Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare

I've just watched every one of these direct to DVD Scooby movies in a row--partly out of nostalgia for the original series (which I'm willing to bet, now that I'm an adult, I'll probably think is unbearably cheesy once I watch the "Scooby Doo, Where Are You" DVD sets I just ordered) and partly because I found two of the most recent reboot series, "What's New Scooby Doo" and "Scooby Doo Mystery Inc." to be really quite good. Unfortunately, the direct to DVD movies have been a mixed bag, and for me the problem is Shaggy and to a lesser extent, Scooby. First, the constant "hungry/scared" shtick just isn't funny, especially since it's repeated *endlessly*. (How many times now have we seen the joke where Scooby and Shaggy eat hot peppers and smoke comes out of their ears? Geez, give it a rest, it wasn't even funny the first time.) But the main problem is that Shaggy's cowardice has been focused on to such an outlandish extent that it has damaged the character. In "Monster of Mexico", after Daphne is captured, Shaggy tries to simply take off and leave her there, and it takes Fred giving him a stern lecture to make him actually join in the search for her. In "Abracadabra Doo", when Velma's sister is captured, and Shaggy can actually hear her screaming in her cell, he asks Scooby if maybe it will be okay to just sort of let her wait there until the rest of the gang comes to help because "she'll probably be okay until then, right?" (Even Scooby was disappointed in Shaggy at that moment.)It seems to me that most of the writers of these movies are doing characters by numbers, assigning each of them one or two primary traits and leaving it at that, so for Shaggy we get "hungry/scared" with no thought given as to how this makes the character look. There is nothing entertaining about a coward who can't stick by his friends when they need him. Maybe four year olds won't mind or care, but these movies are also being written with teens and young adults in mind, and they do care. I have no problem with Shaggy freaking out at the sight of a monster--who wouldn't? And besides, he strikes me as a pretty hyper guy (when he isn't being super-mellow, probably due to certain smoking habits.) But there is a difference between screaming at the site of a giant gryphon, and deciding, rationally and in premeditated fashion, that it might be morally acceptable to abandon your friends. I simply can't get behind that sort of character and whenever *that* Shaggy rears his head that ruins a movie for me.Well thankfully, Camp Scare finally gets the Shaggy (and Scooby) formula right. First: the movie didn't focus on them to the detriment of Fred and Daphne and Velma. Second, although Shaggy and Scooby were hungry and they weren't enthusiastic about hunting monsters, they never once ran out on their friends and when the chips were down they did their best to help. That's all I ask--they can be freaked out by the bad guys, they can grit their teeth through the monster hunting, they can bemoan whatever capricious fate constantly places them in the path of these creepy creatures, but for God's sake, don't turn Shaggy and Scooby into selfish cowardly a-holes. (Who ever thought a cowardly dog would be a good idea anyway? When I think of dogs I think of loyalty, steadfastness and bravery. Not cowardice.)Camp Scare also gave us a nice little mystery, some great character stuff between the members of the gang, interesting supporting characters, great animation, a wonderful widescreen presentation on blu-ray, some real chills, and even the first episode of Mystery Inc. as a bonus. (Also, for all you pervs, Daphne in a bikini.) Really, what more can you ask for? Here's hoping this revised take on Shaggy and Scooby will stick and become the norm for all future movies, because although their typical antics might be entertaining for the really little kids, they alternately bore and annoy the hell out of me.As far as the direct to DVD movies go, I would rate them thusly:1. Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost (great mystery you don't see coming, and I like the Hex girls music)2. Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare (Yay! Shaggy isn't a selfish obnoxious a-hole who constantly screws things up!)3. Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy! (Creepy bad guys, lots of funny character bits, and Fred proves he can be entertaining when the focus is on him, also I really like the "What's New Scooby Doo" style of animation--Velma is cuter, Fred finally loses the ridiculous ascot)4. Aloha, Scooby-Doo! (More nicely creepy bad guys and I enjoyed Daphne getting the focus for a change, and again, I really prefer the "What's New Scooby Doo" style of animation)5. Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase (An interesting romp--I liked each of the gang teaming up with their digital counterpart)6. Scooby-Doo! and the Legend of the Vampire (The whole gang gets good stuff to do here, the music by the Hex Girls and Velma at the end is great. The mystery was a bit too convoluted for its own good, but I can overlook that. It really had the feel of a classic episode.)7. Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island (lots to like especially the creepy zombies but I can't quite give it a full recommendation because most of the movie seems to be Shaggy and Scooby getting into trouble by being their usual jackass selves. Also I don't prefer the "adult" looking animation for the gang.)Those seven I can recommend as entertaining experiences. The rest I really can't:8. Scooby-Doo! and the Loch Ness Monster (Just kind of bored me. The supporting characters never held my interest and I thought the practical joker brothers were stupid. Also, the gang being chased by the Loch Ness monster---it just doesn't feel like a Scooby monster. Not creepy enough, not gothic enough. Too sci-fi.)9, Chill Out, Scooby-Doo! (would have rated this higher except that I found the villain's motivations ridiculous and nonsensical; it was as if the writers decided to just make the villain the least likely candidate possible.)10. Scooby-Doo! in Where's My Mummy? (I'm sort of still trying to figure this one out. I still don't understand why Velma has to keep the rest of the gang in the dark, other than for the convenience of the writers. Too many Cleopatras. And I really detested the Lara Croft lady and wished she had gotten a more fitting comeuppance.)11. Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo (Shaggy exhibits cowardice that goes beyond entertaining and just becomes sad. The supporting characters didn't thrill me at all--didn't warm up to any of them, although the groundskeeper guy seemed pretty old School Scooby. Velma's sister completely bored me and I much prefer the goth chick from Camp Scare as a Velma protégé.)12. Scooby Doo and the Samurai Sword (The movie sets up Daphne as a great martial artist--which I vastly prefer to "clumsy Daphne"--and instead of giving her the sword, the writers decide to give Shaggy and Scooby the sword to fight the evil samurai with. The story bored me, though I liked the old martial arts teacher character.)13. Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders (Boring story, cool aliens. The mystery was interesting enough but I just didn't care about the supporting characters and when the supporting characters don't work the mystery just collapses. Though I did enjoy the waitress who hits on Fred. Way too much Shaggy/Scooby 60's flower power stuff that just put me to sleep.14. Scooby-Doo! and the Goblin King (This entire movie is basically just Shaggy and Scooby going from one nonsensical set piece to the next with no rhyme or reason--truly a story written only with the four year old set in mind. Look! They're flying! Look! Now they're talking to the annoying pumpkin voiced by Jay Leno! The rest of the gang is completely shunted off to the side. And the worst part is, Shaggy and Scooby set all these evil events in motion when they took it upon themselves to completely ruin the magician's act in front of a live audience, just because the guy got snippy at them when Scooby doused him with water. Shaggy at his most a-holeish.)15. Scooby-Doo! and the Monster of Mexico (The worst in my opinion; not only does Shaggy commit the unforgiveable sin of simply trying to walk away when Daphne has been captured--and Scooby tries to walk with him--but it seemed like there was a solid twenty minutes near the end where everyone is just being chased around by mechanical monsters that was just so mind-numbingly boring I literally fell asleep. And the worst part was that the villain at the end was a guy we hadn't even really met.)

Cute

These new Scooby Doo cartoons have been hit and miss with me, but this one is a hit. Usually I can figure them out fairly quickly but this one did have me guessing who one of the villians were up to the end (but it also had that guy who you know is obviously in on the mystery). Really good story line and a bit more mature, something that a family could enjoy together. This is classic Scooby Doo and one of my favorite feature length Scooby cartoons so far.Let me set the record straight, because I have seen a lot of reviews saying this has a lot more sexual action in it than other Doos. From some of them, I was expecting some raunchy stuff! I believe there is a lot on TV kids have no business seeing today but parents, don't worry. There is nothing remotely offensive about this movie. Once the camera pans from feet up on Daphne, Velma, and a female camp councilor while they are in their swim wear but I mean come on...this is no worse than other things that has happened in other Scooby movies. Totally nothing to get worked up about, not revealing at all. Once again, this is a slightly more mature Scooby so...lets act mature people. The only thing I caught was in the beginning Fred mentions him and a friend trying to row up Smits creek without a paddle. A witty pun that only older audiences could appreciate. Other than that, this movie is totally clean so don't worry.The monsters are pretty freaky. Fishman, the Woodsman, and the Spectre are quite scary but not to the point where I would worry about letting young kids watch it. Maybe the Spectre because of its zombie looks but it is a page right out of Scooby Doo on Zombie Island so if they have seen that movie, they will be fine. But they do put the gang in some situations that made even me concerned. They did very well with adding suspense with this one! More believable and intense than some villians have been so there is that fun element of surprise and shock.So, great storyline with a twisting plot, all the characters are together, good writing, perfect setting for Scooby Doo. Its well worth a buy. Great movie for the family :)

The story and plot worked well. However, I cannot understand how WARNER, who put this out, could provide such substandard CLOSED-CAPTIONING. They have a reputation for providing great closed-captioning for a lot of Scooby- Doo movies. The captioning on "Camp Scare" was bad because it was white and not letter-boxed, for easy reading. The white letters got washed out when the background changed. Letter-box captioning keeps the viewer in the ACTION. Please don't mess up any other Scooby-Doo features with white closed-captioning; it may seem insignificant, but it really makes a difference in keeping the viewer in the action!

Not as scary as it could have been given the context as an homage to 80s slashers, but had an interesting and non-transparent mystery and about the best humor you can get from scooby style slapstick.

This is definitely my favorite Scooby Doo movie. While shorter than most movies, this movie always makes me laugh as a grown adult and it's decent compared to a lot of the comedy trash out there.

I’m subtracting a star because I feel that this movie should be PG, not G. There are very clear representations of fighting over a boy and objectification of young women. Little kids love Scooby Doo and shouldn’t be overwhelmed with development beyond necessary when it comes to romantic relationships.

I do have one concern though, think about younger people like 7 or 8, i am just worried about younger kids, like my little sister, for example we go to the same school together, and people are mean sometimes and ... look I am just worried about what she hears and sees sometimes, but i love this movie and, great job to the editor and the crew and staff, it seems like and those people don't get credit at all!? sorry, i had a lot of stuff to say, warmest regards, dragon queen. p.s. i am a BIG fan XD

As a lover of vintage Scooby, I was quite hesitant to watch this film, as while I find Scooby Timeless, I've found Scoob's 80's to late 00's to be rather dated. Glad I checked this flick out! Full of action and spunk, this is a great movie for any Scooby fan.

This is one of my favorite Scooby doo movies, I bought this to replace the one I lost. DVD arrived in great shape, and earlier than expected! I was very happy with my purchase and the seller. :)

Great part of the Scooby collection

Great story line. Was actually scary in some parts.

Got it for my nephew