Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost is a 1999 mystery-comedy film part of the Scooby-Doo franchise. The film was directed by Jim Stenstrum and is a direct-to-video feature starring Scooby-Doo and the rest of the crew: Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma as they again try to tackle a mystery.
In the film, the Mystery Inc. members travel to Oakhaven, a town in New England, to see a celebrity horror writer, Ben Ravencroft. Ben requests that the gang come to him for a festival held in honor of his late ancestor’s legacy of a notorious witch, Sarah Ravencroft, who was executed a few centuries ago. But upon arriving at the town, even before the festival, there are several weather disturbances including a rumor of Sarah’s ghost causing chaos at the place.
As with all the scooby-doo episodes, the supernatural happenings are investigated by Scooby and the gang. They, however, soon realize that all is not as it appears to be. With the unravelling of the mystery, it becomes apparent that someone is attempting to historical use Sarah Ravencroft for nefarious reasons and the gang must solve the mystery before all hell breaks loose in the town.
With Shaggy and Scooby participating in witch worshiping, it is quite difficult to overcome the growing impression that Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost has to be the darkest of all Scooby-Doo films so far. In addition, it involves more mystery and chanting than in its other series. This is displayed even more robustly in the main plot where the ghosts are not just uncanny costumes but highly-advanced schemes to intimidate people.
We see Tim Curry’s voice as Ben Ravencroft and his performance is most perfect for this character. Only one more humorous song is there in the movie, but it is not for any style, but simply for the atmosphere of a witch’s pursuit or rather “The Witch’s ghost” but for a more ‘powerful’ catch.
What stands out in this film is that there is an emotional connection for the audience. One of the many reasons Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost remains one of the best fan favorites in the Scooby-Doo franchise is its easy yet charming narrative that lets it hold the attention of its viewers along with appealing characters.