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by Moviefan
Trotting Through Life A Dash of Awesome: Daring Done?
November 2, 2020 in Blogs
It’s been a while since we’ve picked up a Dash of Awesome. The last time, I looked at a Dash episode was in July before the old site got shut down. Thankfully, those reviews have been saved, unlike some other retrospectives that I plant to continue with this year. Anyhow, the plan right now is to use the first couple of days of November to finish out this retrospective, and then I am taking a nice long break from character retrospectives for a while as these are always a lot of work. Today, we are starting with a season seven episode, Daring Done?
by Moviefan
A Scooby Halloween: Scooby-Doo! and The Witch’s Ghost
October 31, 2020 in Blogs
In 1998, a brand new Scooby-Doo movie was released that really changed the game as it advertised that this time the monsters were real. That film of course being…
Zombie Island balanced the horror aspect that comes with a zombie movie while also keeping the classic tone of Scooby-Doo!. One year, a follow-up film that was released that switched from zombies to witches. Now Scooby has encountered witches before plenty of times but in most cases, those are people in a mask. Not to say that they haven’t encountered real witches before but this film places a greater emphasis on the witches as we have a small little town in Massachusetts much like Salem.
I tried to look up if the town featured Oakhaven was a real place in MA but it turns out the most I could find was a campground titled Oak Haven. in Wales Massachusetts. So yeah, it doesn’t seem like that place actually exists. Still an interesting idea. And the town does invoke feelings of Salem.
This movie much the one before it and the one after it take advantage of the state that the story is set in to give it a feel that is appropriate to it. The Louisana setting of Zombie Island helped with the tension and fear that would come with a zombie story. Whereas the Massachusetts setting of this movie gives it an autumn atmosphere that feels right for the season of the witch.
Ooh but not exactly that. Side question how have the Scooby Gang and the Archie Gang never had a crossover? Ah well, moving past that, let’s get into the plot.
The Plot
The film opens with the gang solving the latest mystery when they meet horror author, Ben Ravencroft. Velma is a big fan of his work. This is something that I like about these movies is that while this is a Scooby-Doo movie, it allows the rest of Mystery Inc. to shine in the first being Daphne and here, it’s Velma. Ravencroft invites the gang to come with him to his hometown. Though it’s a bit of an icy reception.
When they arrive, they find the town converted into a tourist attraction by Mayor Corey, complete with 17th-century replicas and attractions based on the alleged ghost of Sarah Ravencroft, an ancestor of Ben’s who was persecuted as a witch and executed by the Puritan townspeople in 1657. Ben disputes this, claiming Sarah to be a Wiccan who used herbs to heal people and reveals for years he has been searching for Sarah’s medical journal to prove her innocence.
Yeah, just so you know Ravencroft is voiced by Tim Curry. So you can decide whether or not he’s trustworthy with what he’s saying. So yeah, there’s that. After some time, Scoob and Shaggy are chased by a witch that the town had been using to promote and practically everyone in the town is in on.
This is also where they meet The Hex Girls who have become icons in the Scooby franchise and have appeared in every incarnation of Scooby going forward.
And it’s not hard to see why as these three are just great. Apparently, the town found inspiration in digging up Sarah’s grave. Okay, that seems rather disrespectful to her memory along with how the town used her but whatever. Scooby finds a buckle and it is a clue into how this movie is about to take a turn. Taking the buckle to the location of where it was found, they find a spellbook, and yeah this is where it’s found that Sarah was indeed a witch and Sarah Ravencroft held her power over the town. You know I’m of two minds on this in an odd way.
This twist does work for the movie and does help to set up the supernatural element that so many of the best Scooby movies have. Yet at the same time, the people that were accused of being witches were most of the time innocent. That is something that this movie plays with as Ben while lying tells that Sarah was innocent and was judged unfairly. Though with the reveal, we learn that no she wasn’t innocent and was truly evil. This reminds me of a line from an episode of the 90s Sabrina sitcom that has stuck with me.
The Salem witch trials had nothing to do with real witches
That line works me in one major way by having that line spoken by a witch character, it allows the audience to separate what happened to women accused of being witches in history while at the same time making it okay with evil witches. And there are plenty of those to go around. I do think that is where this film fumbles a bit even with how much I like it because so much of Sarah’s story is built so much on the audience believing that she was wrongly accused.
So yeah, Ben decides to release Sarah and that goes as well as you might think.
Ben decides to use his newfound powers to raise chaos as the gang tries to escape in the Mystery Machine but the girl can’t make it as Ben uses his powers to render the tires useless. Oh and after a while, Ben comes to find out that Sarah has no loyalty and turns on him the first chance that she gets. And Ben tries to stop her but well…
Disillusioned, Ben attempts to reimprison Sarah, but she tells him that only a Wiccan can defeat her, and imprisons Ben in a magical sphere. The gang launches an attempt to get the book while Sarah turns pumpkins and trees into monsters and alters the size of a turkey in order to stop them. Daphne and Velma free the Hex Girls and the latter convince Thorn to use her inherited Wiccan power to read the spell to reimprison Sarah.
This works and Sarah is defeated and Ben is imprisoned in the book and a branch that had caught fire falls on it and burns the book. So, the day is saved. I really enjoy this movie and think it’s one of the best Scooby movies.
Characters
Not gonna over all the characters we’d be here all day if I did that. Instead, let’s look at the important ones.
I do apologize for not bringing Velma up more after saying that she was the main character. I stand by that statement as it really felt as though at certain points, the movie was being shown from her perspective. Especially in how she felt towards Ben Ravencroft, it felt a bit like a crush and as though Ben liked her back. And that is seen how his betrayal hurt her the most. While Velma is the logical one of the group, good Scooby movies still remember that she’s a human and not a robot that doesn’t feel anything.
Supporting Characters
Scooby and Shaggy voiced by Scott Innes
Scooby and Shaggy are Scooby and Shaggy. In that, they are there for comedic relief and not much else. They aren’t bad characters and they are my favorites of Mystery Inc because I’d be the same as them but I believe that having them be comedic relief does truly work to contrast with the scarier moments.
Fred and Daphne voiced by Frank Welker & Mary Kay Bergman
These two are just cute together and always have been. I enjoy their interactions in the movie as they have some rather sweet moments and continues the trend with Zombie Island of subtly hinting at a relationship.
The Hex Girls voiced by Jennifer Hale, Jane Weidlin, and Kimberly Brooks
Fans have glommed onto Thorn, Luna, and Dusk. They just embody coolness and it comes through with their songs. They are just great and have that feeling of yeah, that’s what cool is while also appearing to be approachable at the same time. As I said, there’s a reason they’ve been used so much in other Scooby shows and movies. They are a winning formula of awesomeness.
Villians
Ben Ravencroft voiced by Tim Curry
It’s Tim Curry as a villain. That should tell you what to expect and boy does it work. He really sells this role and puts a lot of gravitas into keeping the facade of actually wanting to clear Sarah’s name but no he’s just interested in power. Hey, you do you.
Sarah Ravencroft voiced by Tres MacNeille
Sarah is also rather creepy with how powerful she is and that she is also very sadistic and seems to take pleasure in other’s discomfort. Knowing all of this, it’s no surprise that she turned on her descendant as it seemed like something she would’ve done to anyone.
My Final Thoughts
This film is great and is one of the best Scooby movies out there. It’s my favorite Scooby movie and not just because of the aspect of the witches but also because of how it uses their stories to tell a fascinating story. Even if I did point out some discomfort that I had with the latest viewing but that’s minor in the grand scheme of things. This is easily one of my favorite Scooby movies because it’s fun and I appreciate the story being told as, like its predecessor, it can go beyond silly hijinks and a guy in a mask and tell something of a bigger story.
Happy Halloween!
by Moviefan
A Look at Disney’s TV Movie Halloween: Zombies
October 28, 2020 in A Look at Disney, Blogs
Is that a bad thing to bring up and teach children about? No, but also while Zootopia was able to get away with using animals as stand-ins for racial minorities, it felt earned and showed how it could be handled. That is just one thing and fantasy/horror movies have often looked at race and used fantastic creatures as racial stand-ins. Consider for a moment this article about the Netflix movie Bright from 2017.
Many stories have tried using genre to articulate the struggles faced by Othered groups—most fail, often by inflating its subject’s Otherness to the point of inanity. Bright is no exception, although there’s something especially sinister about its framing. The film asks us to believe that orcs—the largest and strongest of its mythical “races”—are the Other.
What this author writes of Bright and how it depicts Orcs as being othered is the same issue with this movie. Zombies (movie) expects its audience to buy into a world where zombies are discriminated against on the basis of them being zombies. If anyone knows anything about zombie fiction, you’d understand why that is a hard pill to swallow. They’re zombies. Maybe this idea could’ve worked if they used a different fantastical creature but even then it didn’t put in a lot of effort.
Further adding onto this issue is that this movie doesn’t seem to know how to handle its discrimination/racism allegory and ends on such a soft note that I’m gonna spoil right here that basically tells any young POC child watching this, it’s better to stay in your place and not upset the status quo and let a White ally lead the charge against things that affect you because you don’t need to stoop down to the level of the White bullies. For a more articulate take, watch Diva of Musical Hell’s video on this.
by Moviefan
Trotting Towards Nightmare Night: Siege of the Crystal Empire (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #34 – # 37)
October 27, 2020 in Blogs
by Moviefan
A Scooby Halloween: Don’t Be A Stranger (Scooby-Doo Team-Up # 13
October 22, 2020 in Blogs
by Moviefan
A Look at Disney’s TV Movie Halloween: Invisible Sister
October 21, 2020 in A Look at Disney, Blogs
Ten-year-old Frank and his family have moved nine times in eleven years, and Frank has had it. No more new schools or new friends. This time Frank’s going to make his sister love the place so much she never wants to leave. Because, you see, when your sister is invisible, she can do pretty much whatever she likes.
by Moviefan
A Look at Disney’s TV Movie Halloween: Girl Vs. Monster
October 20, 2020 in A Look at Disney, Blogs
What happens when the fearless face their fears? That is the question posited by the DCOM, Girl Vs. Monster. In many regards, looking at the poster it brings to mind another teenage girl that fought monsters.
by Moviefan
The Horrors of Riverdale: Afterlife with Archie
October 19, 2020 in Blogs
Is the zombie apocalypse an allegory for our current civilization? Is it a reflection of our fears about a breakdown in societal norms?
make your peace, say your goodbyes and remember that sometimes dead is better
It’s a morbid thought to be sure considering that it is often hard to say goodbye to those that we cherish and love. And that is the case with Jughead and Hot Dog but while that line on the surface is just a reference, it speaks to something bigger in how we have to be willing to let go and say goodbye. This is something that Sabrina has a hard time with as she look on Jughead and wonders if she did the right thing and how she’d react if it were Salem that were run over. In other words, Sabrina wants to do the right thing but it’s going to end up having dire consequences. Sabrina goes to Jughead’s at night and says that she can help him bring Hot God back to life. Yeah, her aunts don’t take too kindly to this as they banish her for a year for going behind their backs for doing this.
Yikes, yeah that’s creepy but it serves a purpose and sets off the events of the story. Jughead’s dog is back but he’s not the same and well yeah. Meanwhile, we get the typical Betty and Veronica drama with Archie that one would expect in a classic Archie comic. However putting it in this setting gives it a darker tinge and with the zombie acoplayse about to start, also shows how unimportant it is in the grand scheme of things. Later, we find out that Reggie ran over Hot Dog and this again ties into how the comic plays with the idea of how would the Archie gang react in a horror story. Taking this further, we see what happens Hot Dog has gotten to Jughead and becomes the first human zombie in Riverdale. People think it’s a costume at first as they are at a Halloween party at Riverdale High but it’s soon revealed to not be the case
I swear on some reptilian level, that thing that once was Jughead Jones recognized me…and remembered we hated each other
This idea is horrifying and what is even scarier is how Veronica wants to pretend this isn’t happening by holding a pool party even Midge and Moose had been turned and are about ready to attack until Hiram stops them. At least he’s an understandable jerk unlike on the Riverdale show where he’s just a straight-up villain. The idea of overcoming who these people once were is felt even more as Archie has to attack his dad as his father had been turned and he is dealing with the remorse of having to kill his father but as Betty points out.
No—No Archie, that thing wasn’t your father…that was something else
This ties into one of the hardest things to remember but to borrow from my paper and a zombie story I used for that called Dead Like Me.
, “Don’t Remember. Don’t Remember your name. Only the Living have names.
I feel as though this comic makes it explicitly hard to follow this rule as we are dealing with established comic characters that people love. Yes, other comics have done such as Marvel Zombies but I believe the point still stands in how tragic it must be in seeing these characters that people know and love being turned.
… we see it burning to embers as a manifestation of the innocence that is being stripped away from Archie in this comic. He’s no longer worrying about how to fix his jalopy or deal with having dates with Betty and Veronica scheduled for the same night. Now he’s worried only about keeping his loved ones alive
Dammit Mr. Lodge, but I don’t want to die here… I don’t want your daughter to die here
.. the researchers note, cities would give way to the hoard the quickest. (As they can and have in the face of other infectious diseases.) But it took the zombies weeks to, for example, penetrate the less populated areas of upstate New York.
Lodge Manor is running low on supplies and Archie and Smithers, the Lodges’ butler realizes that it’s only a matter of time before things get direr. Leaving isn’t just the best option, it’s the only option.
Characters
I’m not only going to look at characters in the traditional sense of how I’d do it because I don’t think it makes sense but rather talk about how the characters feel real and you can relate to them on a level that you might not have thought of. This isn’t just some silly comic that is a zombie story featuring Archie characters but rather it actually asks how would these characters react if zombies came to Riverdale and it is made believable and that makes it so much more terrifying.
My Final Thoughts
I still think Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is the better book but this one is also really good and being the one that started it all shows that this idea could work and why people love Archie Horror as much as they do. It’s not just a joke but rather something that treats both Archie and the horror stories with equal respect and puts them together in a combination that goes so well it’s like peanut butter and chocolate. It cannot be overstated enough how good this book is and why I think Archie Horror as a whole is really great.
by Moviefan
Halloween Special Review: Tricked (The Loud House Halloween Special)
October 16, 2020 in Uncategorized
by Moviefan
A Scooby Halloween: The Headless Horseman of Halloween
October 15, 2020 in Blogs
by Moviefan
A Look at Disney’s TV Movie Halloween: Twitches/Twitches Too
October 14, 2020 in A Look at Disney, Blogs
Urban fantasy describes a subgenre of fantasy in which the real world collides with the decidedly supernatural or magical world. Sounds simple, right?
by Moviefan
A Look at Disney’s TV Movie Halloween: The Scream Team
October 13, 2020 in A Look at Disney, Blogs
