see an epic finale with the Scooby gang having to stop all the old ghosts but they didn't do that. I found the ending twist nice enough to not change my mind on the whole movie. A great way to celebrate Scooby's 50th Birthday along with Scooby doo return to zombie island.