Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School

Scooby Doo and the Ghoul School officially aired in 1988. Followed by Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf. The former animated TV movie centers on the titular character, Shaggy and my all-time favorite cartoon character, Scrappy (don’t judge me) are hired as gym teachers at an all-girls school. The students there are the daughters of Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy & The Wolf Man. Meanwhile, a witch named, Revolta plans on kidnapping the girls and wants them as her slaves and become the most powerful monster on the planet.

Speaking of which monsters, there are two upcoming live-action iterations of Frankenstein & The Wolf Man. Mark your calendars.

• Christian Bale will portray the mad scientist’s monster in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Bride!” It’ll be released on September 26, 2025.
• Christopher Abbott will play The Wolf Man after Ryan Gosling dropped out. Slated release date, January 17, 2025.

Now that it’s Halloween Month 2024, I’m gonna watch and review some spooky stuff. Which ones should I review next? Please leave a comment. First time I’ve heard about Scooby and the Ghoul School” was on Cartoon Network’s former block, Cartoon Theater. It used to play animated movies. I had fond memories watching them as a kid. I miss my childhood.

This review contains no SPOILERS. Unlike countless Scooby-Doo episodes, this one’s unique.

Lifted & Cursed Aspects

Lifted: Don Messick & Casey Kasem both did a decent job for their respective voiceover performances.

Funny Moments that made me laugh. Scrappy’s performing a rap got me cracking up. He raps better than Scuttle in that unnecessary live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid.”

Say what you will about Scrappy, he’s not obnoxious. He’s a brave dog who doesn’t run away from danger. He actually saved Scooby and Shaggy a couple times. Heck, Scrappy didn’t get scared when he met the monster girls. Warner Bros. & James Gunn did Scrappy dirty in the 2002 live-action movie.

Pacing wasn’t dull for a 92-minute animated TV movie.

The monster girls have unique personalities. Sibella’s my favorite. She’s a precursor to Mavis from “Hotel Transylvania.” It’s a darn shame she and her gal pals never got their own spin-off franchise. We got too many direct-to-DVD Scooby-Doo movies. Try something different for a change.

Sibella’s appearance is similar to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

When Scrappy discovers a batch full of tomatoes. He calls ’em rotten tomatoes. I would assume the review website, Rotten Tomatoes was named after a punchline.

Is it me or does Elsa Frankenstein’s voice sounds like Lee Kanker off of “Edd, Edd, n’ Eddy?”

A disembodied hand reminds me of Thing from “The Addams Family.” The titular family appeared in a crossover episode of “The New Scooby-Doo Movies.”

Scott Menville (Robin from OG Teen Titans) has an early role as one of the cadets.

This won’t be the last time Shaggy met Dracula. They later compete in “Wacky Racers” type race in Scooby-Doo and the Reluctant Werewolf.

Revolta’s a really good villain. Not another perp in a costume. She’s an early version of Lord Voldemort.

Matches the Little Dragon may or may not been inspired by Kitty Pryde’s pet dragon, Lockheed from X-Men. The purple dragon made his debut in 1983. Five years before Matches was introduced.

Unlike numerous episodes from various iterations of Scooby-Doo, it doesn’t follow the show’s formulaic process. A suspect isn’t just a guy in a costume. A breath a fresh of fresh air.

An original monster called, Mirror Monster mimics an individual’s appearance minus a creepy face, red and green eyes, sharp teeth and pointy ears. It’s not a shapeshifter like Mystique from X-Men.

Cursed: Most of the dialogue contains corny puns.

The all-boys school cadets from Grimwood Academy are somewhat forgettable. Perhaps, they were included to promote a spin-off.

The Final Verdict: B, FOR BEAUTIFUL!

Despite two flaws, Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School is a breath of fresh air that doesn’t recycle the same Scooby-Doo episode over and over again. It’s still one of my favorite Scooby-Doo movies besides Zombie Island. If you have kids, introduce them to the Ghoul School. I really want a Scrappy-Doo spin-off. Please WB, produce a TV series or movie with my all-time favorite cartoon character.