Vampire Bats and Scaredy Cats

The Scooby Doo franchise proved that it could balance spooky mystery and vampire lore very well more than once. "Vampire Bats and Scaredy Cats" is one of the finest examples of this. Will admit to finding Scooby Dum on the annoying side in my primary school years going into secondary school, especially the laugh and his found a clue motif, but actually on the most part really liked the episodes he featured in. "Vampire Bats and Scaredy Cats" was always my personal favourite of the four.

It still is through young adult eyes. Actually love "Vampire Bats and Scaredy Cats" even more now and have noticed and appreciated things not as obvious as a child. The vampire was always one of the scarier villains of 'The Scooby Doo Show', but what has really stood out over the years is how shocking the vampire's plan and the perpetrator was for reasons that will be elaborated upon later on. Also have found surprisingly that Scooby Dum has grown on me over-time, even if he will never be one of my favourite Scooby Doo characters. Not the worst though, of all the regular/recurring characters in all the Scooby Doo shows Flim Flam from 'The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo' (which to me is actually not that bad) will always hold that title.

"Vampire Bats and Scaredy Cats" looks pretty good. Nice atmosphere in the colours and the backgrounding is meticulously done. The vampire is both very cool and creepy and the use of shadow is effective. The music has a nice nostalgic style that is true to the style of 'Scooby Doo Where Are You' while having enough of its own flavour. The theme song is one of the best of the franchise as well as one of the catchiest. The writing is both fun and intriguing, Shaggy's response to the vampire's "I want blood" did amuse me although one can totally relate to his terror at that moment. In fact all the best lines belong to Shaggy.

Loved the story too. It has energy and doesn't feel padded or rushed, and doesn't feel simplistic or convoluted. What stands out though is its atmosphere. There are some genuinely creepy moments, such as the vampire looming over a sleeping Daphne and the vampire is a very memorable villain. In terms of the villain's plan and the perpetrator, "Vampire Bats and Scaredy Cats" does stand out, as there are not many episodes of any Scooby Doo show to have a plan this dark, something not as obvious as a child. The perpetrator is one of the show's, and perhaps franchise's, most despicable which is equally shocking, the actual identity may not be as big a shock but their true colours and the lengths they went through definitely are.

All the gang are true to character and don't disappoint. Shaggy and Scooby are still delightful as always, and regardless of whether one thinks Scooby Dum is necessary to the plot or not he has grown on me. He is amusing and is not a detriment in solving the case. The voice acting is solid, John Stephenson as the vampire making an even bigger impression than the definitive voices for Shaggy and Scooby courtesy of Casey Kasem and Don Messick.

Brilliant episode on the whole, was willing to forgive the inconsistency of whether the Scoobies are cousins or brothers. 10/10

I remember this episode scaring the mess out of me as a kid!

This show is from a CD-Video that i collected in cereals boxes dated from the first movie release. In fact, I got all the 4 different boxes but I am pretty sure that I didn't eat all the cereals!

If the X-files were the mystery show of my College years, Scooby was the one from my school years. It was broadcast every Wednesday afternoon on the first channel. But I don't recall to have been a great fan then: my preference went to Goldorak! By then, I remember it was a cool mix between horror and fun and that the stories kept repeating: a mystery, some monsters, then clues and the solving and arrest of mere crooks

Then, I discovered it again while a trainee in Belgium in 2002! This time, the shows were seen every morning and I realized that it was really crazy: a lot of great laughs made me become a Scooby addict! In 2003, after I visited the Warner bros park in Madrid, I came back with a real size soft toy Scooby! I saw the first movie at its release!

One of my dreams would to see all the classic cartoons but they aren't released in France in DVD! That's why I bought cereals box! If the other shows are 1.11:"A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts", 1-13: "Which Witch is Which?", 1-17: "That's Snow Ghost"), I choose 2-2: "Vampire Bats and Scaredy Cats" because it was the best: all the things that makes Scooby, maybe the best cartoon ever, are there: the 70 colorful fashion, the classic cast (plus Scrappy!) and art

Scooby is really a deep character because he is easily afraid but terribly bold, dumb but brilliant and I just like the running sequences and all the crazy gags! Have you got that with Disney or Looney tunes? I don't think so.