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If Scooby is canonically an alien possessing a dog, I think it's not a logical leap to assume the laugh track is a group disembodied ghosts who follow the gang around and really like puns. In this essay I will-
Scooby isnt an alien possessing a dog, he's a dog who is a *descendant* of alien-gods (the alien-gods possessed animals, but then had offspring with actual animals, so there's no possession going on with Scooby or other descendants of them). Scoob is a demigod
Like, so many other characters who are behind the monster will go out of there way to be like, "yeah! the monster is real! it's not me, but it's definitely real and scary!" But these two just act as if nothing is wrong and that's so much creepier!
This is actually why the episode is so scary. If it was the first episode, it wouldn't be as scary as it is, but as the 8th episode, the formula is set. Breaking the formula, places the viewer, not just the characters, in a liminal space.
It’s not that scary, but Backstage Rage will always be one of the best reveals only because they go to check on the puppeteer, and they shake him, and get all spooked with Fred saying “he’s a puppet too.” Like can you imagine you meeting someone, and it turns out that a unknown entity was controlling a human sized puppet all that time!?! (yes I know he was the phantom, but still) To this day every time i see it I get goosebumps from that part. Also the Elias Kingston thing I think was more psychological since he “aged” Uncle Stuart.
I think the backstage rage is the scariest episode. The puppet master is legitimately creepy, and the way he messed with the gang with puppets is very unsettling.
honestly, and the way he genuinely tried to hurt the gang was also unsettling. along with the fact it went into more complicated life issues for a kids show- (counterfeits)
For a minute i thought you were going to say the true way to determine the scariest episode objectively was to measure how much Shaggy and Scooby had to be bribed with Scooby Snacks during the episode
I never really found Charlie that scary. I mean yeah, he CAN kill you but there's a few human villains that try to legitimately murder the gang, like the Snow Ghost when he almost sawed Velma in half & the Ghost Clown who tried to kill the gang by hypnotizing them then having them perform deadly stunts.
@@jongon0848 okay, but I am talking about when I was five. Or are you trying to convince me you had big balls when you were five? because that is gross.
The noises that Charlie made only added to it as well at least for me. Just the fact that he could harm somebody and the creepy noises he would probably make doing so just gives me the shivers
I think I remember being unnerved by Charlie. Every other monster was human under the costume, but Charlie was inhuman, and it showed: he didn't act like someone trying to be scary, and that ironically made him scarier. This was a really fun video!
I always thought the miner 49er was just funny because it’s literally just Hank with a hat and a beard. Personally I always thought The Backstage Rage was the scariest. The Puppetmaster was so scary to the gang that even Velma says “I don’t like looking for clues anymore” and the gang tries to leave the mystery early, but is forced to solve it after being locked inside the theatre. The image of the doorman being a puppet was pretty shocking to me as a kid. and the atmosphere and constant lurking of the Puppetmaster too as he just hunches in corners watching the gang and dropping sandbags and set pieces seriously trying to hurt them is always creepy.
Same. The Doorman being a puppet, lurking by the door when Scooby & Shaggy were trying on costumes disappearing by the piano, his cackle, and that “You know my secret….Now you shall NEVER GOO!!” was nightmare fuel for me !!
@@NerdSyncProductions I won't deny that the original show is a genuine treat. Heck, the only episode I liked from Mystery Incorporated was "Nightfright", because it's the only episode that felt more like Scooby-Doo in my eyes.
The scariest part in Scooby Doo for me was in the creeper episode, they go and see the hermit who yells “come back!” over and over again. That gave me nightmares.
"Coin, coin" will forever haunt my childhood that mummy was geniunly terrifying to me as a child I couldn't re watch that episode for the absoloute longest time because of how terrifying the mummy saying "coin" was to me. And I grew up with horror being my favourite genre and yet nothing had scarred me as much as that mummy
OH MY GOD SOMEONE ELSE SAYS IT THANK YOU! As a kid I could never watch this episode after seeing it once, even going as far as sitting outside the room as my friends watched it once, I love horror too but that mummy saying “coiiin” will forever haunt me more than any horror movie
When I was a small child in the 70’s, the episode “What the Hex is Going on?” genuinely scared me so bad. Not the ghost of Elias Kingston… but the uncle who gets older and older until the gang finds a skeleton wearing his clothes. Runner up was the episode “Vampire Bats and Scaredy Cats” when the phone rings and turns the girl into a vampire terrified me.
Dear God, how is it you and i share the exact same nightmare episodes. Those 2 you listed caused me to be afraid to go to sleep, gramp the vamp for his terrifying laugh and the body horror of the old man.
Oh, God, exactly--when I was four years old that one terrified me. I'd try to watch it, but generally that "Someone's in the shadows!" jumpscare right at the beginning when we first see Old Uncle Stuart would have me running to change the channel, and if I sucked it up past that the flashback scene when he's telling the story of how the ghost made him old (which also features the ghost's only actually scary pose in the episode) would finish me off. The funny thing is, those two episodes you cite share a theme--the corruption of an allegedly friendly character into something they're not, through the power of the external villain.
"What're you talking about?" "There's no one there." "You're seeing things." "Go home." That was probably my favorite part of the whole video. You make such a good point. That's where shit goes off the scale.
Horror movie idea, you have a setting where a person is essentially in a slightly alternate version of reality where the only change is there's this entity that follows you and no matter what you do, no matter who you tell, no matter what proof you try and get. Everyone will dismiss it regardless of anything that happens, they will come up with a thousand explanations around it and will never react to your problems. The fear of isolation
@@slavishentity6705 also I thought if that after watching a parody where a guy kept telling people "it's just the wind it's just the wind" and then he was stabbed to death and in his final breath he said" it's...just....the wind".
For me, the scariest episode was "A Clue For Scooby-Doo", the Captain Cutler episode. The atmosphere surrounding him was genuinely creepy. There was even a scene where Fred, Daphne, and Velma find a corpse in a diving suit (!), who is just sitting at a desk underwater, which is itself creepy just by thinking about how it came to be in that position. And then the ghost locks them inside of it! So, now they're trapped in a locked room with a corpse, underwater, with a finite supply of air. Yeesh. At the least, I think it's the best mystery in the original show. Who could have seen that twist toward the end, when they realize who the true culprit was the entire time? Perhaps you could do a second video like this, to determine which mystery in Scooby-Doo was the most, er, mysterious. I don't know about using "jump scares" as a criteria. I think things like atmosphere or the crimes the villains commit should be considered more important. Fore example, Charlie doesn't intentionally set out to harm anyone, whereas the ghost clown hypnotized Shaggy into getting inside a cage with an actual lion.
I realized halfway through this video I was subconsciously comparing all the points he brought up to this episode. Not only were there the underwater scenes, but the visits to Ebinezer Shark and Cutler’s widow are so spooky. Couldn’t agree with you more.
You also get shaggy with yellow hair when he sits on a rock in that episode. As well as the craziest mystery the gang has ever had which is how scooby drank all the drinks without a straw in them.
Good point plus something I just noticed bugs me; it could be a plot hole but could be relevant. Look at the diving suit in mr shark’s location it’s only on screen for a bit. Wait until the skeleton corpse underwater scene. Look familiar? It looks familiar enough it could be the same one. That could be an oversight or it could be a connection between shark and this random completely unexplored or unmentioned skeleton that should absolutely be reported to police post haste if not even more pressing than the ghost that locked them in.
my childhood self feels SO incredibly vindicated by Charlie winning because that epsiode 100% scared me the most. The Space Kook is a favourite but his laugh is too hilarious for me to find him scary, and I misremembered Miner 49'er as Miner 69'er and that robbed him of all spookiness in my eyes lol
Same. Arguably it's not the scariest episode but when I was a little kid Charlie stuck out to me the most. I think it was because of how fast and powerful he was. I just remembered watching him zooming around and busting through walls like it was nothing. The thought of a seemingly unbeatable robot freaked me out. That can be a scary concept. I mean look at the T1000 from the Terminator series or even those robots from I, Robot.
*CORRECTIONS* I realized while editing that I got some of the episode numbers wrong. I was going off how they are listed on the Boomerang website, but that isn’t the order they are listed in on Wikipedia. For some reason, a couple of episodes are mixed up, and I don’t know why. Either way, I hope it’s easy to figure out which episodes I’m talking about as I typically say the name of the episode and/or show clips from them. No idea why no source seems to be consistent. Also, that's Snow Ghost actually does have a fun jump scare. I didn't catch it when I was first watching through the show, but it's one of the better ones, tbh. So I feel bad about not including it in the finalists, but it still wouldn't have beaten out the actual winner.
A clue for Scooby Doo was the first one made, but the second one to air so I considered it the second one and What a night for a knight to be the first and it is similar situation for the other episodes. There is order released and order made and Warner Bros tends to list them in either order depending on release.
Okay but legit the Nepal man's story of the Snow Ghost from back in Nepal pursuing him twice was actually kind of scary when I watched it as a kid. It added more backstory to the monster than most got in their episodes making it feel like an actual menace spanning back many years.
"A Night of Fright is no Delight " was the scariest episode for me when I was a child. The design of the ghost was scary, with the red eyes and rattling chains. But, the fact there was two of them and their laugh was the most terrifying sounds I ever heard as a kid. I literally had nightmares from these guys but I would still watch the episode because I love Scooby-Doo. And that scene when the walls were closing on the gang like a Saw trap, always gave me goosebumps.
It's one of my favorite Scooby Doo episodes to date! It holds up so well and has a murder mystery vibe (reminds me a lot of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie), the scene where they find coffins in the shapes of the relatives was genuinely unsettling, and the ghost was scary in both visual and sound effects
that was another one that scared me too. not to mention, the eerie music in the beginning and the fact that they’re going to some strange, remote island on a dark and stormy night. creeps’ appearance and foreshadowing with “if any” and his cackling afterwards, the random spooky organ music, and the cousins supposedly “dead” and in coffins in the basement
Yes!!! Their design, the way they moved, and the sound of their laughs always perturbed me. They’ll always be the creepiest OG Scooby Doo ghosts to me.
I fully agree! I think NerdSync did this one dirty by not counting the 'jump scare' of the POV shot of the Green Ghost in the wine cellar with its laugh going berserk. That still kinda freaks me out
I'm just gonna say right now that the scariest episode to me was *The Backstage Rage* cause oh my god life size puppets that you can't tell are real or not...... I think that your charts are fair with ranking, but as far as quality over quantity goes the life sized puppets unsettle you so much because they are so close to being human that they are indistinguishable until you look closer. In psychology this is naturally unsettling to human brains because we can't put our finger on WHY they are creepy. They just are. The episode is just 🤌 chef's kiss. It also would outrank the Funland Robot episode because the robot isn't actually coming for them. It is just staring. It poses no threat to the gang, but in the puppet theatre episode they are actively targeted by an unknown force with sandbags and other things, plus the idea that they are being watched by something at all times is terrifying.
I think A Night of Fright is No Delight would be my choice. The setting of that episode...They're staying the night at a secluded manor that they've never been to before and not one, but two giggling, green phantom shadow ghosts are haunting the place. It was spooktacular.
The puppet master and ghost clown always scared me the most, but this is a very solid choice. I also think that mystery itself and the implications of the mystery could have worked as some sort of category to analyze, but still great video.
Implications huh…ghost clown hands and feet and paws down. Seriously hypnosis is a dangerous thing without context on what it’s been used for and or time jumps.
This is Snow Ghost erasure! One of the best jump scares in the entire series happens just 3 minutes into that episode. Made 3 year old me scared of windows for a while. Otherwise, fantastic Scoob analysis!
I honestly also thought the Space Kook was going to be it, on just the laugh alone lol, but I can't argue with the facts, episode 8 is pretty unsettling when you think about it. Great video as always Scott, you always have a great mix of funny, and learning that I appreciate. 🙂
You know, I gotta say, while I completely agree with the conclusion of choice here, Space Kook will always be somewhere in the top of my list of freakiest episodes, but it holds a special place in my heart because of a story of a friend of mine. When we were kids, he said that one night, he fell asleep in his room with his TV on, which sits across the end of his bed. So, lights off, only TV on. He woke up late at night with one of the Space Kook laughing moments, almost "standing" in front of his bed. Probably the spookiest way to experience one of the monsters with such an iconic laugh. My friend's story is still hilarious to me to this day.
So, fun fact: I VIVIDLY remember the Charlie the Robot episode being the first episode I ever saw of the original Scooby Doo show, and I was pretty young, too. I was very easily scared at that age, but that episode didn’t really scare me so much as it deeply unsettled me, for all the reasons you listed. Charlie is a very unsettling character.
As a millennial who grew up without a TV, I find these episodes so fascinating to watch. They're like a glimpse into all the random bits of pop culture that I missed.
I said this on your last vid, but I will say this again. Your editing, personality, and script are so amazing you make me stay through the whole video even though I've never watched any scooby-doo show. You do make me really interested in watching though...maybe I'll start with "Don't Fool with the Phantom", he looks like a marshmellow man.
A few people at work are actually big Scooby-Doo fans and I was talking to one of them and he mentioned that he watched a youtube video about the scaerest episode and as he was talking about it I realized that he was talking about this video. So Scott you work is bringing people closer together.
Charlie always scared me. His scariest appearance is in the intro when Scooby bumps into him. The shading on that still image is just….terrifying. Not to mention how often the gang describes him as...humanlike...Ik the show is animated so correct anatomy, especially with faces, is probably nonexistant, but just how lifelike does Charlie actually look? and then mix that question with...those eyes...those glowing...unnatural...hollow eyes
The music always scared me when I was little. Especially when the horns got really loud before it would fade to black. Still loved watching this show at night tho (just seemed wrong to watch it during the day)
As someone born in 2000 who was obsessed with Freddy Krueger before I was 6, the horror elements of this show are part of why its one of the best animated franchises of all time.
My grandparents worked for a local video rental store back in the 90s and when the owner passed away he didn't have any family to leave his business to, the video store went under even he died but he left all of the inventory to my grandparents so they took every thing back to their house. There were probably close to a thousand VHS tapes in their possession and among those were VHS copies of every single episode of the original Scooby-Doo series, I watched every episode so many times that at one point I was able to quote every episode verbatim
I always loved the Miner 49ers theme, it was a softer version of “Oh my Darling” but it fit so well and is what I remember the most about that episode. And Charlie deserves more credit as a classic Scooby monster, he’s a great robot and he is naturally able to have superhuman abilities as a robot
Where Are You is (probably mostly because of nostalgia) my favorite Scooby-Doo series, and I agree wholeheartedly with Scott's conclusion as to the scariest episode. Genuinely very spooky and unsettling. And what a fun process to get to that conclusion!
Just finished the video. The points you give in this video's great. Charlie's very disturbing because it's a monster, that isn't technically monster, (good break from the monster= guy in a mask) when something unnatural is made to act natural can be really scary. Great video as always Scott.
As a kid I loved ancient Egypt, so it’s funny that the scariest episode of Scooby Doo Where are you for me was Scooby Doo and a Mummy too. I could never pin down why exactly it was so terrifying for me, but I think it was definitely the mummy’s moans and noises, creeps the crap outta me to this day
What’s interesting is that our top 3 scariest episodes, Backstage Rage Spooky Space Kook Foul Play in Funland ,all have a villain that plays very well on one of the oldest primordial fears of man: The fear of the Unknown. In this case, unknown origins and unknown motives. Phantom Puppet Master: Origins: there is no indication as to what he is or where he comes from. The doorman doesn’t give us any backstories about “The Phantom of the Theatre” or something like that, he doesn’t even indicate that something is amiss. All he gives is a confused look as the gang walks out abruptly. There’s not even indication to the gang that there even IS a phantom. Through dramatic irony, only we the audience see that there is a mysterious figure causing things to happen. It’s only after they notice odd things and catch some glimpses of him that they realize. Motives: Sure he’s running a counterfeit operation but it’s only made clear he’s the one doing it at the third act of the episode. During the second act we see him trying to scare the gang, playing an organ, and bringing Vikings and Pirates down from the sky, not much to indicate that HE is counterfeiting money. Then there’s the moment when the doorman slumps over revealing its a life size puppet. As a kid watching for the first time, I thought the phantom actually TURNED THE DOORMAN INTO A PUPPET. My mind began racing trying to explain it. Does he have magic powers? Does he turn his victims into puppets!? Are Scooby and the gang his Next Puppets!?!? The unknown factor terrified me. Space Kook: Origins: All we get is one farmer saying, “there’s a ghost spaceship and a ghost spaceman out there and I don’t know what it is or where it comes from.” There’s no legends or stories about this Kook to explain it existing. Motives: Again…nothing, we don’t know why it’s here, what it wants, or what will happen to you if he catches you. We get a moment where multiple doors open revealing multiple Space Kooks and we still don’t know why there’s an army of them. Our minds start to wander, Invasion? Extermination? Subjugation of the Human Race? We just don’t know. Charlie the Robot: Origins: No legends, no stories, no indicators, he just looks like a masked man in a work suit. We’re not even sure he is a robot at first and Shaggy even describes him looking like “A man from Mars” at one point. We the audience might think he looks like a robot…well okay but what kind? Terrestrial? Extraterrestrial? Something Else? There’s no way of knowing until the end of the episode. Motives: it depends on his programming and how it was affected when he was sabotaged, which we Don’t Know. The first time the gang encounter Charlie in the hall of mirrors while the park is running properly, he just stands there looking at Shaggy and Scooby. What’s he analyzing? What’s he calculating? What’s he processing? He could be thinking who these guests are or he could be thinking these are intruders that need to be captured. Later when the park goes crazy, Charlie goes crazy with it. Now we definitely don’t know what’s going to happen to the gang if he catches them. We see him tear up a stuffed wolf thinking it’s Scooby and walk through a brick wall like it was paper, for all we know he could smash their skulls, crush their necks, throw them off the peer, there’s no telling. While villains like The Creeper, Mr. Hyde, Ape Man, Captain Cutler, Miner 49er, and The Mummy are given clear origins and motives up front, these 3 are left up in the air for the audience to keep guessing until the end.
Man, I loved this show so much when I was a kid. Revisiting in this video made me realize how truly spooky it was. Excellent breakdown, and I agree completely; Charlie's inability to be stopped combine with his dead-eyed stare and uncanny valley smile to create a formidable opponent that will kill you in complete silence, perhaps the spookiest thing of all
The one that creeped me out as a kid the most was probably the backstage rage. I think it was probably the man that turned into a puppet/always was a puppet because of the fact that it was a guy the gang talked to suddenly becoming inanimate. To child me this guy essentially just died!
Scott, buddy, you rule. However, your obsession with Scooby-Doo is messing with my CZcams suggestions. You've sent me down a rabbit hole that not even the Mystery Gang can save me from.
As a kid, I was a massive scaredy cat who was unfortunately in love with all things spooky. Scooby-Doo was just the perfect balance of the spooky aesthetic paired with goofiness and light-hearted humor for me to enjoy it comfortably. Years later, horror is one of my favorite genres. Evil Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Saw, Halloween, The Thing, these are some of my favorite movies ever. And I can draw a straight line from them to my introduction to Scooby-Doo.
Personally, I never really found Charlie that scary. I mean yeah, he CAN kill you but there's a few human villains that try to legitimately murder the gang, like the Snow Ghost when he almost sawed Velma in half & the Ghost Clown who tried to kill the gang by hypnotizing them then having them perform deadly stunts. I found the scarier episodes to be ones where the gang had their personal privacy invaded. Like Nowhere to Hyde was scarier to me because the dude literally hides in their van and that was just a terrifying idea.
@JonGon Productions The thing that makes Charlie scary is what makes the Terminator scary. He can’t be bought, bribed, reasoned with or tricked, He will just continue with his broken programming till he is destroyed or breaks down. Maybe THIS is what inspired James Cameraman. Huh.
For me the scariest episode was definitely backstage rage. The eerieniss of the theater and the music as well as the scene with the man as the phantom standing by the door way looking at Scooby will forever be the scariest scene in Scooby Doo history imo. Even the beginning with the puppet was just eerie as hell as a kid I could never watch this episode because it was frightening. Even though my favorite episode is which witch is which this episode is growing on me
The old SD has always been one of my favourite children’s show, along side with Courage The Cowardly Dog. I loved how creepy they made it (I’ve always loved horror, even as a child)… however, I remember the episode with The Headless Horse Rider, the race car driver one and the glowing space dude were the ones that scared me the most😂 but ultimately, the film, “Scooby Doo on Zombie Island” is my favourite and is the one that scared me the most😂
"Witches and witchcraft are often associated with dark, evil and unnatural forces...Like J.K Rowling." I'M DEAD, YOU KILLED ME WITH LAUGHTER Edit: OH MY GOD IT GETS BETTER THE JOKES KEEP COMING HOW IS YOUR SENSE OF COMEDY THIS GOOD
Hey scott, I used to play the game "Scooby-Doo: Night of 100 Frights" which features monsters from across the Scooby timeline and Charlie was featured in it too in a laboratory level towards the end. However they gave him a creepy voice and I'm not sure if it added to his original fright factor or if it diminished it slightly.
I think the scariest part of any episode to me was how the monsters behave/operate. The shadow phantoms from A Night of Fright scared me the most as a kid because they hide inside your house and come for you while you sleep. Even the white sheet ghost from Hassle in the Castle was still scary to me because of how it watches the gang’s boat approach the island through a telescope at the very beginning of the episode. It could see them, but they couldn’t see it. Like a predator watching its prey.
Love this. The only version of scooby doo that really scared me (television show wise) was the Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated. Just a suggestion as something you may want to look at. Loved your analysis in this video btw!
Love the apartment space. Makes the shows very comforting and homey. Thanks for the content man, we’re all here with you and we’ll get through this with you. Thank you again
actually in my head when I was thinking of the scariest monsters from the original run of scooby doo I instantly thought of Robbie the robot and the space kook. Though my mind went to Robbie cause Robbie is technically the only "real" monster in the original run of scooby doo. he's super fast, does inhuman things, and has that thousand yard stare. all are pretty much reason you said he was scary. he also completely destroys their trap for the episode by just walking through it ( if I remember right). I mean the space kook is scary and it really sets the scene, but once you figure out his stuff is fake like all the others it looses a lot of menace.
@@NerdSyncProductions to be fair, I honestly dont know how I keep things straight most of the time, between the marvel and DC universes, cartoons, star wars, and other franchises in anime, movies, tv, and music it can all get pretty confusing.
I would just like to share that I was obsessed with Scooby Doo as a child, but the Space Kook scared me so much that my dad makes fun of me about it to this day by doing the laugh. Like more then 15 years later. I was that scared that it has left a lasting impact on my life. Charlie cannot top my childhood Space Kook trauma, i’m sorry.
loved this, the fact you kept me around for the whole thing is amazing too lol my attention span is so low. i would never have chosen this episode to be the scariest but honestly i agree with the whiteboard. my honourable mention would be the puppet master episode, the fact we rarely see him, when he's in the limo, when the gang are in the theatre, makes it so much creepier
Me, most of the jump scares: (trying to be affected but not really reacting strongly) Me, Space Kook: that laugh sounds hilarious Me, zoom in on Charlie the Robot: -ah! Me, zoom in on Charlie the Robot in low light: -AH!
Has anyone ever thought about the fact that the snow ghost was actually going to kill velma? It took me years to notice that. He should get honorable mention or "most murdery".
I don’t get it… I’ve never found Space Kook scary, like at all. The Green Ghosts with their chains and giggling I find far more terrifying especially how they are introduced…. That was messed up. AND the fact they actually tried a lot to kill the gang.
This videos actually helps explain why horror and comedy work so well together, like in Scooby-Doo Both are often about putting two things together that shouldn’t be together. What’s a whacky scenario for one person might be a nightmare for someone else
From the start I knew the scariest one would’ve been “Foul Play in Funland”, I’m happy to be right lol! Charlie’s definitely the one Scooby-Doo monster out of the entire franchise that’s left me scared. I remember not being able to sleep for a couple of nights after watching it due to how many nightmares it gave me! I think that the fact that fairs, piers, amusement/theme parks were a huge part of my childhood definitely helped with this episode being traumatizing, specially since it’s pretty much an abandoned and isolated place. Also, Charlie’s design is genuinely terrifying. No personality. Almost human but you know it’s not. No soul. It’s just great!
Haven't even finished watching, and I know it will already be a great vid🙌🙌🙌🙌 Ok...just finished it & I was correct + APPRECIATED the structure and analysis of the criteria,the jokes, as well as the genuine unsettling feeling I had because of the editing and presentation 👌
Really wish people didn't cut those three episodes out due to modern day standards. I think the tiki witch doctor episode was one of the best. With the giant stone golem and the magical self playing drums. Seems like it was the only episode that had real supernatural events going on. Great video outside of this minor compliant.
When I was younger I was obsessed with scooby doo. The fact that there’s someone who’s made a quality video with a lot of thought into what the most scary episode of where are you? is. *chef’s kiss*
The most spooky episode to me was the one with the ventriloquist dolls without a doubt. The whistling throughout. The whimpering dog in the beginning. The guy revealed to be a doll after walking out of his office. Too spooky for 5 year old me.
Even though it might not be an episode of the original scooby doo were are you series I always thought season 2 episode 2 "vampire bats and scaredy cats" was creepy when I was little. It is an old episode from 1977 and it has the unsettling sound designed you mentioned. Especially the different sound of the vampires were scary. Plus when Lisa, one of the protagonists of the episode, got turned into a vampire little me was absolutely horrified yet thrilled.
Ironically episode 3 with the phantom used to scare me the most out of any episode as a kid. His voice, the eerie atmosphere, and the way he could walk through walls.
There is also the Uncanny Valley effect. We tend to fear things that look human but aren't. It's why we fear vampires and zombies more than we fear Godzilla. The effect is also what makes us critical of CGI replicas of dead actors.
I LOVED the original Scooby Doo when I was younger, heck, I still do! I remember certain episodes really freaked me out, like the scuba diving ghost and the pupper master. Been a while since I've watched any of them though, this makes me want to revisit it!
Even though Whats New Scooby Doo was coming out when i was young, the DVDs of the original 70's Scooby Doo Where Are You might be my all time favorite show. I found out HBO MAX had all of it, I gasped, and it's all I've been watching on it. As I've grown older, the art has only gotten better and better, and I've grown to appreciate it even more. This video really vocalizes so many of the over analytical opinions I've had about the original scooby doo for so long, thank you for making this!
I always find that imagining the ghosts to be in behind you while you’re sitting alone in the dark to be a great way of seeing which is scariest. This thought crossed my mind last night after watching a video about a night of fright is no delight. It actually got to me.
Hi, I know this was 2 years ago but nobody answered you. The word ‘gypsy’ is derived from Egyptian, as when travelling across Europe nobody had ever seen people with their skin complexions before so they’d call them gypsies for short. When in fact, the Romanies actually travelled from Indian to Europe. There is also a lot of negative connotations with the word ‘gypsy’ at least in England there is, often used to cause offence when calling someone one. Very short version but I hope it helps!
Scoobtober has become Scoobvember! My Patreon special offer is still happening for the next 2 days! I could really use the support right now. Thanks, gang! 🧡 Patreon.com/NerdSync 🧡
Thanks and safety to you friend!!
I mean it's still fall, either way, and all of fall is the best time to drop Halloween content
The titles statement is untrue.
Although it can be true if reworded.
Can't believe you missed the pun "Novelma"; it's perfect
I must say I am genuinely impressed by how much content you have been able to get out of Scooy and the gang.
If Scooby is canonically an alien possessing a dog, I think it's not a logical leap to assume the laugh track is a group disembodied ghosts who follow the gang around and really like puns. In this essay I will-
Omg amazing, yes!!
I'm gonna jot that one down for a future episode topic...
God, I love Mystery Inc. lore so much.
Scooby isnt an alien possessing a dog, he's a dog who is a *descendant* of alien-gods (the alien-gods possessed animals, but then had offspring with actual animals, so there's no possession going on with Scooby or other descendants of them).
Scoob is a demigod
Really I’d say scooby doo is an alien or scooby doo is an alien appearing like a dog.
The locals who built the robot just gaslighting the fuck out of the Mystery Inc team is so creepy cause it breaks the Scooby formula hardcore
Like, so many other characters who are behind the monster will go out of there way to be like, "yeah! the monster is real! it's not me, but it's definitely real and scary!" But these two just act as if nothing is wrong and that's so much creepier!
This is actually why the episode is so scary. If it was the first episode, it wouldn't be as scary as it is, but as the 8th episode, the formula is set. Breaking the formula, places the viewer, not just the characters, in a liminal space.
Bedlam in the Big Top will always be in my top 3 cause clowns are terrifying Lol
@@EAKugler exactly!!
@@sunnyboi2461 he was the only clown I was scared of as a kid
It’s not that scary, but Backstage Rage will always be one of the best reveals only because they go to check on the puppeteer, and they shake him, and get all spooked with Fred saying “he’s a puppet too.” Like can you imagine you meeting someone, and it turns out that a unknown entity was controlling a human sized puppet all that time!?! (yes I know he was the phantom, but still) To this day every time i see it I get goosebumps from that part. Also the Elias Kingston thing I think was more psychological since he “aged” Uncle Stuart.
That almost works like possession. An evil spirit puppeteering a human body
Backstage rage scares the crap out of me
I think the backstage rage is the scariest episode. The puppet master is legitimately creepy, and the way he messed with the gang with puppets is very unsettling.
honestly, and the way he genuinely tried to hurt the gang was also unsettling. along with the fact it went into more complicated life issues for a kids show- (counterfeits)
I totally agree and the fact that there’s little to no music in that episode always made me feel off about it as a kid
I 100% agree as a kid this was the one episode that I would not watch at night
For a minute i thought you were going to say the true way to determine the scariest episode objectively was to measure how much Shaggy and Scooby had to be bribed with Scooby Snacks during the episode
I am upset that I didn't think about this!
I thought it was gonna be how often they screamed
@@cookiemocher388 + How many steps they run away + ( how many times thy want to run but are Immobilized x 15 < trapped, tied up > )
@@NerdSyncProductions
I think the scariest monster would be the one that Shaggy and Scooby can’t be bribed into going near.
The simple fact that Charlie absolutely CAN *kill* was terrifying. I know I had at least one nightmare about him growing up.
oh yeah for sure. he can and will kill you. he doesn't care.
I never really found Charlie that scary. I mean yeah, he CAN kill you but there's a few human villains that try to legitimately murder the gang, like the Snow Ghost when he almost sawed Velma in half & the Ghost Clown who tried to kill the gang by hypnotizing them then having them perform deadly stunts.
@@jongon0848 okay, but I am talking about when I was five. Or are you trying to convince me you had big balls when you were five? because that is gross.
The noises that Charlie made only added to it as well at least for me. Just the fact that he could harm somebody and the creepy noises he would probably make doing so just gives me the shivers
@@tyrant-den884 big balled five year old is based
I think I remember being unnerved by Charlie. Every other monster was human under the costume, but Charlie was inhuman, and it showed: he didn't act like someone trying to be scary, and that ironically made him scarier.
This was a really fun video!
I always thought the miner 49er was just funny because it’s literally just Hank with a hat and a beard. Personally I always thought The Backstage Rage was the scariest. The Puppetmaster was so scary to the gang that even Velma says “I don’t like looking for clues anymore” and the gang tries to leave the mystery early, but is forced to solve it after being locked inside the theatre. The image of the doorman being a puppet was pretty shocking to me as a kid. and the atmosphere and constant lurking of the Puppetmaster too as he just hunches in corners watching the gang and dropping sandbags and set pieces seriously trying to hurt them is always creepy.
I agree.
@@italiandoll i really like the episode especialy the opening and theres actually a fanflim that remakes the episode and makes it much darker
Same. The Doorman being a puppet, lurking by the door when Scooby & Shaggy were trying on costumes disappearing by the piano, his cackle, and that “You know my secret….Now you shall NEVER GOO!!” was nightmare fuel for me !!
@@jadenbryant9283 what’s the name of that fanfilm or link
@@jrdb04 ph it's still called scooby doo the backstage rage and I believe it's on daily motion
"Take it from me; a coward" I am crying
just so everyone knows haha
To quote a certain song; "Look at this, I'm a coward too. You don't need to hide my friend, for I'm just like you."
NerdSync is slowly turning into a Scooby-Doo channel and I’m totally okay with that.
thank goodness for that haha
So true this channel is my fix 💀
You and Me both.
Yes, I will never get tired of Scooby-Doo content
@@NerdSyncProductions I won't deny that the original show is a genuine treat. Heck, the only episode I liked from Mystery Incorporated was "Nightfright", because it's the only episode that felt more like Scooby-Doo in my eyes.
The scariest part in Scooby Doo for me was in the creeper episode, they go and see the hermit who yells “come back!” over and over again. That gave me nightmares.
"Coin, coin" will forever haunt my childhood that mummy was geniunly terrifying to me as a child I couldn't re watch that episode for the absoloute longest time because of how terrifying the mummy saying "coin" was to me. And I grew up with horror being my favourite genre and yet nothing had scarred me as much as that mummy
OH MY GOD SOMEONE ELSE SAYS IT THANK YOU! As a kid I could never watch this episode after seeing it once, even going as far as sitting outside the room as my friends watched it once, I love horror too but that mummy saying “coiiin” will forever haunt me more than any horror movie
@@elijahrobinson9157 Me too! That episode scared the living crud out of me as a child.
Bro that is one is the only one I will NEVER watch in the dark by myself, and I’m a Marine😂 that’s when you know something is genuine terror😂
I absolutely adored this story and mummy’s in general. They are the perfect monster! So genuinely creepy.
My dad used to quote that daily lol “coin coinnn” lol😂
"he just... stares. expressionless.... motionless" (except when he's running)
you don't understand, i'm ✨obsessed✨
anyways the scariest part of this video wasnt the jumpscares, it was scott telling me that i'm back in school
GHOUL SCHOOL!!!
@@NerdSyncProductions no please i can't go back😰
When I was a small child in the 70’s, the episode “What the Hex is Going on?” genuinely scared me so bad. Not the ghost of Elias Kingston… but the uncle who gets older and older until the gang finds a skeleton wearing his clothes. Runner up was the episode “Vampire Bats and Scaredy Cats” when the phone rings and turns the girl into a vampire terrified me.
Dear God, how is it you and i share the exact same nightmare episodes. Those 2 you listed caused me to be afraid to go to sleep, gramp the vamp for his terrifying laugh and the body horror of the old man.
Always skipped that episode on the VHS tape.
@@deiontso7276 likewise
Oh, God, exactly--when I was four years old that one terrified me. I'd try to watch it, but generally that "Someone's in the shadows!" jumpscare right at the beginning when we first see Old Uncle Stuart would have me running to change the channel, and if I sucked it up past that the flashback scene when he's telling the story of how the ghost made him old (which also features the ghost's only actually scary pose in the episode) would finish me off. The funny thing is, those two episodes you cite share a theme--the corruption of an allegedly friendly character into something they're not, through the power of the external villain.
A Night of Fright is No Delight will always be one of the scariest and my favourites Lol.
"What're you talking about?"
"There's no one there."
"You're seeing things."
"Go home."
That was probably my favorite part of the whole video. You make such a good point. That's where shit goes off the scale.
Horror movie idea, you have a setting where a person is essentially in a slightly alternate version of reality where the only change is there's this entity that follows you and no matter what you do, no matter who you tell, no matter what proof you try and get. Everyone will dismiss it regardless of anything that happens, they will come up with a thousand explanations around it and will never react to your problems. The fear of isolation
@@TheScarletSlayer that's just relatable
@@slavishentity6705 I don't believe you
@@slavishentity6705 also I thought if that after watching a parody where a guy kept telling people "it's just the wind it's just the wind" and then he was stabbed to death and in his final breath he said" it's...just....the wind".
Did you know if you pee in a jar and drop in four eggs, burry the jar and leave it for a day Gypsy Rose will dig it up and feast on it
For me, the scariest episode was "A Clue For Scooby-Doo", the Captain Cutler episode. The atmosphere surrounding him was genuinely creepy. There was even a scene where Fred, Daphne, and Velma find a corpse in a diving suit (!), who is just sitting at a desk underwater, which is itself creepy just by thinking about how it came to be in that position. And then the ghost locks them inside of it! So, now they're trapped in a locked room with a corpse, underwater, with a finite supply of air. Yeesh.
At the least, I think it's the best mystery in the original show. Who could have seen that twist toward the end, when they realize who the true culprit was the entire time? Perhaps you could do a second video like this, to determine which mystery in Scooby-Doo was the most, er, mysterious.
I don't know about using "jump scares" as a criteria. I think things like atmosphere or the crimes the villains commit should be considered more important. Fore example, Charlie doesn't intentionally set out to harm anyone, whereas the ghost clown hypnotized Shaggy into getting inside a cage with an actual lion.
I realized halfway through this video I was subconsciously comparing all the points he brought up to this episode. Not only were there the underwater scenes, but the visits to Ebinezer Shark and Cutler’s widow are so spooky. Couldn’t agree with you more.
You also get shaggy with yellow hair when he sits on a rock in that episode. As well as the craziest mystery the gang has ever had which is how scooby drank all the drinks without a straw in them.
For me it was a night with no delight those 2 ghosts scared tf outta me
@@anthonygaliardi3347 Same. Scared the shit out of me as a kid.
Good point plus something I just noticed bugs me; it could be a plot hole but could be relevant. Look at the diving suit in mr shark’s location it’s only on screen for a bit. Wait until the skeleton corpse underwater scene. Look familiar? It looks familiar enough it could be the same one. That could be an oversight or it could be a connection between shark and this random completely unexplored or unmentioned skeleton that should absolutely be reported to police post haste if not even more pressing than the ghost that locked them in.
my childhood self feels SO incredibly vindicated by Charlie winning because that epsiode 100% scared me the most. The Space Kook is a favourite but his laugh is too hilarious for me to find him scary, and I misremembered Miner 49'er as Miner 69'er and that robbed him of all spookiness in my eyes lol
I never found Charlie to be scary tbh Lol.
Miner 69'er?! That good a good chuckle out of me, nice job
I'm glad you didn't mix up the spelling of "miner" at the same time. A "minor 69'er" is something completely different...
Same. Arguably it's not the scariest episode but when I was a little kid Charlie stuck out to me the most. I think it was because of how fast and powerful he was. I just remembered watching him zooming around and busting through walls like it was nothing. The thought of a seemingly unbeatable robot freaked me out. That can be a scary concept. I mean look at the T1000 from the Terminator series or even those robots from I, Robot.
@@NoobixCube
Minor 69’er is something that’s very very illegal and disgusting.
*CORRECTIONS*
I realized while editing that I got some of the episode numbers wrong. I was going off how they are listed on the Boomerang website, but that isn’t the order they are listed in on Wikipedia. For some reason, a couple of episodes are mixed up, and I don’t know why. Either way, I hope it’s easy to figure out which episodes I’m talking about as I typically say the name of the episode and/or show clips from them. No idea why no source seems to be consistent.
Also, that's Snow Ghost actually does have a fun jump scare. I didn't catch it when I was first watching through the show, but it's one of the better ones, tbh. So I feel bad about not including it in the finalists, but it still wouldn't have beaten out the actual winner.
I watched these as a child and the idea that there are actual episode numbers weirds me out, heh!
I believe the production date, and tv air-date would get mixed up. Even on dvd collections.
Don’t quote me tho.
No problem. I watch because I love your channel and you ☺️
A clue for Scooby Doo was the first one made, but the second one to air so I considered it the second one and What a night for a knight to be the first and it is similar situation for the other episodes. There is order released and order made and Warner Bros tends to list them in either order depending on release.
Okay but legit the Nepal man's story of the Snow Ghost from back in Nepal pursuing him twice was actually kind of scary when I watched it as a kid. It added more backstory to the monster than most got in their episodes making it feel like an actual menace spanning back many years.
"A Night of Fright is no Delight " was the scariest episode for me when I was a child. The design of the ghost was scary, with the red eyes and rattling chains. But, the fact there was two of them and their laugh was the most terrifying sounds I ever heard as a kid. I literally had nightmares from these guys but I would still watch the episode because I love Scooby-Doo. And that scene when the walls were closing on the gang like a Saw trap, always gave me goosebumps.
Thank God I'm not the only one. That laugh freaks me out till today.
It's one of my favorite Scooby Doo episodes to date! It holds up so well and has a murder mystery vibe (reminds me a lot of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie), the scene where they find coffins in the shapes of the relatives was genuinely unsettling, and the ghost was scary in both visual and sound effects
that was another one that scared me too. not to mention, the eerie music in the beginning and the fact that they’re going to some strange, remote island on a dark and stormy night. creeps’ appearance and foreshadowing with “if any” and his cackling afterwards, the random spooky organ music, and the cousins supposedly “dead” and in coffins in the basement
Yes!!! Their design, the way they moved, and the sound of their laughs always perturbed me. They’ll always be the creepiest OG Scooby Doo ghosts to me.
I fully agree! I think NerdSync did this one dirty by not counting the 'jump scare' of the POV shot of the Green Ghost in the wine cellar with its laugh going berserk. That still kinda freaks me out
I'm just gonna say right now that the scariest episode to me was *The Backstage Rage* cause oh my god life size puppets that you can't tell are real or not...... I think that your charts are fair with ranking, but as far as quality over quantity goes the life sized puppets unsettle you so much because they are so close to being human that they are indistinguishable until you look closer. In psychology this is naturally unsettling to human brains because we can't put our finger on WHY they are creepy. They just are. The episode is just 🤌 chef's kiss. It also would outrank the Funland Robot episode because the robot isn't actually coming for them. It is just staring. It poses no threat to the gang, but in the puppet theatre episode they are actively targeted by an unknown force with sandbags and other things, plus the idea that they are being watched by something at all times is terrifying.
It amazes me how on point your humor is in this episode. Bullseye after bullseye. Well done, my friend!
Thanks, Larry! There's one joke I'm particularly proud of haha
@@NerdSyncProductions which one is that?
@@zachfryar1820 we're meant to guess, I bet.
@@mmmuuuuuuuuiiiiiiiiirrrrr I guess so 🤷🏼♂️
I think A Night of Fright is No Delight would be my choice. The setting of that episode...They're staying the night at a secluded manor that they've never been to before and not one, but two giggling, green phantom shadow ghosts are haunting the place. It was spooktacular.
An absolute contender! What a legendary episode!
Completely ageee
Plus it is the episode they used for the Supernatural crossover
Oh definitely those monsters were by far the scariest in the series Lol
I remember the one with the headless ghost in the southern mansion always spooked me as a kid quite a bit.
The puppet master and ghost clown always scared me the most, but this is a very solid choice. I also think that mystery itself and the implications of the mystery could have worked as some sort of category to analyze, but still great video.
agreed!
Implications huh…ghost clown hands and feet and paws down. Seriously hypnosis is a dangerous thing without context on what it’s been used for and or time jumps.
This is Snow Ghost erasure! One of the best jump scares in the entire series happens just 3 minutes into that episode. Made 3 year old me scared of windows for a while.
Otherwise, fantastic Scoob analysis!
You sure you're not thinking of ghost of bigfoot from the new scooby doo movies
I think the jumps are is where shag checks if the window is locked in that’s snow ghost and when he raises the shade the snow ghost is right there
I can't believe that NS has ignore you a whole year.
I honestly also thought the Space Kook was going to be it, on just the laugh alone lol, but I can't argue with the facts, episode 8 is pretty unsettling when you think about it. Great video as always Scott, you always have a great mix of funny, and learning that I appreciate. 🙂
“Take it from me, a coward 😏” that made me laugh way harder than it probably should have
well it's true haha
You know, I gotta say, while I completely agree with the conclusion of choice here, Space Kook will always be somewhere in the top of my list of freakiest episodes, but it holds a special place in my heart because of a story of a friend of mine.
When we were kids, he said that one night, he fell asleep in his room with his TV on, which sits across the end of his bed. So, lights off, only TV on. He woke up late at night with one of the Space Kook laughing moments, almost "standing" in front of his bed. Probably the spookiest way to experience one of the monsters with such an iconic laugh.
My friend's story is still hilarious to me to this day.
So, fun fact: I VIVIDLY remember the Charlie the Robot episode being the first episode I ever saw of the original Scooby Doo show, and I was pretty young, too. I was very easily scared at that age, but that episode didn’t really scare me so much as it deeply unsettled me, for all the reasons you listed. Charlie is a very unsettling character.
As a millennial who grew up without a TV, I find these episodes so fascinating to watch. They're like a glimpse into all the random bits of pop culture that I missed.
glad they are interesting!
@PurpleOwlAnimation Yeah, my parents just figured that we didn't really need one
I said this on your last vid, but I will say this again. Your editing, personality, and script are so amazing you make me stay through the whole video even though I've never watched any scooby-doo show. You do make me really interested in watching though...maybe I'll start with "Don't Fool with the Phantom", he looks like a marshmellow man.
Hey, thanks so much! The Wax Phantom is wild! Hope you like it!
I highly recommend watching Scooby-Doo! 😊
I'm only 18 but I’ve watched every series and movie cause I'm a Scooby Doo Nerd 😅
@@sunnyboi2461 That’s awesome!!! 🤩
@@sunnyboi2461 16 here and same 😄
A few people at work are actually big Scooby-Doo fans and I was talking to one of them and he mentioned that he watched a youtube video about the scaerest episode and as he was talking about it I realized that he was talking about this video. So Scott you work is bringing people closer together.
Charlie always scared me. His scariest appearance is in the intro when Scooby bumps into him. The shading on that still image is just….terrifying. Not to mention how often the gang describes him as...humanlike...Ik the show is animated so correct anatomy, especially with faces, is probably nonexistant, but just how lifelike does Charlie actually look? and then mix that question with...those eyes...those glowing...unnatural...hollow eyes
I refreshed YT in hopes of seeing a new NerdSync video and one popped up right as I did it. The Scoob gods have smiled upon us.
hope you like the video!
Praise lord shaggy.
The music always scared me when I was little. Especially when the horns got really loud before it would fade to black. Still loved watching this show at night tho (just seemed wrong to watch it during the day)
some of the sound effects are goofy, but sometimes they are so eerie!
yes the soundtrack still causes me to get goosebumps and fill me with dread.
As someone born in 2000 who was obsessed with Freddy Krueger before I was 6, the horror elements of this show are part of why its one of the best animated franchises of all time.
Love this show, still remember renting VHS tapes from the library and watching them, those giggling green ghosts genuinely creeped me out
My grandparents worked for a local video rental store back in the 90s and when the owner passed away he didn't have any family to leave his business to, the video store went under even he died but he left all of the inventory to my grandparents so they took every thing back to their house. There were probably close to a thousand VHS tapes in their possession and among those were VHS copies of every single episode of the original Scooby-Doo series, I watched every episode so many times that at one point I was able to quote every episode verbatim
The scariest episode will always be the puppet master one. I remember as a kid I was so scared of that episode
I always loved the Miner 49ers theme, it was a softer version of “Oh my Darling” but it fit so well and is what I remember the most about that episode. And Charlie deserves more credit as a classic Scooby monster, he’s a great robot and he is naturally able to have superhuman abilities as a robot
"A Night of Fright Is No Delight" - Those Green Ghost / Phantom Shadows scared the absolute crap out of me as a kid
That episode is still scary as an adult.
Scared me as a kid and still scare me to this day.
Where Are You is (probably mostly because of nostalgia) my favorite Scooby-Doo series, and I agree wholeheartedly with Scott's conclusion as to the scariest episode. Genuinely very spooky and unsettling. And what a fun process to get to that conclusion!
Just finished the video. The points you give in this video's great. Charlie's very disturbing because it's a monster, that isn't technically monster, (good break from the monster= guy in a mask) when something unnatural is made to act natural can be really scary. Great video as always Scott.
thank you!
As a kid I loved ancient Egypt, so it’s funny that the scariest episode of Scooby Doo Where are you for me was Scooby Doo and a Mummy too. I could never pin down why exactly it was so terrifying for me, but I think it was definitely the mummy’s moans and noises, creeps the crap outta me to this day
Me too! He was so scary!
What’s interesting is that our top 3 scariest episodes,
Backstage Rage
Spooky Space Kook
Foul Play in Funland
,all have a villain that plays very well on one of the oldest primordial fears of man:
The fear of the Unknown.
In this case, unknown origins and unknown motives.
Phantom Puppet Master:
Origins: there is no indication as to what he is or where he comes from. The doorman doesn’t give us any backstories about “The Phantom of the Theatre” or something like that, he doesn’t even indicate that something is amiss. All he gives is a confused look as the gang walks out abruptly. There’s not even indication to the gang that there even IS a phantom. Through dramatic irony, only we the audience see that there is a mysterious figure causing things to happen. It’s only after they notice odd things and catch some glimpses of him that they realize.
Motives: Sure he’s running a counterfeit operation but it’s only made clear he’s the one doing it at the third act of the episode. During the second act we see him trying to scare the gang, playing an organ, and bringing Vikings and Pirates down from the sky, not much to indicate that HE is counterfeiting money. Then there’s the moment when the doorman slumps over revealing its a life size puppet. As a kid watching for the first time, I thought the phantom actually TURNED THE DOORMAN INTO A PUPPET. My mind began racing trying to explain it. Does he have magic powers? Does he turn his victims into puppets!? Are Scooby and the gang his Next Puppets!?!? The unknown factor terrified me.
Space Kook:
Origins: All we get is one farmer saying, “there’s a ghost spaceship and a ghost spaceman out there and I don’t know what it is or where it comes from.” There’s no legends or stories about this Kook to explain it existing.
Motives: Again…nothing, we don’t know why it’s here, what it wants, or what will happen to you if he catches you. We get a moment where multiple doors open revealing multiple Space Kooks and we still don’t know why there’s an army of them. Our minds start to wander, Invasion? Extermination? Subjugation of the Human Race? We just don’t know.
Charlie the Robot:
Origins: No legends, no stories, no indicators, he just looks like a masked man in a work suit. We’re not even sure he is a robot at first and Shaggy even describes him looking like “A man from Mars” at one point. We the audience might think he looks like a robot…well okay but what kind? Terrestrial? Extraterrestrial? Something Else? There’s no way of knowing until the end of the episode.
Motives: it depends on his programming and how it was affected when he was sabotaged, which we Don’t Know. The first time the gang encounter Charlie in the hall of mirrors while the park is running properly, he just stands there looking at Shaggy and Scooby. What’s he analyzing? What’s he calculating? What’s he processing? He could be thinking who these guests are or he could be thinking these are intruders that need to be captured. Later when the park goes crazy, Charlie goes crazy with it. Now we definitely don’t know what’s going to happen to the gang if he catches them. We see him tear up a stuffed wolf thinking it’s Scooby and walk through a brick wall like it was paper, for all we know he could smash their skulls, crush their necks, throw them off the peer, there’s no telling.
While villains like The Creeper, Mr. Hyde, Ape Man, Captain Cutler, Miner 49er, and The Mummy are given clear origins and motives up front, these 3 are left up in the air for the audience to keep guessing until the end.
"Sorry about the jump scare."
Me, who accidentally had it spoiled by the subtitles: No, it's fine.
More Scooby?
and more Scott?
this is gonna be good! I love all the Scooby content!
this is the last one for the year but 2022 will have some good stuff in it!
Man, I loved this show so much when I was a kid. Revisiting in this video made me realize how truly spooky it was. Excellent breakdown, and I agree completely; Charlie's inability to be stopped combine with his dead-eyed stare and uncanny valley smile to create a formidable opponent that will kill you in complete silence, perhaps the spookiest thing of all
"Hey Nerdsync, are you gonna upload another Scooby Doo video soon?"
*_"Nuh uh!"_*
"Would you do it for a Scooby snack?"
*_"I like your cut G!"_*
Hello there!
The one that creeped me out as a kid the most was probably the backstage rage. I think it was probably the man that turned into a puppet/always was a puppet because of the fact that it was a guy the gang talked to suddenly becoming inanimate. To child me this guy essentially just died!
Yes! also the part where the gang is underground and are crawling up the ladder, and the guy is chasing them!
Scott, buddy, you rule. However, your obsession with Scooby-Doo is messing with my CZcams suggestions. You've sent me down a rabbit hole that not even the Mystery Gang can save me from.
As a kid, I was a massive scaredy cat who was unfortunately in love with all things spooky. Scooby-Doo was just the perfect balance of the spooky aesthetic paired with goofiness and light-hearted humor for me to enjoy it comfortably. Years later, horror is one of my favorite genres. Evil Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Saw, Halloween, The Thing, these are some of my favorite movies ever. And I can draw a straight line from them to my introduction to Scooby-Doo.
Personally, I never really found Charlie that scary. I mean yeah, he CAN kill you but there's a few human villains that try to legitimately murder the gang, like the Snow Ghost when he almost sawed Velma in half & the Ghost Clown who tried to kill the gang by hypnotizing them then having them perform deadly stunts.
I found the scarier episodes to be ones where the gang had their personal privacy invaded. Like Nowhere to Hyde was scarier to me because the dude literally hides in their van and that was just a terrifying idea.
@JonGon Productions
The thing that makes Charlie scary is what makes the Terminator scary.
He can’t be bought, bribed, reasoned with or tricked,
He will just continue with his broken programming till he is destroyed or breaks down.
Maybe THIS is what inspired James Cameraman.
Huh.
Charlie did scare me as a kid. Soace kook's laugh still sends a shiver down my spine. The clown still scares me
The Green Ghosts in No Fright No Delight had me scared as a kid, especually their spooky giggling
Those ones are genuinely terrifying!
@@NerdSyncProductions Yep, their laugh is the scarier than Space Kock
@@nightslayer6951 completely agree. I’ve never found Space Kook scary.
@@DrWhack But his laugh is
For me the scariest episode was definitely backstage rage. The eerieniss of the theater and the music as well as the scene with the man as the phantom standing by the door way looking at Scooby will forever be the scariest scene in Scooby Doo history imo. Even the beginning with the puppet was just eerie as hell as a kid I could never watch this episode because it was frightening. Even though my favorite episode is which witch is which this episode is growing on me
The old SD has always been one of my favourite children’s show, along side with Courage The Cowardly Dog. I loved how creepy they made it (I’ve always loved horror, even as a child)… however, I remember the episode with The Headless Horse Rider, the race car driver one and the glowing space dude were the ones that scared me the most😂 but ultimately, the film, “Scooby Doo on Zombie Island” is my favourite and is the one that scared me the most😂
"Witches and witchcraft are often associated with dark, evil and unnatural forces...Like J.K Rowling." I'M DEAD, YOU KILLED ME WITH LAUGHTER
Edit: OH MY GOD IT GETS BETTER THE JOKES KEEP COMING HOW IS YOUR SENSE OF COMEDY THIS GOOD
You will never be a woman
@@marcelltoing8363 is that supposed to be a Transphobic comment?
Based epic TERFs attempt to misgender people without knowing their gender in the first place 😎😎
@@galaxyskeleton Yes.
@@galaxyskeleton aunt may dies
Hey scott, I used to play the game "Scooby-Doo: Night of 100 Frights" which features monsters from across the Scooby timeline and Charlie was featured in it too in a laboratory level towards the end. However they gave him a creepy voice and I'm not sure if it added to his original fright factor or if it diminished it slightly.
"take it from me... A coward" is arguably one of the most relatable things you've ever said. Cowards unite!
I think the scariest part of any episode to me was how the monsters behave/operate. The shadow phantoms from A Night of Fright scared me the most as a kid because they hide inside your house and come for you while you sleep. Even the white sheet ghost from Hassle in the Castle was still scary to me because of how it watches the gang’s boat approach the island through a telescope at the very beginning of the episode. It could see them, but they couldn’t see it. Like a predator watching its prey.
Love this. The only version of scooby doo that really scared me (television show wise) was the Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated. Just a suggestion as something you may want to look at. Loved your analysis in this video btw!
I've talked about Mystery Incorporated a little bit in my big Scooby franchise analysis last year! Great show!
Love the apartment space. Makes the shows very comforting and homey. Thanks for the content man, we’re all here with you and we’ll get through this with you. Thank you again
The phantom shadows creeped me out when I first saw them in reruns. Heck, they even tried to kill shaggy and scooby a couple of times.
The worst part about Charlie is the realization is that there is no human inside. It’s a goddamn loose robot with strength beyond humans. Good lord.
actually in my head when I was thinking of the scariest monsters from the original run of scooby doo I instantly thought of Robbie the robot and the space kook.
Though my mind went to Robbie cause Robbie is technically the only "real" monster in the original run of scooby doo. he's super fast, does inhuman things, and has that thousand yard stare. all are pretty much reason you said he was scary. he also completely destroys their trap for the episode by just walking through it ( if I remember right). I mean the space kook is scary and it really sets the scene, but once you figure out his stuff is fake like all the others it looses a lot of menace.
His name is Charlie.
@@lutherevans968 my bad I thought it was robbie I think I'm confusing it with something else
For what it's worth, I always referred to him as Andy the Android so I've been even further from accurate haha
@@NerdSyncProductions to be fair, I honestly dont know how I keep things straight most of the time, between the marvel and DC universes, cartoons, star wars, and other franchises in anime, movies, tv, and music it can all get pretty confusing.
@@darkmyro Might be Robbie the Rabbit, from Silent Hill
I'm convinced Scott is an adorable alien trying to convince us that it is human
you can't prove anything!
That would explain the new podcast
The Skrull episode practically gave it away
I would just like to share that I was obsessed with Scooby Doo as a child, but the Space Kook scared me so much that my dad makes fun of me about it to this day by doing the laugh. Like more then 15 years later. I was that scared that it has left a lasting impact on my life. Charlie cannot top my childhood Space Kook trauma, i’m sorry.
loved this, the fact you kept me around for the whole thing is amazing too lol my attention span is so low. i would never have chosen this episode to be the scariest but honestly i agree with the whiteboard. my honourable mention would be the puppet master episode, the fact we rarely see him, when he's in the limo, when the gang are in the theatre, makes it so much creepier
Me, most of the jump scares: (trying to be affected but not really reacting strongly)
Me, Space Kook: that laugh sounds hilarious
Me, zoom in on Charlie the Robot: -ah!
Me, zoom in on Charlie the Robot in low light: -AH!
Never understood why anyone would be afraid of the creeper I'd square up if anything
it's because he's secretly a banker
@@NerdSyncProductions well yah got me there
@Tyrone Chillifoot
Easy, Scrappy-Doo.
While an iconic character, the Miner 49er is the least creepy villain simply for looking like a normal dude in normal clothes
Has anyone ever thought about the fact that the snow ghost was actually going to kill velma? It took me years to notice that. He should get honorable mention or "most murdery".
I was totally on board with the Space Kook until you revealed #1... How did I forget that episode? It was scary!
20:20 "Oh, a corpse. It's not a big enough deal to take my hand off my pocket or react in any way"
Now, whenever I see a scary location I'll just imagine a hippie and his alien running cartoonishly through.
I don’t get it… I’ve never found Space Kook scary, like at all. The Green Ghosts with their chains and giggling I find far more terrifying especially how they are introduced…. That was messed up. AND the fact they actually tried a lot to kill the gang.
This videos actually helps explain why horror and comedy work so well together, like in Scooby-Doo
Both are often about putting two things together that shouldn’t be together. What’s a whacky scenario for one person might be a nightmare for someone else
I will say, I definitely had nightmares of the Phantom Shadow as a kid. Truly is the one monster from the original series that still scares me.
I’m ngl, this is one of my favorite pieces of content on YT in a long time. Watched it easily 20 times these past few days
From the start I knew the scariest one would’ve been “Foul Play in Funland”, I’m happy to be right lol! Charlie’s definitely the one Scooby-Doo monster out of the entire franchise that’s left me scared. I remember not being able to sleep for a couple of nights after watching it due to how many nightmares it gave me!
I think that the fact that fairs, piers, amusement/theme parks were a huge part of my childhood definitely helped with this episode being traumatizing, specially since it’s pretty much an abandoned and isolated place.
Also, Charlie’s design is genuinely terrifying. No personality. Almost human but you know it’s not. No soul. It’s just great!
Haven't even finished watching, and I know it will already be a great vid🙌🙌🙌🙌
Ok...just finished it & I was correct + APPRECIATED the structure and analysis of the criteria,the jokes, as well as the genuine unsettling feeling I had because of the editing and presentation 👌
🙌
Really wish people didn't cut those three episodes out due to modern day standards. I think the tiki witch doctor episode was one of the best. With the giant stone golem and the magical self playing drums. Seems like it was the only episode that had real supernatural events going on. Great video outside of this minor compliant.
When I was younger I was obsessed with scooby doo. The fact that there’s someone who’s made a quality video with a lot of thought into what the most scary episode of where are you? is. *chef’s kiss*
The most spooky episode to me was the one with the ventriloquist dolls without a doubt. The whistling throughout. The whimpering dog in the beginning. The guy revealed to be a doll after walking out of his office. Too spooky for 5 year old me.
Even though it might not be an episode of the original scooby doo were are you series I always thought season 2 episode 2 "vampire bats and scaredy cats" was creepy when I was little. It is an old episode from 1977 and it has the unsettling sound designed you mentioned. Especially the different sound of the vampires were scary. Plus when Lisa, one of the protagonists of the episode, got turned into a vampire little me was absolutely horrified yet thrilled.
"When u talk, it's like a baby angel whispering in ur ear" -Tina Fey, as Sarah Palin
Ironically episode 3 with the phantom used to scare me the most out of any episode as a kid. His voice, the eerie atmosphere, and the way he could walk through walls.
Loving the Scoob Content!!! Another great video Scott! Always so happy to see you upload!
Thanks, Hannah!
I was little in the early 70s and I remember loving this while also been scared 🤣🤣
okay good so it's not just me haha
@@NerdSyncProductions I'm 53 now and still love Scooby doo 😁
it introduced me to the horror genre
Honestly if they removed all the music from the og scooby doo it would actually have some sort of horror
The episode with the miner still haunts me to this day. The miner himself isn’t scary. But the ghostly moan he does was /is terrifying.
There is also the Uncanny Valley effect. We tend to fear things that look human but aren't. It's why we fear vampires and zombies more than we fear Godzilla. The effect is also what makes us critical of CGI replicas of dead actors.
"Take it from me... a coward!"
I've never heard something so relatable in my life lmao
My friend thinks the gibbering of the Ice Cream Ghosts is horrifying, even though he admits the design is silly.
for 30 some years, the Spooky Space Kook's laugh has haunted me. I credit that 'ghost' as a big reason why B-17 is my favorite Heavy Metal bit
I LOVED the original Scooby Doo when I was younger, heck, I still do! I remember certain episodes really freaked me out, like the scuba diving ghost and the pupper master. Been a while since I've watched any of them though, this makes me want to revisit it!
Even though Whats New Scooby Doo was coming out when i was young, the DVDs of the original 70's Scooby Doo Where Are You might be my all time favorite show. I found out HBO MAX had all of it, I gasped, and it's all I've been watching on it. As I've grown older, the art has only gotten better and better, and I've grown to appreciate it even more. This video really vocalizes so many of the over analytical opinions I've had about the original scooby doo for so long, thank you for making this!
Scooby’s chuckle from episode 2 is the reason why I’m up at night
I always find that imagining the ghosts to be in behind you while you’re sitting alone in the dark to be a great way of seeing which is scariest. This thought crossed my mind last night after watching a video about a night of fright is no delight. It actually got to me.
How is gypsy a slur
Hi, I know this was 2 years ago but nobody answered you. The word ‘gypsy’ is derived from Egyptian, as when travelling across Europe nobody had ever seen people with their skin complexions before so they’d call them gypsies for short. When in fact, the Romanies actually travelled from Indian to Europe. There is also a lot of negative connotations with the word ‘gypsy’ at least in England there is, often used to cause offence when calling someone one. Very short version but I hope it helps!
It's not