Line #35 WesternAnimation/HappyHalloweenScoobyDoo


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/happy_halloween_scooby_doo_600x8291.jpg]]
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3	''Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!'' is a movie in the long-running ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'' [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooDirectToVideoFilmSeries direct-to-DVD movie lineup]] written and directed by Maxwell Atoms (''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy''). In this one, Mystery Incorporated must fight off Jonathan Crane a.k.a ComicBook/TheScarecrow, who has mutated pumpkins into his own savage Jack-o'-lantern army. Helping the gang are Series/BillNyeTheScienceGuy and Creator/ElviraMistressOfTheDark. Together, they must save Crystal Cove before Scarecrow's army plunges it into a never-ending nightmare.
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5	The movie was released on [[https://youtu.be/lxy0FN6nvNM October 6, 2020]].
6
7	!!Tropes associated with the movie:
8	* ActionSurvivor: Townsperson Mike and his daughter Michelle get dragged into the new mystery with the gang, as he's the only one with a car on the other side of a fissure with Shaggy and Scooby. He gets stressed out, while his daughter is mostly blissfully oblivious.
9	* AdaptationalComicRelief:
10	** [[https://youtu.be/sdgFlocdgp4 Maxwell Atoms]] said how Daphne here is like how she was in ''WesternAnimation/BeCoolScoobyDoo'', and as such, is much more of a silly goofball here.
11	** Fred is once again characterized as comic relief fixated on traps and the Mystery Machine. If anything, Velma acts more like TheLeader in this film.
12	* AdaptationalNiceGuy: [[spoiler:Scarecrow ultimately turns out to have only been in the Halloween festivities in Crystal Cove because he's a fan of Elvira, and wasn't trying to stir up trouble at all. He also repays Mystery Inc. for releasing him from his prison by helping fight the Jackal Lanterns.]]
13	* AdvertisedExtra: [[spoiler:Scarecrow doesn't actually have as much screen-time as advertised as part of a misdirect. He shows up at the beginning and doesn't show up again until Velma interrogates him about ''halfway'' into the film]].
14	* ArbitrarySkepticism: Despite living in the same universe as Scarecrow, Bill Nye mentions that Aquaman's powers wouldn't work in the real world.
15	* AvengersAssemble: "Mystery Incorporated, Incorporate!"
16	* BackseatChangingRoom: Daphne, as they flee in Elvira's car, [[InsaneTrollLogic suggests that she and Elvira swap outfits so that if the monsters go after Elvira for her celebrity status, they'll target Daphne instead]]. Elvira, oddly, buys it. In truth, it was actually Daphne pulling a non-lethal variant on KillAndReplace, and she'd done it before with Creator/PhyllisDiller.
17	* BaitAndSwitch: After Crane is initially busted, he says his drones were on a dead man's switch and will now unleash enough fear toxin to cause 76 hours of terror. The drones start exploding before they can release their payload. It's not Batman, but ''Shaggy and Scooby'' who save the day.
18	* BigBad: The Mystery Gang are fighting off Jonathan Crane this time. Yes, ''that'' [[Franchise/{{Batman}} Jonathan Crane]]. However, [[spoiler:it turns out that Crane himself is being framed, and he was only there to watch the parade and Elvira. The ''real'' BigBad is [[EvilAllAlong the Sheriff]] from the [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheCurseOfThe13thGhost previous]] [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooReturnToZombieIsland two films]], who is really Cutler Toe, a disgraced CorruptCorporateExecutive the gang had exposed in the ([[NoodleIncident unseen]]) past and came to Crystal Cove impersonating a sheriff so he could be could force Mystery Inc. out of business so he could mine for lithium without their interference and unleashed the Jackal Lanterns in a plot for revenge]].
19	* BigNo: Fred, when [[spoiler:the Mystery Machine blows up (of course)]].
20	* {{Bookends}}: [[spoiler:When Scarecrow is arrested at the opening of the movie, Mystery Incorporated say he won't be terrorizing traffic on Highway 13 any more. At the end, he attacks Cutler Toe and his "very fast sports car" on Highway 13.]]
21	* BrickJoke: After the Mystery Machine has been wrecked, Fred remarks whether they need to get dishwashing jobs to pay for repairing it. During the CreativeClosingCredits, all of Mystery Incorporated are shown to have taken a dishwashing job.
22	* BroadStrokes: RuleOfCool fully in effect here, in a drastic reversal from the previous two movies of RetCanon, this film mixes and matches Scooby history at whim. Even down to using the town name of Crystal Cove from ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated'' but also referencing ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo'' twice where their hometown was Coolsville.
23	* BullyingADragon: [[spoiler:Using one of Gotham City's most dangerous villains, the Scarecrow, as a patsy]] is definitely never a smart idea. [[spoiler:Cutler Toe]] was just [[LaserGuidedKarma asking for it]] for daring to try.
24	* CallARabbitASmeerp: Shaggy calls the living, attacking jack-o'-lanterns "Jackal Lanterns", and the term sticks.
25	* CallBack: The gang's hometown in this continuity is [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated Crystal Cove]], which was hinted at earlier in a namedrop reference in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooFrankencreepy''.
26	* CardCarryingVillain: In addition to embracing the fact that he's insane, Scarecrow has ''absolutely'' no qualms in saying that he's a supervillain. If anything, he's disappointed when Velma says he's ranked 53rd worldwide.
27	* CastingGag: In the Mexican Spanish dub, Elvira is voiced by Yolanda Vidal who voiced Daphne from 2001-2015; so Daphne and Elvira's subplot also becomes a bit of a symbolic passing the torch onto her new voice actress Sandra Olarra.
28	* ComicBookTime: With the characters still being the same age for a half-century now, the movie really gluts itself on late 2010s/2020 slang, catchphrases, and elements. When Velma is explaining the mystery at the beginning, Daphne keeps spouting phrases like “basic” and “womp womp”; air drop and mic drop are used during Bill Nye’s introduction; and Scarecrow even calls the gang the “avocado toast generation.”
29	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: Shaggy thinks the moral of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" is that you have to practically be eaten by the monster for people to believe you.
30	* CoolCar: Bill Nye gives Mystery Inc a high-tech futuristic car. It even has a bowtie!
31	* CorruptCorporateExecutive: [[spoiler:Cutler Toe is behind the Jackal Lanterns who posed as the Sheriff in the [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheCurseOfThe13thGhost previous]] [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooReturnToZombieIsland two films]] as part of a plan to force Mystery Inc. out of business so he could steal the lithium under the town without their interference and get even with the gang for ruining a past scheme of his]].
32	* CoveredInGunge: Everyone is covered in pumpkin guts by the end of the film, except (interestingly enough) Dr. Crane.
33	* CrazyPrepared: Of ''course'' Elvira has a ''cutting torch''.
34	* {{Crossover}}: This is the first direct-to-video animated film in which the gang will face off against a ''Batman'' villain by themselves without the Caped Crusader -- ComicBook/TheScarecrow.
35	* DarkIsNotEvil: Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, of course.
36	* DenserAndWackier: Given who directed it, this is a given; chases, inane jingles, offbeat gratuitous cameos, gradually fraying mental conditions, mutant armies, and more! Also, candy.
37	* DissonantSerenity: Crane is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8xcMl1Cs-c unfazed]] by the Jackal Lanterns taking buzz saws to his prison van. [[SeenItAll Been through stranger things perhaps]].
38	* EarlyBirdCameo: The gang had glimpsed The Scarecrow in Arkham Asylum back in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndBatmanTheBraveAndTheBold''.
39	* EnemyMine: [[spoiler:Scarecrow might be an unapologetic villain, but he does form a brief alliance with our heroes to take on the Alpha Pumpkin, especially since he might have already suspected Cutler Toe as the real mastermind and already has a grudge on him.]]
40	* EveryCarIsAPinto: Many vehicles explode in this movie when they crash or are hit by something, [[spoiler:even the Mystery Machine]]! PlayedForLaughs in a ''[[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Simpsons]]''-esque fashion when the clown-themed party supply truck that is under control by the Jackal Lanterns nearly crashes into a tree, but its big red clown nose gently presses against the tree, and then the truck blows up a second later.
41	* FamilyFriendlyFirearms: The Mystery Machine X sports laser weapons. They only get used once to take out a float, and they are rendered inoperable by the Alpha Pumpkin.
42	* TheFarmerAndTheViper: Velma cites the "Scorpion and Frog" variant as she prepares to free Dr. Crane, showing she's aware that it's a risky move. It is ultimately an aversion, as Crane displays NobleDemon traits and doesn't turn on Mystery Incorporated.
43	* FlatWhat: [[spoiler:How Scarecrow proves that it's ''definitely'' not him in response to learning about the Jackal Lanterns.]]
44	* {{Foil}}:
45	** Bill Nye for Jonathan Crane. Both are scientists, and both talk about logic and reason. While Nye is helpful and supportive of Mystery Inc., Crane is antagonistic and villainous. [[spoiler:At least until he distracts the Alpha Pumpkin to [[EnemyMine defeat a common enemy]].]]
46	** Velma and Crane are also foils to each other, with Crane embracing fear (to the point of trying to make it his gimmick) while Velma denies her fear in the name of "rationality".
47	* FreudianSlip & FullNameUltimatum:
48	-->'''Daphne:''' ''Frederick Herman Jones!'' Don't you torchsplain to me when I am carrying a torch for you!
49	* TheGenerationGap: Jonathan Crane snarks about the "avocado toast generation" at one point.
50	* GenreSavvy: Bill Nye points out that exposure to chemicals aren't likely to cause the sorts of extreme mutations that the Jackal Lanterns seem to be. [[spoiler:He's right.]]
51	* HalloweenEpisode: The second movie in the direct-to-video film series to take place during Halloween, following ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheGoblinKing'' twelve years prior.
52	* HannibalLecture: Scarecrow/Dr. Crane to Velma.
53	--> '''Dr. Crane''': You said that fear was an irrational reaction. You are incorrect. Fear is ancient. Primordial. Fear knows the answer before you do, Ms. Dinkley.
54	* InnocentInaccurate: Invoked by Mike, who tries to convince Michelle that none of what's happening is real to distract from the potentially traumatizing situation.
55	* InsaneTrollLogic: [[spoiler:Daphne tells Elvira that the two of them should swap clothes because Elvira being famous means that the Jackal Lanterns will try to eat her first, but if Daphne wears Elvira's clothes, Elvira can be safe. Oddly, Elvira buys it.]]
56	* KarmaHoudini: The conclusion has Scarecrow getting payback [[spoiler:on the real BigBad]] and escaping.
57	* KillAndReplace: Daphne is [[spoiler:trying to pull a non fatal version on Elvira. According to Shaggy, she's swapped places with Phyllis Diller in the past. Elvira (oddly enough) seems to approve, or is at the very least flattered]].
58	* LargeHam: Dwight Schultz was clearly enjoying his role as Scarecrow/Jonathan Crane.
59	* LiteralMetaphor: Daphne walks a mile in Elvira's shoes.
60	* LoonyFan:
61	** As it turns out [[spoiler:this was Jonathan Crane's only motivation for going to the Halloween parade. He's a big fan of Elvira, even sending her a fan letter before his strike]].
62	** [[spoiler:Daphne's attempt to subsume Elvira's life]] probably puts her in this category, as well. [[spoiler:The gang mention that she's done this before; they once solved three mysteries with Phyllis Diller before they realized she and Daphne had switched places]].
63	* LuminescentBlush: Daphne, after Elvira asks her if she's ever done circus work like getting shot out of a cannon, wrestling a bear, or breathing fire. Daphne blushes demurely and states that it wasn't officially for a circus.
64	* MadHatter [[note]] err wrong Batman villain[[/note]]: During Velma's interrogation of Scarecrow, when she denies [[spoiler:that he'd escape Arkham just to stalk a celebrity]], he counters by proclaiming that he is in fact mad, none of that [[TheyCalledMeMad "he called me a lunatic"]] stuff here
65	* MarySue: InUniverse. Elvira suggests that Daphne is one after seeing her in ActionGirl mode.
66	* MeaningfulEcho: Velma cites "Extenuating circumstances" when she goes to pay Dr. Crane a visit. He repeats it when asking her to return his gear.
67	* MutagenicGoo: The apparent source of the mutant pumpkins is a leaking tanker of toxic waste mixing with a canister of fear gas, which turns it from [[SicklyGreenGlow glowing sickly green]] to an [[TechnicolorMagic eerie purple]].
68	* MythologyGag:
69	** Daphne shouts "Jeepers, it's the creepers!", referencing a famous episode title from the ''Where Are You'' series.
70	** Like the small animals that [[RunningGag routinely]] got angry at Scooby or Shaggy and berate them back in ''Where Are You'', an angry owl pecks at Shaggy's head before flying away.
71	** The movie takes place in Crystal Cove, their hometown in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated''. It even references the crystals that become an important plot element in the lore.
72	** One man watching the Halloween parade is costumed as the [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMaskOfTheBlueFalcon Blue Falcon]].
73	** Also from ''Mystery Incorporated'': the Mayor of Crystal Cove gets EatenAlive...again.
74	** Velma tells a reporter it all got started when they met ''WesternAnimation/APupNamedScoobyDoo''.
75	*** Related to that, there's a scene of a man with red, curly hair fleeing a truck labled "Red Herring's Party Scares".
76	** Daphne's subplot where she tries emulating Elvira is similar to Daphne's subplot in ''WesternAnimation/LegoScoobyDooHauntedHollywood'' , where she tries emulating Stella Diabolique, who's an expy of Elvira, right down to also being voiced by Cassandra Peterson.
77	** A non-Scooby Doo one is that plot of the movie is eerily similar to the HalloweenSpecial ''Billy and Mandy's Jacked-Up Halloween''. Makes sense, since Maxwell Atoms is the writer.
78	** Fred mentions a previous Halloween where they spent all night chasing the ghosts of Film/TheThreeStooges. That sounds [[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMeetsTheBooBrothers very familiar]].
79	** Shaggy mentions solving cases with Creator/PhyllisDiller, which (along with the reference to the Three Stooges) is a nod to ''WesternAnimation/TheNewScoobyDooMovies''.
80	** The man who initially tows the Mystery Machine away for repairs is Buck, the tow man from ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheAlienInvaders''.
81	** When Elvira asks Daphne if she's ever done circus work before, she vaguely hints yes, likely referring to either ''WesternAnimation/BigTopScoobyDoo'' or the Ghost Clown episode from ''Where Are You''.
82	** Much of Cutler Toe is a nod to Captain Cutler in the "A Clue for Scooby-Doo" episode of ''Where Are You'', including the gang not recognizing either of them at the reveals due to both Cutlers lacking a beard at first.
83	* NeverTrustATrailer: The trailer makes it seem like Jonathan Crane, aka the Scarecrow, is the BigBad. Instead, he's being framed by another party, who's been plotting against Mystery Inc. since ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheCurseOfThe13thGhost''.
84	* NoodleIncident:
85	** Daphne's desire to trade places with celebrities led the gang to solve three mysteries with Phyllis Diller before they wised up.
86	** Elvira describes the events of this story as the ''fourth'' weirdest Halloween night she ever had.
87	** Cutler Toe was a crook exposed in a past case that Velma calls "The Mystery of the Trash Monster of Scranton" which is never fully seen except for the unmasking part.
88	* PoliceAreUseless: The gang frequently encounter a Sheriff (the same one from ''Curse of the 13th Ghost'' and ''Return To Zombie Island'') who constantly tells Mystery Inc. to [[ObstructiveBureaucrat leave things to the professionals.]] [[spoiler:Somewhat subverted later since as it turns out, he's actually a CorruptCorporateExecutive named Cutler Toe that the gang unmasked in the past and impersonated a sheriff to try to break down the gang's morale so he could mine for lithium without their interference...not that the SWAT Team guarding Crane are that much better.]]
89	* RewatchBonus: [[spoiler:Scarecrow is arrested in front of a "Red Herring's Party Scares" truck, foreshadowing that he is a red herring of the real mystery]].
90	* RoguesGalleryTransplant: The antagonist of the movie is Scarecrow, a Batman villain. While the gang had faced off against Batman villains in the past, Batman had usually been present, marking this as the first time Mystery Inc. battled an Arkham rogue on their own. [[spoiler:Subverted when he turns out to not be the main villain, and he in fact ends up an ''ally'' to Mystery Inc.]]
91	* SaveTheVillain: Velma insists on saving Dr. Crane, but she also reminds herself of the story of [[TheFarmerAndTheViper the Scorpion and the Frog]] before doing so.
92	* ScaryScarecrow: The villain of the movie is one of these. Justified, since the identity of this scarecrow is '''the''' Scarecrow, Jonathan Crane.
93	* ShoutOut: Several.
94	** Two from ''Film/{{Aliens}}''. Shaggy asks "How can they cut the power? They're vegetables!" Later, Mike says "Game over, man! Game over!"
95	** Fred does [[Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger Arnold's]] bit from ''Film/{{Predator}}''.
96	** One float is ''WesternAnimation/FrankensteinJr''.
97	** Costumes include [[WesternAnimation/TheFlintstones Fred Flintstone]], [[Film/TheWizardOfOz Dorothy and the Tin Man]], and the Scarecrow's fellow Batman rogue ComicBook/HarleyQuinn.
98	** Two of the lasers on the Mystery Machine X are clearly patterned off of those on [[Franchise/StarWars the X-Wing fighter]].
99	** In a nod to ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'', Velma requests that they go "ludicrous speed."
100	** As the pumpkins overwhelm his car, the sheriff moans, "The horror!" from ''Film/ApocalypseNow''.
101	** Mike directly namedrops ''Series/{{Westworld}}'' when trying to convince his daughter that the Jackal Lanterns are all an illusion.
102	** Velma mentions that Scarecrow's Fear Toxin is derived from a blue flower found in Nepal, just like in ''Film/BatmanBegins''.
103	** Velma interrogates Scarecrow in a glass cell in the back of the van, an homage to ''Film/SilenceOfTheLambs'', complete with Jonathan Crane being a [[PsychoPsychologist psychiatrist]] much like Hannibal Lecter.
104	** Velma describes her Mind Palace the same way as Series/{{Sherlock}}.
105	** One Jackal Lantern ends up with the heel of Elvira's shoe buried in its forehead, a reference to the Mistress of the Dark's first film.
106	** A [[Film/ReAnimator glowing green chemical]] is one the components of the mix that brings the Jackal Lanterns to life. Ironic, because at one point (though not in this film) the Scarecrow was voiced by Creator/JeffreyCombs.
107	** The Jackal Lanterns are heavily similar to the [[WesternAnimation/AttackOfTheKillerTomatoes (animated) Killer Tomatoes]].
108	** The finale of the CreativeClosingCredits has Fred yell, "She's alive! She's alive!!" like [[Film/Frankenstein1931 Dr. Frankenstein]] shouting, "It's alive!"
109	* SicklyGreenGlow: [[spoiler:Toxic waste is faked with an entire tanker full of glowstick juice.]]
110	* SoundtrackDissonance: The opening credits and climax are underscored by an upbeat pop tune, even as they deal with Scarecrow terrorizing people and the gang smashing pumpkins respectively.
111	* StuffBlowingUp: ''Lots'', to the point where it feels like an animated Creator/MichaelBay movie. It's especially prominent when the Scarecrow attacks earlier on, and this is how several of the mutant pumpkins are destroyed when their possessed vehicles are hit or crash.
112	* TagalongKid: Michelle, although her father also comes with.
113	* TwoFaced: [[spoiler:Excluding a new Mystery Machine being built during the credits, the movie ends with a hairless Elvira stating that the morals of the story are that you can get through anything with your friends and there's nothing to fear but fear itself..."and maybe this", she adds while turning her head 180 degrees to reveal a three-eyed, jagged-mouth, functional second face on the back of her bald head.]]
114	* UncertainDoom: [[spoiler:The last that is seen of Cutler Toe is him screaming as the Scarecrow comes toward him.]]
115	* UngratefulBastard: A mild instance. When Shaggy and Scooby try to [[CassandraTruth warn everyone about the Jackal Lanterns]], Velma, irritated that they're interrupting a news interview, tells them off for hiding in the Mystery Machine when Scarecrow attacked, conveniently forgetting that Shaggy and Scooby were the ones who took out the drones carrying Crane's fear toxin.
116	* VisualPun: When deciding to get away from the mutant Jack-o'-lanterns, Daphne tells Elvira to "Step on it". Cue Elvira trying to crush one of the Jack-o'-lanterns attacking her foot before doing [[PedalToTheMetalShot the more commonly-associated thing]] the phrase is known for.
117	* VillainousValor: Scarecrow does help Mystery Inc against the mutant pumpkins after Velma frees him.
118	* WeirdCrossover: Scooby-Doo is no stranger to crossovers, but name another adaptation of Scooby-Doo where they must defeat the Scarecrow (''the'' Scarecrow, from Gotham) alongside ''Series/BillNyeTheScienceGuy and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.''
119	* WhatTheHellHero: At the start of the film, Shag and Scoob declare they're not with Mystery Incorporated and lock themselves in the Mystery Machine. Daphne angrily yells, "Are you serial?!"[[note]]Not a typo; Daphne actually said "serial" instead of "serious".[[/note]]
120	* AWolfInSheepsClothing: [[spoiler:As it turns out, the sheriff seen in the previous two movies is actually Cutler Toe, a guy in charge of a technology company who wanted revenge on the gang for foiling his Trash Monster scheme and sending him to jail.]]
121	* WorthyOpponent: It's worth noting that Scarecrow compares Velma to "the one person I care about", and Velma (after his unmasking) only ever refers to him by his title of '''Dr.''' Crane.
122	* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: Velma remarks that the Jackal Lanterns might possibly be the dumbest monsters yet and is in disbelief at the possibility that they might be real.
123	* YouHaveToBelieveMe: Shaggy and Scooby witness the Jackal Lanterns mutating to life and frantically try to warn the rest of Mystery Incorporated as they're being interviewed by local news. Velma eventually gets fed up and shuts them down, saying she doesn't have to believe them because they [[WhatTheHellHero bailed out on helping capture Crane]], are covered in chewed up candy, and probably imagined it from the sugar rush.
124	* YouMeddlingKids: Dr. Crane absolutely refuses to say it, although he does say meddling "young adults".

Context WesternAnimation / HappyHalloweenScoobyDoo