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Top 10 Scooby-Doo Settings

2/7/2023

24 Comments

 
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There are so many incredible settings within Scooby-Doo! We've been doing a lot of settings polls on here recently, and I recently was thinking that it might be cool to come up with a list of my favorite settings of the entire franchise. I had never really thought deeply about what my favorite settings within Scooby-Doo are, so this was a really fun project to decide on my favoirtes. I've been doing a lot of favorite/least favorite lists lately, but for the settings, I'm not going to do a least favorite post. The reason for that being I don't really feel that I dislike any episodes based on setting alone (there's even that one Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! episode that takes place in a garbage dump that's pretty good lol). Usually, if I dislike an episode, it's because there are other elements that also were not so good, like the tone, the villain, the characterization, etc. 
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Honorable Mention: The Secret of Shark Island
This is one of the best hotel settings of the entire franchise, although we actually will have another hotel episode appear later on this list. The tone of the episode and the vibe of the hotel is super spooky, and it makes it even more foreboding that the gang is quite literally trapped on this isolated island due to flooding.
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10. Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders
Something about the setting of Roswell, New Mexico is just so peaceful to me. The gang exploring the small town feels very atmospheric and homely. The animation of this film is absolutely gorgeous and really brings you into the setting. I also love the scenes exploring Scorpion Ridge as Crystal and Amber are trying to take pictures. The fact that much of this movie takes place out in nature makes the film feel very Earthy and peaceful.
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9. A Halloween Hassle at Dracula's Castle
Like I mentioned in my favorite episodes post, I absolutely love how it feels like this episode is built around the setting by slowly taking us through the castle. This is easily my favorite castle setting in Scooby-Doo, which is a high bar because I tend to love nearly all the episodes with castle settings in general. The basement with the hidden passages and rooms that could cave in at any moment add an extra layer of creepiness to an already amazing castle.
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8. The Spooky Case of the Grand Prix Race
I don't usually particularly love racing settings, but this episode does the best job out of any episode making a very normal setting seem creepy. The race happening on a dark, foggy night creates a very unsettling tone, and the fact that the fog serves to allow the Phantom Racer to capture people without anyone seeing him makes it even more terrifying. Season 2 of The Scooby-Doo Show certainly had some dark episodes, and this is one of the two darkest settings of that season.
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7. The Loch Ness Mess
This feels like such a classic Scooby-Doo haunted house to me. Everything about this setting screams "Scooby-Doo." Uncle Nat's old house is super creepy, and while the lake isn't as creepy, I do feel that those scenes are quite atmospheric. As I believe I've mentioned before, the scene where the ghost with the lantern disappears into the night is one of the most memorable scenes of the franchise for me. While this is far from the darkest or most atmospheric episode out there, the reason this ranks so high to me is because the setting feels like it captures the essence of Scooby so well. It won't quite make this list, but shout out to "Wedding Bell Boos" for also capturing this New England atmosphere really well.
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6. Night Terrors
I was just talking about this with a few people in the comments for our poll this week, but I feel like "Night Terrors" is one of the best haunted house settings in the entire franchise. This episode transcends the traditional haunted house setting in the sense it's kind of framed as both a library and an old creepy house on a hill. However, I feel the plot helps create a super creepy setting that make this one just as much of a classic as some of the other haunted house settings. Horrifying things randomly happening throughout the episode make this setting feel absolutely nightmarish. In addition, the fact that even the gang has no idea what's going on until the last few minutes of the episode really helps build one of the most suspenseful and surreal atmospheres in the entire franchise.
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5. Vampire Bats and Scaredy Cats
We have arrived at the other hotel episode and the other Scooby-Doo Show season 2 episode I mentioned earlier! This is one of the darkest episodes in the entire franchise in my opinion. The animators did an incredible job making the hotel backgrounds have a super spooky, dark feel to them. The whole plot of the gang wandering the halls of a dark hotel at night with a vampire on the loose is super creepy. Some of the scenes in particular, like the Lisa turning into a vampire scene, and the scene where the vampire calls Lisa from a dark room in the middle of the night, do a great job of constructing the creepy aesthetic in this episode. Speaking of dark episodes, shout out to "The Harum Scarum Sanitarium," which didn't quite make the cut for this list, but is another amazingly dark episode that really pulls you in with how foreboding the tone is.
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4. Scooby-Doo Meets the Boo Brothers
​This is another one of those settings that just feels so authentically Scooby-ish. Uncle Beauregard's mansion has such a creepy atmosphere around it, and even the outside of the house when they're walking in the caves or woods feels super creepy. The old creaky floorboards and the fact that it's run down, as well as all the secret passages, really enhance the setting to me. This feels like one of the most classic Scooby-Doo haunted house settings out there, and that's a big feat given there are so many of them.
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3. Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island
What else do I need to say? It's Zombie freaking Island lol. In seriousness though, the background animation in this film is easily better than any other film or movie out there, in my opinion. Mook Animation makes everything look very realistic and mature. The creepy setting of the island has a very unsettling feel to it, and of course, the setting is greatly enhanced by how dark the film is.
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2. Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost
Although you could argue it's slow to start, I love how the audience is gradually introduced to the setting during the slower exposition at the beginning of the film. I absolutely love the peaceful, relaxing feel that the setting of Oakhaven has, and it feels like that extra time was very well spent creating an atmosphere and letting the audience really become immersed in exploring the setting with the gang.
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1. Guess Who's Knott Coming to Dinner?
It will likely come as a surprise to people that this is above Zombie Island and Witch's Ghost lol. When coming up with my list, one of the first questions I asked myself to determine my all-time favorite setting was "which setting best captures the essence of Scooby-Doo?" While the settings Zombie Island and Witch's Ghost are immaculately done and arguably have the best animation of anything in the franchise, I feel like Captain Moody's house best captures the episode of a Scooby episode. Ever since seeing this episode for the first time when I was a kid, this feels like the most classic Scooby-Doo haunted house setting I can think of. It does the same thing as "A Halloween Hassle at Dracula's Castle" and Witch's Ghost where the episode's structure slowly leads you through the setting, which allows the audience to become more immersed in the setting. I love how creepy and dark the first quarter of the episode is, with the gang being lost and stumbling upon Captain Moody's house, then becoming trapped in the basement. The second quarter of the episode focuses mainly on the main floor, where we're introduced to Homer Pipsqueak and all his disguises, and the third quarter focuses on the top floor of the house where the bedrooms are. This episode is a perfect example of how to use a 43-minute runtime well, because it uses that runtime to gradually lead the audience through the house and slowly introduces you to the atmosphere. Some of my favorite episodes and films are the ones that give the plot space to build atmosphere, and this episode does it best in my opinion.

In making this list, I found that episodes that slowly but steadily build atmosphere were among my favorites. Moreover, I also tended to gravitate towards episodes that completely immerse you in the setting, and this was an especially prevalent feeling for me when being immersed in the setting led to the episode/film feeling darker. Lastly, episodes that can only be described as feeling "authentically Scooby-ish" also tended to make this list quite a bit. I feel like "Guess Who's Knott Coming to Dinner?" is the best example of this because it perfectly represents all three of these phenomena.
24 Comments
Jayden
2/7/2023 09:04:02 am

Nice list. I really think "Which Witch is Which" should be on here. The swamp and the boat are such great settings.

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WildwindVampire link
2/7/2023 02:42:30 pm

I agree they are amazing settings! They were close to making my list, but they didn't quite make it.

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Mr Neither
2/7/2023 10:10:23 am

To be honest most of Where are you could make a top 10 on its own! Have we had a, which episode of Scooby Doo Where are You has the best setting? poll, honestly can't remember.

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WildwindVampire link
2/7/2023 02:49:33 pm

No, we haven't done a setting poll for Where Are You yet. Actually, it could be a cool idea to do a poll for all the different settings by series!

I guess that could also be difficult for those episodes that have multiple settings, but I suppose I could just have each episode as an option, which would mean you'd be voting for all the different settings that appeared in that episode.

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Mr Neither
2/9/2023 05:02:56 am

That would actually be really cool. Maybe divide into series and split those as well, so where are you season 1, where are you season 2 etc. and then do a winners poll.

WildwindVampire link
2/9/2023 02:07:10 pm

I really like that idea!

Jacob Staggs
2/7/2023 10:38:54 am

I am going to exclude Where Are You because it would easily get every spot in my top 5, top 10, or top 15 for that matter concerning setting.
My Top 5 Settings
5) Scooby Goes Hollywood
4) Horror Scope Scoob - All the locations are used exquisitely.
3) Scooby Doo Meets the Boo Brothers - Beautiful and atmospheric background paintings.
2) Maltese Mackerel - Great location with the crates, fish etc.
1) A Fit Night Out for Bats - There is something slightly unnerving about that house.

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WildwindVampire link
2/7/2023 02:44:28 pm

Glad to see Boo Brothers on your list :) And yeah, that's how I handled Where Are You too. The settings in those episodes were absolutely amazing!

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Becker
2/7/2023 10:55:38 am

High Rise Hair Raiser and Harum Scarum Sanitarium are way up there for me.

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WildwindVampire link
2/7/2023 02:45:07 pm

Harum Scarum Sanitarium was close for me too, but it didn't quite make my list. It was difficult to come up with a list, because the franchise has had so many amazing settings over the years!

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Jacob Staggs
2/7/2023 11:57:36 am

Honorable mention shoutout to Scooby Doo Project for having live action backgrounds.

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WildwindVampire link
2/7/2023 02:45:38 pm

I wouldn't say that episode is among my favorites, but the live-action backgrounds were definitely neat!

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Bigscoobydoofan
2/7/2023 03:10:04 pm

Honestly I'd want to live at Uncle Nathaniel's house like the daytime setting is just beautiful

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WildwindVampire link
2/7/2023 05:32:39 pm

Me too! The backgrounds in that episode are immaculate.

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Matt
2/7/2023 08:40:18 pm

Ok… I think I managed to narrow a list of ten episodes down myself… very difficult as I could go on and on. I literally cannot do episodes and movies together, though I guess I will do them separately

As for the episodes (and I will likely remember one or many after I finish making the list and think “Ah, that should’ve made my list!”)

10. Harum Scarum Sanitarium- Makes the list due to just how TERRIFYING it is. Think about this: would this episode be known as being as insanely creepy as it is if the setting were completely different? Sure, Dr Coffin is still creepy, but it wouldn’t even be close to the same

9. Haunted House Hang Up- It was down between this and A Night of Fright Is No Delight for a spot on this list which seem to be sibling episodes because they are always associated lol, but I actually opted for the slightly less celebrated sibling here even though it is also regarded as a true classic. I think I just like the setting better, especially the secret room in the well and through the secret door

8. Bedlam in the Bigtop- One of the most sinister settings in the franchise. You could tell, even if the Ghost Clown weren’t shown on the screen, there is something scary about this place, something evil going on, more on this later

7. Secret of Shark Island- My personal favorite hotel setting in the franchise, even if Vampire Bats I prefer as an episode. But this hotel is absolutely perfect, especially the area around the hotel, the beach, just such a good setting

6. Foul Play in Funland- Some may be surprised to see this on *my* list because this is not one of my favorite episodes of this series. Though it has moved up my rankings slightly and most of that has to do with the setting. Funland steals the show. Although I will give a quick shout out to The Haunted Carnival because some people don’t seem to like that one because it is in the daytime. However, for me, I actually quite like episodes in broad daylight as a switch up IF they are done right, and I feel that episode still made for a creepy setting

5. The Loch Ness Mess- As I’ve said before, awesome haunted house, but what I like even better is the absolutely beautiful New England scenery, and yes, I also like the setting for Wedding Bell Boos for that reason

4. A Frightened Hound Meets Demons Underground- The ultimate sleeper in this conversation as far as I’m concerned, but the settings in this episode are absolutely amazing. I use plural there because not only is the underground city as awesome as that concept is, but I also really love the vibe of like the docks and like the seaside hotel with sailor vibes and stuff. This is not one I expect to get brought up a lot because it almost feels a tad forgotten, but I feel it deserves to be here

3. High Rise Hair Raiser- My favorite episode, and my love of the setting plays a part in that. I always found the idea of a construction site of a high rise to be a fascinating setting and it pulls it off very, very well. Plus I love Ebenezer’s house as a setting, and even the lens store

2. The Backstage Rage- Everything I said about Bedlam in the Bigtop’s setting, put it here and multiply it by 10. It is so eerie, sinister, like evil is lurking. Except with this episode, it actually lets the setting do the work. With how elusive the Puppetmaster is, it truly lets just how terrifying this theater is really just sink in. Spectacular setting. Honestly in most cases should be my number one, but yet…

1. What the Hex Going On- I mean, as you said, the haunted house/mansion trope is the quintessential setting for a Scooby Doo episode, and again, seems to be an unpopular opinion, but for me, the quintessential Scooby Doo setting simply has to be the one in the theme song. It is what I think of for Scooby Doo settings

Btw, I really love the shoutout to Spooky Case of the Grand Prix Race. Obviously, it couldn’t crack my top ten, but I completely agree with your points and find it to be a fascinating pick

As for the movies, I’ll do top 5:

5. Camp Scare- UGH it sucks only putting this at 5, but I find the top 4 to be truly, truly special. But I love the settings in Camp Scare. The underwater city is awesome, Camp City is an underrated setting, the desert, both camps, just awesome stuff

4. Aloha Scooby Doo- This one absolutely sticks out to me the most for globetrotting movie settings. Because, the setting just provides a sense of peace to me. Even when there are monsters running around, I feel so peaceful watching this movie. It does a really good job in that sense, as that is how I would want to feel and have felt in Hawaii

3. Alien Invaders- Absolutely stunning. Simply stunning

2. Witch’s Ghost- On the other side of the coin from The Loch Ness Mess, there is this side of an amazing New England setting. Once again, simply breathtaking

1. Zombie Island

I also really did like the Boo Brothers setting

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Matt
2/7/2023 08:42:12 pm

Ah I have one more comment that got cut off:

Also a shout out to Cyber Chase and Night Ghoul of Wonderworld. Those settings have such an amazing potential, and usage of that potential in Cyber Chase’s case, for an absolutely amazing variety of settings, but I chose to leave them off as I prefer the more authentic settings

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WildwindVampire link
2/8/2023 12:21:10 pm

You’ve got a really solid list there, and you have quite a few similarities to mine! Here’s the rest of my top 5 list for movies and a top 10 for episodes too:

Movies:

5. Ghoul School
There’s so many movies I would have liked to put here, but something about Grimwood’s is so atmospheric and makes me very nostalgic about my childhood, so this is my #5.

Episodes:

8. The Harum Scarum Sanitarium
Completely agreed with you, the terrifying atmosphere makes this episode amazingly dark. The setting is the star of this episode.

9. Haunted House Hang-Up
I also love how creepy this haunted house is; arguably one of the best in the franchise.

10. Theater of Doom
Probably a very unpopular answer, but this one has always stood out to me as an SDMI episode. I love how the entire episode takes place on this little stage. It’s executed so well and I feel it greatly enhances the plot to have such a focused setting. I also like the “backstage” area being underground as well.

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Matt
2/9/2023 01:45:00 pm

Theater of Doom is an interesting shoutout, I kinda get it though

Another list that would be fascinating instead of a “worst settings” list would be if the partner list here was a list of underrated settings that don’t get talked about enough for how good they are, even if they aren’t necessarily the absolute greatest

WildwindVampire link
2/9/2023 02:06:26 pm

That would be a cool list! I'll have to think of what settings I'd put for that, but I like that idea!

The cop
2/9/2023 11:15:51 am

Velma looks to be getting a second season because the entertainment registry list season 2 as in production and will consist of 11 episodes

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WildwindVampire link
2/9/2023 02:05:54 pm

I noticed that too, I'll be interested to see if we get a second season or not. It's kind of hard to imagine because of all the backlash it's gotten, but I'm not really sure.

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ScoobyVerse
2/21/2023 08:19:16 am

Saw the other post, didn’t see this one. But the other one didn’t feel appropriate to post my top 10 favorites compared to this one.

I live on a beach so I’m pretty biased to some of my picks

Mentions that didn’t quite make it, but I love their settings She Sees Sea Monsters By The Sea Shore, Camp Comeoniwannascareya, Scooby-Doo, Where’s The Crew, The Spirits of 76, Scooby-Doo! and the Ghoul School, Scooby’s Night With A Frozen Fright, and Mystery in Persia

10. Scooby-Doo! and the Beach Beastie
The condo/resort setting is something I’m very familiar with, it makes me feel at home. The painting on these backgrounds is so beautiful. I did an art project in High School about this beach setting

9. If You Can’t Scooby-Doo The Time, Don’t Scooby-Doo The Crime. It takes what I loved about The San Franpsycho Alcatraz setting but makes it the entire episode. It feels very eerie, I’ve explored haunted jails and prisons, it makes your claustrophobia go up and some scenes really capture that.

8. The Phantom of the Country Music Hall
I’m not entirely sure why I like this setting, I think it’s one of the better painted backgrounds of the entire franchise. It felt like a haunted house but it was at a place that was more common that that so made it go further into that satisfactory

7. Into The Mouth of Madcap
What can I say, I’m in love with boardwalks. It makes me feel at home. The pier being littered with rot is one of the funniest/true things depending to which one you go to. The house of mirrors was so cool, and before I fully watched the show I remember watching the Funhouse scene being amazed.

6. Which Witch Is Which
A surprising one, but I love the showboat location. The bushes surrounding it give so many places to hide so it feels it can be anywhere. The witch’s shack was one of the only few places that I was actually scared of as a kid.

5. Foul Play in Funland
Again, boardwalk. But I like this one better because it relies a lot more on the lights than Into The Mouth of Madcap, and if you were to walk or pass by an actual boardwalk it’s like Christmas everyday with all the blinking lights

4. Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon
I love the way they got the comic convention to look. If I’ve been to some, and they are nowhere as fun and cool as what was showcased in Mask of the Blue Falcon. The screening location at the pool was so cool, I loved the lighting. The maintenance tunnels as well were so creepy

3. The Secret of Shark Island
Love the feeling of this mansion on the water, the landslide is a very funny part as well. The exceptions that Sonny and Cher had going to this beach house and have the exact opposite with Shark infested waters was pretty funny. I liked the Winery in A Night of Fright is No Delight. Happy it was a main setting here as well.

2. Some Fred Time
Daphne’s beach house was absolutely stunning, it was beautiful. The rules was pretty funny though. The beach itself was so cool and I loved the shacks along the sand

1. The Creepy Heap From The Deep
It brings all the scary, everyday haunted house, underwater scenery I love, the electronically type house with the elevator Scooby and Shaggy take. The fog on the beach was one of the coolest things I’ve seen. I loved the lighthouse and the lighthouse keeper. One of my favorite episodes of all time, so that helps.

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WildwindVampire link
2/21/2023 02:10:04 pm

That's cool you live on a beach! I couldn't agree more with your #1-3. Captain Clemens was such a creepy villain and I completely agree that his home on the cliff feels like a haunted house. It definitely has a terrifying feel to it since it's isolated from everything else. I love that showboat and the witch's house in "Which Witch Is Which?" too, and that boardwalk setting from "Into the Mouth of Madcap" is so sinister feeling, especially during those scenes where Madcap is watching from the shadows.

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ScoobyVerse
2/21/2023 04:22:02 pm

Haha, yes I meant house for Creepy Heap. I’m not sure why I said lighthouse, I was watching Fright House of a Lighthouse when writing this.




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