Scooby-Doo is one of the most popular animated characters of all time. The character has appeared in series, movies and specials. He is always accompanied by his friend Shaggy, and many other times is accompanied by Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Scrappy-Doo.
Most of the series feature the gang solving a mystery and stopping a person, who is posing as a monster, from committing a crime. But, on occasion, there have been instances where the meddling kids were up against more than just an evil man or woman in a mask. Occasionally, the monsters were real.
10 The 13 Ghosts Of Scooby-Doo
This often forgotten Scooby-Doo series ran for one season in 1985. In the series, Scooby, Shaggy, Scrappy and Daphne are going on vacation when they are sent off course and end up in the Himalayas. Two bumbling ghosts manage to trick Scooby into freeing 13 of the most evil ghosts in the history of the world.
Under the guidance of Vincent van Gogh, voiced by Vincent Price, and teaming up with a new friend name Flim-Flam, the gang must work to return the 13 ghosts to the Chest of Demons.
9 Scooby-Doo And The Reluctant Werewolf
Scooby, Shaggy, Scrappy and Shaggy's girlfriend must compete a monster road race in Transylvania in this animated film from 1988. When the werewolf decides to retire before the Monster Road Rally, Count Dracula decides to make a new werewolf for the race.
Unfortunately for Shaggy, who is a race car driver in this film, he is the new werewolf. Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy must compete in the Monster Road Rally is Shaggy has any hope of returning to his human form.
8 Scooby-Doo Meets The Boo Brothers
Shaggy has inherited a plantation from his uncle. But, upon finding the home might be haunted, Shaggy and Scooby quickly hire a team of ghost exterminators to clear the property. What Shaggy and Scooby don't seem to realize is that by ghost exterminators, the Boo Brothers are ghosts who also exterminate ghosts in this film from 1987?
After getting over the initial shock, the gang lets the Boo Brothers get to work on the home while Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy go searching for a treasure supposedly left behind by Shaggy's uncle. Along the way, the trio encounter a stereotypical Southern neighbor who is all too eager to fire his gun, his sister who has decided that she wants Shaggy to be her boyfriend, and an ape that escaped from a nearby circus. Plus, the Boo Brothers are up to hijinks throughout the manor.
7 Scooby-Doo And The Ghoul School
Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy have taken jobs as the Fitness Instructors at Grimmwoods Finishing School for Girls in this 1988 animated film. In true Scooby-Doo fashion, when the gang arrives for their new jobs, they soon learn that the girls involved aren't girls at all, but the daughters of legendary monsters.
On top of the daughters of Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, phantoms, werewolves and mummies, the school features an octopus butler and a pet dragon. The film also features Revolta, the Witch of the Web, as the main antagonist; along with her sidekick, the Grim Creeper.
6 Scooby-Doo On Zombie Island
After a year off from solving mysteries, Scooby and the gang reunited to launch an investigation in the Bayou in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. In this 1998 animated film, the entire Mystery, Inc. gang is investigating an island that is overrun by a zombie crew of pirates.
This film presents a shift in tone from the animated Scooby-Doo films of the 1980s. In the 1980s films, the monsters were played for laughs. Starting with this film, the monsters were played for frights.
5 Scooby-Doo And The Witch's Ghost
This 1999 film shares a similar tone to the Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island. The gang is investigating the villainous Ghost of Sarah Ravencroft when it's revealed it was all a fake to attract tourists. This film has a fake out and a bait and switch with the fictional band being hinted as wishes before the real monster arrives.
Warlock Ben Ravencroft finds a way to unleash the actual ghost of his ancestor, Sarah. This creates a far more dangerous situation than the original fake ghosts ever could have hinted at. Unlike the 1980s films, the 1990s films put the gang in genuine peril.
4 Scooby-Doo And The Alien Invaders
In the 2000s, Scooby-Doo films moved away from traditional monster horror films and veered into the direction of science fiction. In Scooby-Doo and the Alien Invaders, the franchise uses the bait-and-switch format to reveal the villains are more traditional bad guys in masks while introducing friendly alien invaders.
The Mystery Inc. gang is investigating a group of villainous aliens who turn out to be fakes in a nice throwback to the original series. Meanwhile, the love interests for Shaggy and Scooby introduced in the film, Crystal and Amber, are revealed to be aliens in disguise trying to get back to their home planet.
3 Scooby-Doo And The Cyber Chase
The 2001 animated film, Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase, features a noticeable departure from the formula used earlier for the Scooby-Doo franchise. The Phantom Virus is a living, breathing monster that materialized in an old friend's game. The Phantom Virus attacked their friend Eric before being driven away with a high-powered magnet.
While the monster is real, the tone and aesthetic are far less sinister than previous entries on this list. Plus, the virus is manmade rather than the zombies, werewolves, aliens or ghosts introduced in other films.
2 Scooby-Doo And The Goblin King
The supernatural elements returned in the 2008 animated film Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King. At a Halloween carnival, Shaggy and Scooby expose a "magician" as a fraud. He swears revenge and works to become the Goblin King, so he can turn the rest of the Mystery Inc. gang into monsters.
This film features a throwback to the 1980s animated Scooby-Doo style. Much like The Boo Brothers, The Ghoul School and The Reluctant Werewolf, Shaggy and Scooby are the only ones who experience the supernatural aspects of this film.
1 Scooby-Doo And The Samurai Sword
In this 2009 film, an ancient Japanese warrior known as the Black Samurai is resurrected by Daphne's martial arts instructor who intends to return Japan to feudal times. After learning of her instructor's duplicitous nature, Daphne ensures the Samurai Sword ends up with Shaggy and Scooby.
The pair is trained in the arts of the samurai and work to rescue the gang while fighting off a team of robot ninjas. In the end, the gang frees the ghost of the Black Samurai, turning him mortal and allowing him to pass on in peace.