'Scooby Doo Where are You' was the first Scooby Doo incarnation, and to me it's still the best. "What the Hex is Going On?" is an improvement over "Decoy for a Dognapper", which was good and entertaining but lacked atmosphere and had a contender for the most forgettable main villain of the series, and is almost as good as the first three episodes.
My complaints actually are only two. One is the true identity of the perpetrator (the Ghost however is pretty cool), while his scheming is clever and solved by the gang through ingenious use of clues and the identity is not as obvious as 49er, the Ape Man and especially the Witch Doctor it is incredibly predictable who it is and like the other examples it is a case of that it only could have been one person. It was a huge shock to the rest of the supporting characters, but not a shock to the audience or the gang.
The other problem if not quite as much is that the Ghost of Elias Kingston does, agreed, get outwitted far too easily.
However, the animation is lively, atmospheric, lushly coloured and nicely drawn as always, with a genuinely spooky setting (one of the spookiest actually of the whole show). The music adds to the impact the atmosphere creates, although the incredibly eerie Ghost of Captain Cutler theme in "A Clue for Scooby Doo" has the most effective use of music "What the Hex is Going On?" is not too far behind. And it is very difficult to resist the classic theme song that is one of the most iconic in animation.
"What the Hex is Going On" is genuinely creepy, atmospherically it is one of the creepiest of the series. Not just the setting, but in particular the opening scene with one of the characters in a trance hands outstretched being enticed by the eerily booming voice that is almost as nightmare-inducing as Ghost of Captain Cutler's roar, Spooky Space Kook's laugh or 49er's moan. This said, it also has some of the show's smartest writing while maintaining the endearing goofiness, with some hilarious dialogue with Scooby and Shaggy, and some of the funniest moments like Shaggy stumbling into the bath-tub/shower and Scooby as the fortune teller.
The mystery still engrosses and very well-paced. There are some nice clues that carry the story nicely without being convoluted or simplistic and a case that's easy to follow and comprehend. It's formulaic, but not in a way that's overly predictable, which is true of Scooby Doo at its best or when it's still solid. Again the dark and creepy atmosphere helps enormously, as well as the humour, how well established the lead characters are and Shaggy and Scooby's charming, affecting and amusing friendship. Nothing to complain about with the voice acting, who can go wrong with Don Messick's Scooby and Casey Kasem's Shaggy (both definitive).
Overall, despite some obviousness and predictability the creepiness and smart fun more than compensates. 9/10 Bethany Cox
My complaints actually are only two. One is the true identity of the perpetrator (the Ghost however is pretty cool), while his scheming is clever and solved by the gang through ingenious use of clues and the identity is not as obvious as 49er, the Ape Man and especially the Witch Doctor it is incredibly predictable who it is and like the other examples it is a case of that it only could have been one person. It was a huge shock to the rest of the supporting characters, but not a shock to the audience or the gang.
The other problem if not quite as much is that the Ghost of Elias Kingston does, agreed, get outwitted far too easily.
However, the animation is lively, atmospheric, lushly coloured and nicely drawn as always, with a genuinely spooky setting (one of the spookiest actually of the whole show). The music adds to the impact the atmosphere creates, although the incredibly eerie Ghost of Captain Cutler theme in "A Clue for Scooby Doo" has the most effective use of music "What the Hex is Going On?" is not too far behind. And it is very difficult to resist the classic theme song that is one of the most iconic in animation.
"What the Hex is Going On" is genuinely creepy, atmospherically it is one of the creepiest of the series. Not just the setting, but in particular the opening scene with one of the characters in a trance hands outstretched being enticed by the eerily booming voice that is almost as nightmare-inducing as Ghost of Captain Cutler's roar, Spooky Space Kook's laugh or 49er's moan. This said, it also has some of the show's smartest writing while maintaining the endearing goofiness, with some hilarious dialogue with Scooby and Shaggy, and some of the funniest moments like Shaggy stumbling into the bath-tub/shower and Scooby as the fortune teller.
The mystery still engrosses and very well-paced. There are some nice clues that carry the story nicely without being convoluted or simplistic and a case that's easy to follow and comprehend. It's formulaic, but not in a way that's overly predictable, which is true of Scooby Doo at its best or when it's still solid. Again the dark and creepy atmosphere helps enormously, as well as the humour, how well established the lead characters are and Shaggy and Scooby's charming, affecting and amusing friendship. Nothing to complain about with the voice acting, who can go wrong with Don Messick's Scooby and Casey Kasem's Shaggy (both definitive).
Overall, despite some obviousness and predictability the creepiness and smart fun more than compensates. 9/10 Bethany Cox