Scooby-Doo And The Curse Of The 13th Ghost

For three decades die-hard Scooby-Doo fans wrote off the final season of the long-running cartoon’s initial run, ‘The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo’ as being out-of-continuity.  After all, not only did the gang find themselves capturing real ghosts (ones that Scooby and Shaggy accidentally let loose), but Fred and Velma were missing, Daphne ditched her headband and minidress for pants and, of all things, Shaggy wore a red shirt, for cryin’ out loud!  And in case viewers weren’t annoyed enough by Scrappy-Doo, who was present for these exploits, the show introduced an even more grating sidekick, the pint-sized con artist Flim-Flam.

Over the years, very few references were made to these episodes and when Hanna-Barbera decided to revive ‘Scooby-Doo’ in direct-to-video movies, Daphne and Shaggy were back in their classic outfits, Fred and Velma returned and Scrappy-Doo and Flim-Flam were never to be mentioned.  In fact, in the first movie, ‘Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island’, the gang were confronted by true supernatural entities “for the first time.”

But after all this time, it looks as though the creators behind the direct-to-video movies have decided to take on the task of wedging ‘The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo’ into continuity with the film ‘Scooby-Doo and the Curse of the 13th Ghost’.  It was already revealed that the reason Fred and Velma were absent is that they were away at camp.  But how do they explain the rest?

We’ll have to wait and see.  But the wait won’t be long, as the film will be released on DVD and Blu-Ray next week.  In preparation, check out this clip, courtesy of Collider, of the gang utilizing the suped-up red van from ‘The 13 Ghosts’ which kinda puts the Mystery Machine to shame.

In this clip, from Syfy, Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby re-team with their ’13 Ghosts’ mentor Vincent Van Ghoul, based on the legendary Vincent Price.

 

Price provided the original voice for Vincent Van Ghoul and was obviously the visual inspiration.  Unfortunately, he passed away in 1993.  Maurice LaMarche steps in and does an admirable Price impression.  LaMarche joins the usual Scooby cast, Frank Welker as Fred and Scooby, Grey Griffin as Daphne, Matthew Lillard as Shaggy and Kate Micucci as Velma.

After the Mystery Inc. gang goofed up a case and nabbed an innocent man, they’re forced into early retirement from crime solving. It’s not long however, before their old friend Vincent Van Ghoul needs help and pulls the team right back into action. The gang has unfinished business they must tend to, which involves catching a ghost that previously got away. It all happened one summer while Velma and Freddy were away at camp. Scooby-Doo, Shaggy and Daphne secretly hunted down 12 of the world’s spookiest ghosts but failed to catch the most evil one of them all…the 13th ghost.

Now the elusive spook is wreaking havoc. Vincent needs help having him captured and confined to the chest of demons, a box that contains the other 12 captured ghosts. With the 13th ghost still on the loose, the gang will have to come out of retirement and finish the job once and for all. The chest however, is now located somewhere in a remote village in the Himalayas. Determined to help Vincent, the gang sets out on one of their most thrilling adventures yet! Bundle up and get ready for the icy slopes of the Himalayan mountains, chilling car chases, crystal balls and spine-tingling spells in this terrifyingly fun original movie!

‘Scooby-Doo and the Curse of the 13th Ghost’ arrives on DVD and Blu-Ray on Tuesday, February 5, 2019.