A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts

Have always been a big Scooby Doo fan, and as well as being the first incarnation for me 'Scooby Doo Where are You' is still the best one.

"A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts" epitomises classic Scooby Doo, and was always one of my favourites from the show. It will not just delight Scooby Doo fans young and old but will delight classic horror film-buffs.

The castle setting is incredibly atmospheric and one of the top five creepiest settings of a show full of them, while the animation is lively, atmospheric, lushly coloured and nicely drawn as always. The music adds to the impact the atmosphere creates, and it is very difficult to resist the classic theme song, along with the opening credits where it is so fun spotting and recognising the villains, that is one of the most iconic in animation.

One of "A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts" biggest charms is the ingenious merging of classic Scooby Doo mystery solving and creepy, fun and affectionate homages to the classic horror monsters. There are some great clues, a clever ending (that is not one of the most surprising of the series, but is a long way from being one you predict exactly early on) and some of the funniest and freakiest moments of the whole show (even a gag, the one with Velma and her glasses, that shouldn't have worked and would have been tiresome with lesser execution works perfectly). Very rarely do you get Dracula, Frankenstein's monster and a werewolf in one episode and be so cool, intimidating and sometimes hilarious equally. The gypsy is a good character too.

Dialogue is witty, silly but endearingly so and always very funny and often more than that. Love the atmosphere and energy of the always easy to follow while never being too predictable or over-simplistic story, and the charming chemistry between the gang. Scooby and Shaggy induce plenty of laughs and smiles and their relationship entertains and affects constantly, though Fred, Velma and Daphne are hardly bland even with less meaty material. The voice acting is very good from especially Don Messick and Casey Kasem.

Overall, one of the finest examples of classic Scooby Doo. 10/10 Bethany Cox

In "A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts", Scooby-Doo and the gang visit a castle called "Franken Castle". But when they arrive, they are encounter three members of the Universal Monsters, including: Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster, and the Wolfman.

This episode is good, but there are some problems with it. For example the gang was not referring the correct names for the three monsters, like they refer Dracula and Frankenstein's Monster ghosts, and the Wolfman a regular werewolf. However, this was likely due to copyright issues at the time, but they could have had Dracula referred to as "the Vampire" and Frankenstein's Monsters as "the Man Like Monster".

Shaggy was out of character because he acts less cowardly, but that's okay. The plot of the episodes was great, and the exterior and interior of the castle was great. The the criminal of this episode Big Bob Oakley was the first villain to say one of the famous lines in the show "I would have gotten away if it wasn't for those blasted kids and their dog". Even though there are small problems in this episode, it is still a good episode, and it can be perfect for fans of movie monsters.

Scooby Doo, Where Are You!

S1E11: A Gaggle of Galloping Ghosts (1969)

Excellent episode has Scooby and the gang showing up at a mysterious castle that just happens to have an angry alligator, Dracula, a werewolf and Frankenstein's monster. This here is without question one of the best episodes that the series ever created and it has a lot in common with ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET FRANKENSTEIN as our heroes are simply running into monsters every step of the way. This here certainly benefits from having so many terrific monsters on display and all of them are look extremely good. The Frankenstein monster is large and fast, the werewolf covered in hair and Dracula as sinister as you'd expect. There's even a gypsy on hand for good measure. The gang get a lot of great moments with the monsters including a gag with Velma losing her glasses at the wrong time and thinking she's in a "toy" room when she's actually in a torture chamber. Fans of the series will certainly enjoy the laughs here but the monsters are what really carries it.

Episode: A+