Scooby-Doo! and Halloween are a natural match and so having an episode taking place at a Halloween party itself is a great idea. Setting this party in a big mansion is also perfect as this not only is a huge environment for the story and a place where gag ideas flow freely, but there is also something inherently creepy about a mansion. The scenes outside the mansion are also perfectly designed for spooky fun with the excellent use of fog and the emptiness of the outside contrasted with the crowded party inside step up the spookiness perfectly. The Headless Horseman is one of the series' most memorable villains. With a great design a creepy voice and a threatening presence this baddie stays in one's mind the same way that the Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? villains do. This to me should be as iconic of a Scooby villain as any of those from the first series are.
This may be strange to state but honestly if we are to judge by the comedy alone, I think The Scooby-Doo! Show is funnier than Scooby-Doo! Where Are You? Only The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo! and A Pup Named Scooby-Doo! compete with this series in terms of how funny it is. This episode has quite a few good laughs. Shaggy is at his best here and him showing the Headless Horseman how his head is made from bad material is one of his funniest moments. Scooby-Dum is my favorite of Scooby's family members and this episode shows why. His naiveté mixed with his eagerness to please make for a lot of funny moments. This episode has an espically good moment, when Scooby-Dum sees his brother and Shaggy faint and even though Scooby-Dum isn't scared, he decides if his companions are fainting he probably should too. Scooby-Dum is the simply dumb comedy character he could have been and instead of coming from stupidity comes from the fact that he is as eager so eager to help and his eagerness makes him act before he thinks about or understands the situation. He like Gracie Allen simply understands things he hears in a way that is completely different from how anyone else would and what he does always makes perfect sense in his own warped logic. This is funnier and more enduring than a character who is simply stupid.
This episode is Scooby-Doo and the Mystery Inc. game at their best and perfect to watch on Halloween night. -Michael J. Ruhland
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