Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: May 28, 2024
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Charles A. Nichols, Ray PattersonRelease Date(s)
1988 (February 20, 2024)Studio(s)
Hanna-Barbera (Warner Archive Collection)- Film/Program Grade: B-
- Video Grade: B+
- Audio Grade: B+
- Extras Grade: F
Review
During the 1980s, Hanna-Barbera was in full swing with any number of TV shows, including their previous hits which were in constant rotation in re-runs. However, a return to the classic characters of old in some new adventures was definitely needed, and from 1987 to 1988, they produced ten syndicated made-for-TV feature films starring many of their most popular stars, including Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Huckleberry Hound, Top Cat, and many others. This series eventually became known collectively as Hanna-Barbera’s Superstars 10, and 36 years later, the folks at the Warner Archive Collection have released all of the films on Blu-ray for the first time.
Premiering on October 16, 1988, Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School sees the return of Shaggy, Scooby, and Scrappy, this time making their way to “Miss Grimwood’s Finishing School for Ghouls” where Shaggy has been hired as the new gym teacher. The students include Sibella, daughter of Dracula; Elsa, daughter of Frankenteen, Sr; Winnie, daughter of the Wolfman; Phanty, daughter of the ghostly phantom; and Tanis, the daughter of the Mummy—along with their small, fire-breathing pet dragon Matches. After taking on the Calloway Military Academy for boys in a big volleyball match, they must outwit the sinister Revolta whom, along with her tentacled-henchman the Grim Creeper, scheme to magically transform them all into evil monsters.
Ghoul School takes Scooby-Doo and the gang in a different direction by not having a mystery plot, unlike their previous film Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers, and instead offering a very thin kidnapping plot with a side of monsters. As one might expect, it’s a series of Shaggy and Scooby-Doo getting scared and running away, or being horrified by the food that the young monster ladies of the school eat—that is until scenes need them to not do so. The school lads next door repeat constant military jargon among each other, and seem to have a semi-grudge against the titular ghoul school, but it never really goes anywhere. Miss Grimwood and Colonel Callaway are little more than decoration as the story takes place without them the majority of the running time, and like many of these Superstars 10 films, it ends with a big dance and celebration, complete with a rap by Scrappy-Doo. In truth, Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School is not one of the better entries in this series, but it’s still charming enough to get by with a steady stream of monsters, gobs of ghoulish puns, and scads of Scooby-Doo style antics. It’s far from “Fangtastic,” but it’s fun.
Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School was animated and finished on 35 mm film at the aspect ratio of 1.33:1. Warner Archive brings the film to Blu-ray on a BD-50 disc, maintaining its original television aspect ratio. The film takes place mostly at night, but it still manages to offer some variance in its environments, offering excellent color and contrast with deep blacks. Bitrates sit between 30 and 40Mbps with solid linework and cel dirt. The only noticeable flaws are inherent in the original animation. Otherwise, it all appears clean and organic with a nice grain structure.
Audio is presented in English 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio with optional subtitles in English SDH. There are no issues to be found here as dialogue, score, and sound effects are all well-balanced, and the overall track is clean with no overriding problems to speak of.
No extras have been included with this single-disc release of Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School, but for people of a certain age who saw these films when they originally aired on TV, or rented them on VHS through Worldvision Enterprises, seeing them in such high quality is a real treat. Thankfully, Warner Archive realized that not everybody may like every film in this series, and they’ve given them the opportunity to purchase them individually, or pick them all up in the Hanna-Barbera Superstars 10 Blu-ray boxed set; which, if you’re planning on getting all of them, is the better bargain. Regardless, it’s great to see these films finally make it past the DVD format.
- Tim Salmons
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