Everyone has a favorite movie monster or three, right? Whether it’s classics like Dracula or the Wolfman, sci-fi perils like the Alien or Godzilla, or even more mundane creatures like the shark in Jaws or the ‘gators in Crawl. Monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Darth Vader totally counts as a monster (especially when I first saw him as a kid), as does Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men.
This series is about our favorite things that go bump in the night, our dearest creepy crawlies, our fondest nightmares. Are they among your favorites as well? Or is there something still more monstrous that tickles your fancy?
There is no greater Scooby-Doo film than Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. The first direct-to-video film in the franchise, Zombie Island featured a darker tone then was usual for the franchise, and featured real supernatural threats. There was no more man in a mask shenanigans. The monsters were finally real.
There are numerous reasons why I found myself watching Zombie Island as a kid whenever it was on the cartoon networks. The film showed a side of Mystery, Inc. that audiences hadn’t seen before on screen. Shaggy, Scooby, Fred, Velma, and Daphne have gone their separate ways after growing tired of every mystery ending with the same result (an angry man in a mask). They reunite after a year-long hiatus to search for real monsters. This takes them to Moonscar Island, and into the clutches of zombies and werecats. The stakes suddenly feel real, and the character designs, beautifully animated by Japanese studio Mook Animation, lends itself into the darker setting. The studio would go on to animate the next three DTV Scooby-Doo films, which arguably make up the four best films in the franchise.
I don’t think I was ever scared by the zombies and werecats. Instead, I was excited to see the gang tackle real threats and figure out how to defeat the supernatural. Zombie Island finally gave fans of Mystery, Inc. something they had always wanted to see, and the film delivered. The film still receives an annual watching in autumn. If you haven’t seen it yet, what are you waiting for?
Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island features some of my favorite monsters. What films feature some of yours?
